Attempting Hope

It has been a day full of chaotic schedule and displeased children who happen to have Autism, both at work and at home. We had a late start due to a wee bit of snow and a lot of slush on the roads.

So out of the classroom and into my own head. I just finished writing some feedback for the teacher who is formulating my son's IEP. This gnawing irritation that our most vulnerable kids are often held back by what the adults in their lives believe is possible, keeps haunting me. One only has to look at the history of special education (or public education as a whole for that matter) to see how much the paradigms teachers and administrators live within shape the instruction and opportunities our kids happen upon.

Two conflicts in education that I think a lot about are...

Secondary Special Education and "life skills" curriculum - where is the research that says kids need to learn life skills in school over academics in order to transition successfully into their adulthoods. In other words, teach my son how to read a book instead of how to load a dishwasher. 

Oh and those pushy parents who have kids with Autism and yep I'm one of them sometimes, although my kid has a few more whammies to add to the list. Here I am talking about disparities in special education. Families and educators are shifting the ways people think about difference and access to grade level instruction and curriculum because certain kids are sometimes quite capable and "in there." However, in some districts it's these kids who are moved out into inclusion settings and the kids who are learning well below grade level or students who are medically fragile in one way or another still remain in self-contained classrooms with little exposure to grade level materials and peer interaction. The issue is hugely complex and briefly touched upon here, but it's glaringly present in public schools.