My son 10 is classified now as SLD for his IEP and has for 2 years.He had speech IEP since he was 3 though.However he has other stuff going on too.He is dx Aspergers by his psychartists and his speech teache rthinks i need to inform the school about this .She says it will change his classification toAutism .Would they change his services then he gets speech and OT now and i am happy with his IEP.His social skills have gotten worse as he gets older he is more with drawn then before and he has no friends in school or at home.He is very smart and has a high IQ they say too.He is doing grade level work with only writing modifications due to his writing disability.
i am hope, Joshuah age 6 Autism has at current a classification of SLI however here too josh has decreased social skills, and has OT 2x’s a week. his SLI is not so profound to enable his services through this year, i have tried for nearely 2 years to have the classification changed to Autism, however here is the problem…the regulations give a very narrow definition of Autism, and the divisions seem to believe they are capable of this diagnostics, so in my experience with the school divisions i have had no such luck getting them to SEE autism in my son, (even though he beats his head on the floor… that is defiance they think) the Individuals with Disabilities act, has an entire section on education for the disabled. the children are per say not protected through the educational regulations to ensure the disability classification but they are protected through the disabilities act. i will search for that web address for you and post later on that one. however reguardless as to the classification if your child needs OT , Speech, sensory breaks, visual schedules, and social training you can request a IEP review and voice your concerns. and if your child has the behavior manifestations you should inform the division of this medical diagnosis, this will protect your son should he hurt himself or others in a meltdown. you can also go as far as to hand write on his IEP that your son has a medical diagnosis of High Functioning Autism DSM IV 299.00that could impeade his progress in social , emotional and behavorial areas. this is a form of protection for you and your child for future cases. you can also have the doctor providing the diagnosis write a profile, and diagnostic decisions on letterhead, and give a copy to the special education coordinator, it will become part of your sons file. make sure all your concerns are in writing, directed to the division coordinator. hopefully they will offer the services. if not if you can and have ins to cover the costs, have your PCP refer your son for OT evaluation, if it is found that your child needs OT (private pay) you can have this implimented into the school program also.
Hope