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The diagnosis of Reactive Attachment Disorder speaks for itself.

So these kids that were screwed up by the very people that are supposed to love them are getting their own teachers, aids, etc while the "normal" kids are thrown into over crowded classrooms with 1 teacher & no aid & the "parents" still complain? Localgirl, odds are those grandparents aren't paying out of pocket for the childs outside psychiatric help, we are paying for that too. Where are the hosts of this child & what did they do to create this situation? Since our tax dollars are paying for it, it should be disclosed.

Jesus is and was 100% compliant in everything HE does :)

And I understand what you are saying, that's also why I stated if you aren't happy with the process or with the schooling. Homeschool your child.

Nobody is perfect in this world I understand that and even you aren't perfect at your job. So why cont to blast school districts and everything else of the world if you know the world and the people of this world have flaws.

If you dont like it, get out, move, and take your fight elsewhere. I dont understand if this was a problem for so long why would they fight it and cont to put their child or grandchild in the same situation time and time again. They were doing more harm than good for their own child.

If my child was in danger and was not getting something I thought was right you could bet your butt I would have pulled him/her the first time the school districts "recommendations" didn't work.

As for teachers not giving diagnosis, yes you are right they dont give the "offical" but they do tell the "Educational Diagnostician" (who has their masters degree in that field and who is part of the school district and school) what they see and fill is the diagnosis of this child. There is then a round table with other SEPD teachers and parents to discuss this and then this is how that student is labeled to be put where and how to be handled by the teaching staff.

Either way, situation should have called for this child to be removed once that child was no longer comfortable in his/her classroom.

Teachers do not diagnois students with anything! There are checksheets of behavior that they might fill out, observation reports that they submit, etc. but the actual diagnoisis of any student is left to diagnosticians, medical doctors and other professionals.

Teachers cannot recommend that any child is put on medication, medical doctors do that. If a teacher does recommend medication for any reason, that is a huge legal mistake. Teachers are instructed to leave the medical diagnosis and treatment to medical personnel.

Attachment disorder does take place early on and the family dynamics plays a HUGE role and it makes me wonder what the birth mother's contribution was to this.

The grandparents have been paying an outside counselor to counselor their brain-damaged grandson and now they want that money back. Even though mediation for this situation was tried it was unsuccessful. Both of these statements just cause me to wonder what outcome would really make these people happy.

No matter how much money will be thrown at this boy, at the end of the day he still will have his life-impacting disabilities.

Wow, people people people ....

First off, SPED teachers did go to college, do have a degree, and do know the laws and this is why they are certified to be SPED Teachers. That being said, yes this is their profession and yes they do diagnose these children because that is what their job is.

As for teachers "recommendations" no that is not the parent's job to "recommend" a teacher what to do. ARD's like stated before are their time to give their "recommendations" while an Assistant Principle, Teacher, Nurse (if needed), Parent's, Child, Special Ed "lead" and document keeper are all present. This is when they can discuss their IEP's and BIP's. Which is how they will deal with the situation when something occurs.

Yes, once agreed apon this is a LAW BINDING agreement and if not used can be sued. Physical Restraints are only used by CPI trained teachers, adim, and whoever else is trained (All SPED Teachers musted be certified as well as SPED Aides). The only reason a physical restraint can be used is if the child is physically harming himself, a threat to others, or to the teachers, as well as school property (throwing of desk, books, ect.).

If the IEP's and BIP's which the grandparents and staff came up with cont. not to work then you make changes each year in the ARD. If the school isn't a "safe" zone for that child then he/she should be home schooled.

Placing a child in a room with just teachers, an aide, and the child is not locking that child in a room to keep him/her away from the social world it is for the safety of other children. If there were more kids with simular traits that child would be in that room as well. It's just another room where SPED kids go not a janitors closet to be locked away. This is that this child can be monitored, taught one on one, and practice "social skills" (how to act in certian situations and proper ways of dealing with different situations).

And when commenting about "not being the school districts business anyway" once that child is enrolled at the school district yes it becomes their business that is why they get every childs personal records. No we dont "own" the children either but us as teachers are responsible once that student steps on campus and it is us who now makes "parental decisions" for the safety of the child and other children around. If they dont like that, again homeschool that child where you as the parent can do whatever you want with them.

To me the school district sounds like they've done everything right in this situation. Now if they weren't doing everything that they've said they have been doing then there would be a problem.

exres-
But of course!

Exresident, you do realize that the primary 'diagnoser' of ADD and ADHD is a school teacher, not a doctor, don't you? True, they are dealing with the child on a daily basis, but...I personally have never heard of a doctor that didn't go along with that suggestion when a parent brought the child in for the meds.

Sorry anxious...like I said, I don't think that child belongs in public schools. Now YOU mentioned "mental institutions" not me. There are group homes and other places for people who can't function or who have "special needs".

And RK it really isn't every child's right to attend public school but some would have you believe that we must educate even those who are not in our country legally.

There are many places that are much better suited for dealing with "special needs" children.

I for one am sick of the PC manner in which people want to look at things.

They admitted to provoking this child 45 times a day. They taught this child to be aggressive. They should have been teaching this child appropriate behaviors to use when he gets frustrated. Good for the family for suing these idiots for abusing their grandson. If the family is reading this, keep going forward, you are doing this for all children not just your own!!! This treatment goes on constantly & only recently has the school systems dirty little secret has been being exposed.
The Federal bill HR4247 has passed we now need to make our voices heard & support S.2860, the Preventing Harmful Restraint & Seclusion In Schools Act, introduced by Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT). Write your Senators & tell them they must support S2860! This story is just one of thousands..... We need Federal Laws to protect our most vulnerable of children & to stop this type of abuse!!!

All I know about this situation is the information in the article. That said, it seems that the school district felt that the child was not making acceptable progress following the family's psychologist's program. The district retained a "specialist" who recommended a different approach. Unless the school district can be shown to have not followed the program recommended by the person they hired, I fail to see what basis the family has for a lawsuit. From what I read, it sounds as though the district was trying to do what was best for the child. If dissatisfaction with the education one's child receives is the basis for a lawsuit, our taxes will double to pay for all the legal fees the school districts will have to incur defending themselves in court.

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Alot of special education students used to be sent off to mental institutions over 100 years ago. The United States of America finally saw that this was not working. What if every Down's Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, etc., child was sent to a mental institution??? Come on, Tx Wader. These laws were designed to protect children from backwards thinking like this. So we as Americans, instituted a free public education for every child.

If you want to ship someone off to a mental ward, let's start with the gang bangers who refuse to carry a pencil to class, disrupt, and don't care about being there. Kick THEM out, then maybe the serious students and innocent ones would have a chance in this world.

Whenever someone suggests that a student be sent to an out of district "institue", do you all realize who pays for that? It's not the parents/guardians, it's you and me. There are students who are already off campuses because they can't be served properly in schools, so they are living in placements that are SOOO expensive and those are year round. I've always wondered why they are there year round, when schools are only in session for ten months or so. If the schools district can't meet their educational needs, then that is a very EXPENSIVE solution.

It seems like the school system has tried to work to find the proper educational guidelines for this El Campos student and even pulled outside (again, expensive) sources in on this case. Grandparents don't like what they hear and want money now. BIP (Behavior Intervention Plans) are developed by professionals and when the grandparents don't want their grandchild to follow them, then there are other ways to change the plan. Request an ARD and go over the daily records of how it was used and the outcomes. Behavior doesn't change overnight (good or bad.) Making excuses and blaming the district because there was a change in aides, is just another scapegoat for these people.

Does money really change the special needs of that student? Funny thing is that all the money in the world won't give them the grandchild that they are looking to find.

As far as the situation at Howell goes, there are always two sides to every story. ARDS, parent-teacher conferences and open communication lines are the solution, rather than heresay. Parents have all the power they can use, when they can call meetings and work with the schools to develop solutions to educational roadblocks.

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While I don't know what "special needs" this child requires perhaps that child doesn't belong in a public school. Are there not clinics or institutions that deal with this?

Seriously if a child goes to pieces because an teacher's aid left which can happen often just as teachers change yearly...I don't think that child belongs in a public school.

The problem school districts get into is when teachers and districts don't follow the IEP plan set forth in a meeting for each individual special needs child. These IEP plans have to be followed. A new IEP plan can be made each year by having a meeting of the parents, teachers, administrators, nurse, therapists, etc for that child. Every special education teacher is expected to follow the plan agreed on by this meeting. It is legal and binding for special education students.

If I had a child that a teacher could not take care of, or understands his/her special needs. I would quickly remove my child, and find someone that does know how, and understands him/her.
Even tho the schools have a class for special needs children, does not mean they know how, or understand.
Suing is not the answer to everything like a lot think. Sometimes it needs to fall back on the providers shoulders to do the right things.
Protect your child but, don't go over the lines. No one is perfect, so don't expect the teachers to be perfect. They need your help when they don't undersand what you want from them. They are not doctors.They can not always do what a doctor says to do.
Just saying.
I feel for the child but, they are just as confused as the teachers.
Life, you learn it as you go.

Good for the family. Sue them and make an example out of them!

This sounds like a situation in one of our own schools... Several weeks ago, I was at Howell to pick up my student and could not help but to over hear another parent discussing their special needs childs situation with school personnel. Apparently, the child has been being treated for several years by a psychiatrist, and had made recommendations to the school. The school was unhappy with the progress of the student, hired an outside psychologist, who then made totally contradicting diagnosis, and treatment plan. The mom was frustrated and seemed to be beating her head against a brick wall. The school wanted it their way. Maybe that mom will read this article and look into her own lawsuit.