For those who follow my FB autism page, you know that I had a very rough week, but in particular a very rough day on Wednesday. I went to observe the new suggested class for my daughter Beauty, who is starting 1st grade in September. I wish I could say I was prepared for the meeting - and I thought I was - but nothing could prepare me for what I saw...
As a little bit of background, Beauty is now 6 yrs old, but still has a lot of struggles. For example, she is not potty trained yet, despite our best efforts. She also has many sensory issues, such as sensitivities to noises and lights. Beauty is also a very picky eater, though is coming out of her shell, per se, in the sense that she's at least willing to hold new foods in her hands, which has led to her adding 2-3 new foods to her diet in the last year. She's definitely making baby steps in the right direction. As for her cognitive function, Beauty truly is one of a kind. She's not a 'genius,' but she's incredibly smart for a six year old. Her teachers, past and present, have never had any issues getting her to understand academics. With all that in mind, one could make the determination that Beauty's autism is considered mild / moderate.
So imagine my surprise on Wednesday when I walked into this new suggested class for her. It's called an SEL class (Social / Emotional Learning) and the purpose is to teach autistic students to learn proper interaction with one another, while learning academics and attending to their sensory needs at the same time. It sounded great, but when I got there.... let's just say I'm surprised I didn't turn around running with my daughter in tow!
The classroom is very small, no bigger than a two-car garage. When I arrived, the teacher - a tall, thin, stocky guy who was not very personable - was teaching the kids "science" via a large pull-down screen, showing pictures of turtles. And in his monotone voice said "Look guys, it's a turtle. Turtles live in water."
There are two aides in the class, one of which seemed very nice. The other one, however, had a very stern look on her face and I overheard her bossing the kids around several times. She said things like, "I said sit down!" "Did I say you could get up?" "Are you supposed to be over here? Go sit!" She obviously had no problems saying those things right in front of me, it was just second-nature for her.
The room itself was very cluttered - toys hanging from the ceiling, pictures galore all over the walls, toys scattered everywhere, knick-knacks all over the room (mind you, things that the kids were NOT allowed to touch because they were breakable), plus 12 desks cramped together in the very middle of the room. On the right side, there was a 'sensory break area,' which was basically a bean bag and a balloon on a string hanging from a peg on the wall. That way, the kid could sit on the bean bag and hit the balloon at the same time - fun right? (sarcasm, btw)
During my brief conversation with the teacher, I'm informed that their main method of teaching is called Behavioral Conditioning. I'm not an idiot people (but they didn't know that). I know exactly what that means. If the child doesn't do what they're told, they get punished. If they listen correctly, they get rewarded. Now look, I know that for some children with autism, behavioral conditioning works great for them. But that particular kind of therapy is not the right fit for my daughter. I just spent the last year and a half teaching my daughter (via Floortime Therapy) how to think for herself, how to think outside the box, how to have her own opinions and ideas... behavioral conditioning could undo all of that! I also found out this classroom doesn't follow a rigid schedule - they don't even have a PECS system!
And lastly - oh yes, there's more - I've saved the biggest doosie for last. Right next to the sensory break area was something I never thought I'd see in person; certainly not in one of MY daughter's classes. But there it stood - 3 ft wide, 4 ft deep, 7 feet tall, with padding all along the inside. That's right folks! It was a padded cell! Oh, excuse me... a "seclusion room." I went into complete SHOCK! My mouth fell open and my eyes widened. NO WAY was I allowing my daughter to attend this class - NO WAY!
So there's the story of my horror visit. I have a meeting Tuesday morning with her teacher, the school coordinator, the OT and the ST. We will discuss the options available for my daughter to attend school in September. I sure hope they can offer me something better than what I witnessed on Wednesday. If they can't, I will gladly put my child in a private school, or hire a personal tutor, or just home school her myself. Either way, my child deserves better than what they deemed was an appropriate environment.
