To think DD is basically being given detention for being autistic?

[102910h]

Im a new user, I signed up because I didn't know who to ask.

DD is 12 and year 8. She has high functioning ASD but is in mainstream.

As part of her ASD she has organisational issues, struggles to record homework and often forgets books. I and her dad try to help her as much as we can with this but she still gets detentions every week.

She's been crying a lot lately because she doesn't want to be lumped in with the 'naughty kids' and she feels that she is being if that makes sense.

I contacted the SENCO and they said they can try to help with organisation but so far the strategies they've tried haven't worked out (planner, she loses it, forgets to write in it etc)

AIBU to think that she is basically being given detention because she has autism? Should the school be doing more to help?

Some people are so moronic and too close minded to consider a view that isn't fully aligned to their their own. It's no wonder their kids find school and life hard

Oh, do autism is down to moronic parents now, is it? That's an interesting new theory

*so

E4 - are you OK hun? (Hugs)

Oh, do autism is down to moronic parents now, is it? That's an interesting new theory

If you read what I wrote, it wasn't that. If you deliberately and willfully misunderstand something very , then it's worse than I thought. But actually, hypothetically, a person's lack of intelligence or understanding of a clear statement would be a good indication why a child doesn't appear to be managing in comparison to their peers.

Ffs. It clearly shows that all having the same, being fair or 'equal' doesn't always amount to the same outcome. Being equitable means providing something different from or additional to the norm, to compensate for weaknesses.

The illustration clearly shows that equality does mean having the same outcome - in that case, all three children having the same access to the view of the game.

Providing something different to the norm includes not punishing disabled children for the consequences of their disability, doesn't it? Particularly when the reality is that SEN funding is so poor that the school isn't providing additional support.

Ive reported e. The comments are just plain nasty and designed to upset people who have tough enough lives already.

I contacted the SENCO and they said they can try to help with organisation but so far the strategies they've tried haven't worked out

This is not good enough . The school needs to get its act together and find strategies that do work. It is not appropriate to put her into detention for reasons relating to her disability. Lots of good ideas have already been suggested on here . When my son was at school, he was able to go to Homework Club at lunch time to do his homework, which solved all the problems we were having, which largely centred round not understanding what he had to do, and getting hugely stressed about it.

Your daughter has autism and is covered by the Equality Act 2010. Under the Act, schools have a duty to make "reasonable adjustments". You may need to remind them of this. Not to make reasonable adjustments can be construed as disability discrimination.

www.autism.org.uk/about/in-education/resolving-disagreements/discrimination-gb.aspx

E4e2756611 I suggest you refrain from commenting about things you know nothing about, and making such crass, insensitive and ignorant assumptions.

You clearly have no understanding of autism (try reading the NAS website), no understanding of what constitutes a disability or of schools' legal duties to make "reasonable adjustments" for disabled children "Teachers have got to expect the same for all." ( Try reading up on the Equality Act 2010). Autism is classed as a disability under the Act.

But most unforgivably of all, you have no understanding of how upsetting and deeply offensive your glib comments, "Support is available", "theyre overwhelming provided with opportunities," are to all the parents and carers of children and young people with autism, who spend their lives fighting for the right support (and the right level of support) to enable their children to access the education they are entitled to.

Search on here and elsewhere on the internet, and you will find countless horror stories of families up and down the country torn apart by the devastating consequences of autism, the abject failures of schools, and local authorities, to make appropriate provision and put in the right level of support, and the catastrophic effects this has on their daily lives and mental health.

OP, if your DD has trouble recording her homework, the Teacher or TA should make sure she writes it in her planner.

They should put her homework on the board early in the lesson, not last minute.

They should be responding to her needs as an individual human being.

Having an ASC puts her on an elevated level of stress before she even enters the classroom. Where is the compassion in making this even worse by being haphazard about how homework is set, and then punishing the student?

As a teacher, I despair.

Bless your DD.

E4e
Some people are so moronic and too close minded to consider a view that isn't fully aligned to their their own

That's as close to an emoji of a mirror that I could find

How about you stop being so abusive and try to help?

Alexander cheers. Maybe I should have just thought the comment about someone not having a brain. Because they must have one, realistically. My mistake. But nothing else is actually anywhere near 'nasty'. You just don't like it

volant The illustration clearly shows that equality does mean having the same outcome - in that case, all three children having the same access to the view of the game.

I despair. The first image is 'equality'. Which clearly doesn't work because some still can't see. The next is equity - giving someone who needs it something extra, so that all get the same. You have STILL fundamentally not understood.

The point is, E4e, that we are talking about the concept of equality as in the Equality Act 2010. You seem essentially to be saying that because you perceive that loads of support is available in schools for children with ASD, therefore from Day 1 they should be treated exactly the same as each other in terms of expectations for homework, observing the rules etc.

Is there any chance at all of your being less selective in terms of what you choose to respond to and addressing the facts that (1) all that support isn't available in practice; (2) not all children with ASD are the same; and (3) even if support is available, it won't work like magic from Day 1 of the support being put in place?

I’ve found that on the whole other children couldn’t care less about adjustments that are made for their classmates.

This was my son's experience, too. In fact, if anything, I think it helped make his school friends more empathetic about his disabilities, and by extension, perhaps more disability-aware generally.

E4 (spinning cogs) it is teachers and schools banging the equality drum because they wrongly think that this means treating all DC (including those with an ASD) the same - you must conform.

Differentiating homework is an equity measure.

What is your point?

And as another poster suggested, it's not about the dictionary definition of equality, it's about equal access. And equal access to education requires accommodation, which means that some people are going to be treated differently than other people.

Furthermore, the social model of disability holds that it is the way that the world is organized that disables an individual, rather than the individual's difference. So the world needs to sort itself out so that everyone can have equal access. And that includes educational institutions.

Volant your last paragraph put far more eloquently what I've been trying to say. I just get so angry with people who are totally uneducated about the subject and I'm so tired partly due to responding to many phone calls, arranging more meetings, reading umpteen bundles of paper.

@MinaPaws

Yes she has ASD, dyspraxia and anxiety (diagnosed by CAMHS, largely school related). She is very demand avoidant at times, not always, not enough to be considered PDA, but when stressed and anxious this behaviour comes out. This was acknowledged by her primary school, so it's not just at home, but I think we get the worst of it.

If I organised all her school stuff into folders she would fly into a rage and quickly undo all my work! She is very, very difficult at the moment and I'm at the end of my tether. It's certainly school related as she was a dream in the summer holidays. 6 weeks into year 7 and I can see her sinking

Seneca - DS2's never provided any evidence - they just used the excuse that they weren't delivering support because this would make him 'look different'. They glossed over the fact that non-delivery of support not only made DS2 'look different' but also led to punishment. They were not concerned about break time and lunch time detentions impacting his 'socialisation'.

Soupmode we have the same, mine presents as PDA but they don't diagnose it here so he has ASD with demand avoidance elements alongside dyspraxia and spd. If I could actually get CAMHS to see him then we're fairly sure anxiety would be added to the list.

Keep0nKeepingOn, that's really indefensible on the part of the school.

I probably ought to mention that I am in the US. Our experience seems to have been much more positive than many that are recounted here on MN. But having said that, we did actually move from one county to another, so that we could be in a catchment area that had a reputation for excellent SEN support.

There are of course funding issues and staff resource issues nearly always present in educating children with special educational needs, but my experience is that attitudinal barriers are often the biggest challenge.

Maybe I should have just thought the comment about someone not having a brain. Because they must have one, realistically.

Such a gracious apology. Thank you

E4
I quite agree with the idea that DC with ASD should participate fully, not opt out of one thing after the other. I insist that my DC are given homework and do it. I agree that they should see that rules apply to them as well, even though in reality they have significant adjustments and opt outs, but when all adjustments are exhausted and the behaviour is deliberate, (which even happens to my DC with ASD), I support sanctions, like for everyone. But the key point here is that all the adjustments , effective ones, should be put in place and working before applying sanctions. SEN provisions should be made and funded, otherwise it spirals down.

That opting out, what you refer as 'excuses', which is an inaccurate word imo, happens because the right support wasn't provided earlier upstream, there was no appropriate provisions, and DC with autism developed issues, such as Pathological Demand Avoidance, where it is extremely difficult to get them to do anything and parents have to choose their battles. Even without PDA, if because their needs are not met DS with ASD struggle and develop resistance to homework, it is extremely hard for parents to "enforce" it. Home becomes a war zone. And it is often schools that choose to stop giving homework, because it is for free, rather than hiring a TA and helping the DC to cope with learning at school and at home. Once an autistic DC is in the habit of not doing homework, it is extremely hard to shift this routine. People on the spectrum compartmentalize things: "learning and struggle is at school", "freedom and recovery is at home". It is very difficult to retrain the child at this point, and they will need significant amount of support, provisions for changing - social stories, consistency etc etc.

So to achieve what you call "Equity", and what Equality act call "Equality", DC with disabilities need adjustments and provisions at the right time, early on, not when they reach the "threshold" and are in crisis. And for parents to live through this is so stressful, draining and heartbreaking, it is such a lonely, total never ending battle that I completely understand the state some parents are in at different points.

I gather some schools just use sanctions to exclude DC with SEN as an easy way out, instead of making provisions and when appropriate supporting parents' application for extra funding in form of EHCP.

What did disappoint me is the statement : They shouldn't have to write it down thirty times to ensure all children have it in writing. What a waste of a masters level qualified professional.
You don't have to write it for all children, only for those with disabilities and only in the way that achieves the desired result - you could print it and give to them once. You don't mean to say Masters' graduates shouldn't comply with equality and education law?

Again, the duty to make reasonable adjustments is only for those with disabilities to redress the disadvantage they are at due to their disability. Not making adjustments and provisions because of the other 29 children is discrimination.

Some people just believe that if nature wanted disabled people equal, they would be so, Some people are just concerned with ableistic vigilantism. I met a fair number of those. Not saying necessarily E4 is one.