Nick Earns an A, After Supposedly Failing

At the start of each school year/semester, I send an email to my sons' teachers, advising them that my sons are on IEPs due to autism.  I highlight how my sons learn.  I also give indicators to observe if my sons understand the lessons and concepts.  Too often, the teachers, especially the teachers of the mainstream classes, do not get any information until the second or third week of the semester that my sons have autism--which is too late.

I received the following email five days into last semester regarding my son's Spanish II class:

Good Morning Mrs. Johnson! 

I wanted to introduce myself.  I am Ms. C. and will be Nicks case manager this year.  Thank you for the detailed information about Nick.  ...he is failing Spanish 2.  Has he mentioned anything to you about this? I am not sure if he even knows.  Ms. S just walked in and was wondering if you would be opposed to changing his grading to Pass/Fail or would you like to find a different elective for him to be placed in?  I am sorry to bombard you with this, however, I am glad we have found it early in the semester where we still have options.

I was mystified.  How can my son be failing before a test had been given or an assignment graded?  The more I thought about this, the more dumbfounded I became.  What did this case manager base this decision on?  My son had As and Bs in his Spanish I class, and that teacher had figured out how to accommodate Nick's autism.  Not only did Nick survive Spanish I, he enjoyed it.

How many autistic kids, who barely communicate in their native tongue, take on and succeed in a foreign language?  Well, my sons have never fit any statistic.  I've raised them to think that they can do whatever they want.  They may have to work harder than others, but they can succeed!

So why is this case manager claiming that my son is failing on the fifth day of the semester?

In short, I've seen it all before.  People underestimate my sons with autism.  My boys do have a disability, but they are not stupid.  They may not be able to communicate as well as others, but they can relay information.  They can tell you what they know, just not necessarily in the format wanted.

If this special ed teacher had taken the time to research Nick, she would have found his transcripts show a student with a 3.5 GPA.  She would have seen he has taken some special ed classes and many mainstreamed classes, including a college math class.  Despite autism, this kid pulls awesome grades, illustrating mastery of concepts.  At the end of the semester, Nick earned an A- in his Spanish II class--a far cry from failing.

Nothing infuriates me more than someone who "thinks" he might know my sons, based on textbook studies of autism.  In this case, a special ed teacher made a judgment regarding my son, Nick.  I sent an email inquiring how she concluded Nick was failing.  I never received a response.

This is what I do most days--ensuring that my kids get what they need to succeed in their dreams.  I don't do the work for my sons, but I make sure that no one stands in their way.

I have spent many hours getting my boys through the school system.  Now they face adulthood, and the work is just beginning--for all of us.