June 5, 2007

LETTERS2theEDITOR

Thanks for talking about the autism crisis facing our public school system

Editor,
It’s great that someone is finally talking about this crisis in our public school system! (Willow Glen Times, May 2007 “High-functioning autistic children and their parents struggle in the public school system”) I'm a Vermont mom of a teenager who has Asperger's who is searching for a good school and I found your article on the Internet.

Districts spend massive amounts of our educational funds to fight against the families of disabled children—more than the cost of giving them an appropriate education for the remainder of their educational life would even cost!

No one should accept this waste of our tax dollars. If “We The People” allow this to continue, we will all be paying far more later. The Center for the Study of Autism reports that high-functioning adults today require assisted-living supports for the remainder of their lives and many cannot work. The Autism Society of America says it will cost between $200 and $400 BILLION per year to provide what these people will need when they reach adulthood.

The fate of these children and the immense stress for their families can be changed. Giving them an “appropriate” education now will lead them to the hope and promise of independent living. The law requires districts to prepare all children for further education, employment and independent living. The law requires districts to provide academic, social, communicative and emotional development for all children. So you see, the needs of these children are protected by law, yet districts continue to deny them. These children are not asking for MORE, they ask only for what is given to their non-disabled peers from the educational system; their disability simply requires that they receive it in a different way.

We need to ask ourselves, since your article points out that many of these children are highly intelligent, if we "throw these children away" and keep them on a path destined for dependency, which of these children could have gone on to develop a cure for cancer or AIDS or diabetes? We could “throw away” the next Albert Einstein, Diane Fossey, or even a Bill Gates?

Your article shows the divide between parents and the educational system (thank you!), and it points out how districts “reassess” despite a diagnosis from medical experts. Notice that while they “reassess” and conclude that medical experts are wrong, we see that poor “Ben” was diagnosed at age 3 and went without any services until he was 6 years old. That’s three precious years of development he can never recover, and the money the district spent to fight his parents—who ultimately prevailed—was wasted and could have gone to help many children. Given that there are many "Bens," the waste of educational funds is staggering.

With Social Thinking classes designed by Michelle Garcia Winner and created on public school campuses, and a school like Pine Hill where “all children can achieve their potential” through a specialized curriculum with expert teachers, high-functioning autistic children can overcome the emotional and social obstacles as proven there daily. These children can develop the skills that prepare them for further education, employment and independent living, as the law requires. And families can breathe and live harmoniously again.

I can't believe you have such an excellent school in San Jose as Pine Hill and superb intervention-therapies such as the "Social Thinking Institute.” It is just a shame that my local public schools don't use those nationwide acclaimed facilities. When will the discrimination and neglect end?

—Andrea Stefani
Plainfield, Vt.

Families with autistic children suffer daily turmoil

Editor,
I read the article, and as a parent of a child diagnosed with Aspergers' syndrome, I felt like crying. The article’s sidebar mentions the difficulties parents have raising these children but does not really depict the daily emotional turmoil each family faces in isolation in the guise of "confidentiality."

I applaud the move to get this all out into the open so other parents in similar situations may find solace that they are not alone. I would like to request a Spanish version of this article be published. The complexities of the autism spectrum disorder are compounded by language barriers and this could be the first step to reaching out to those already disadvantaged groups. Thank you for publishing this article and I look forward to reading about this progressing debate in the future.

—Lou GZ

Thanks for helping children and their families

Editor,
Thank you for helping many children and their families with your May 2007 Willow Glen Times article titled, “High-functioning autistic children and their parents struggle in the public school system.”

One clinician has already used the article to advocate for appropriate school services for a child, and one San Jose attorney said that 14 calls came in within a 24-hour period from parents seeking representation in order to obtain appropriate school services for their children. I imagine the phones of many other attorneys have been ringing too.

I have asked parents if they’ve seen the article, and many said, “Yes, and I sent it to everyone I know.” I hope that you plan to publish the article in other Times Weekly papers. It is having such a positive impact already, and by increasing the number of parents and professionals who see the article, it can lead to helping more children receive the services they desperately need.

Carol Rosen is the first reporter to raise awareness with regard to the challenges faced by school-aged children who are high on the autism spectrum (with high-functioning autism, PDD-NOS, and Asperger’s syndrome). I am grateful to her for doing so. She presented the issue without bias, and gathered information from many sources, including educators.

It was fascinating to hear many sides and aspects of the issue, and to understand the mind-set of educators who are in the unique position of making important, life-changing decisions about what our children will and will not receive in terms of special education services.

Further understanding of this disability is certainly in order. Your article begins the discussion that can lead to greater knowledge and awareness of this crisis, and provide parents and educators with information about experts who are “doing it right” like Michelle Garcia Winner’s Center for Social Thinking, Inc. and Pine Hill School ’s Newton Program.

As the mother of a child with high-functioning autism, there is no way to describe the pain and agony our children endure on a daily basis when they are in an educational environment that lacks the support and services they need, let alone an understanding of their disability. Providing appropriate services for these children today will lead to a life-time of “independent” tomorrows.

Thank you again for the fantastic article! I hope it will be the first of many!

—Nancy Jacques
San Jose, CA

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