The law
mandates that the state provides all eligible children with a free and
appropriate public education that meets their unique individual needs.
The IDEA specifies that a child is legally entitled to receive early
intervention services or special education services if the child meets the state
eligibility requirements that define disability. Autism is mentioned
specifically in the IDEA as a condition that constitutes a disability.
Therefore, if your child has been diagnosed with an ASD, this diagnosis is
generally sufficient to determine that your child is entitled to the rights
afforded by the IDEA.
The IDEA establishes an explicit role for you as a
parent in planning and monitoring your child's individual education program. You
are entitled to be treated as an equal partner in deciding on an educational
plan that contains the elements that your child needs. This provision enables
you to be a powerful advocate for your child. It also means that you, as a
parent, must be not only an active participant, but an informed and
knowledgeable participant of the IDEA process as well.
The key word here is
appropriate. Your child is entitled to an appropriate education---one that is
tailored to your child's special needs. Your child is entitled to an appropriate
placement---one that will allow your child to make educational
progress.
The problem is that the determination of what is appropriate to
the needs of your child is not always straightforward. Determining which
services and interventions are appropriate for your child, and therefore which
ones will be provided for your child, is a collaborative process that may
involve considerable negotiation.
Your child is entitled to the
least restrictive environment. This means that your child should be placed in
the environment in which he or she has the greatest possible opportunity to
interact with children who do not have a disability and to participate in the
general education curriculum. A child with a disability, if appropriate, should
be mainstreamed to take classes with other public school students without
disabilities. This can sometimes be accomplished with accommodations, or even a
one-on-one aide to assist your child. The aide should be trained and educated in
autism.
Again, what is appropriate in this case depends on your child's
unique needs. It may be more appropriate for your child to be placed in a
special education program, in a special needs school, or in a home instruction
program, rather than the regular education classroom.
The first educational placement for a young child
on the autistic spectrum is usually made through an Early Intervention program.
The IDEA provides federal grants to states that institute programs to provide
early intervention services for children with disabilities, including autism.
Any child younger than three years of age who has a developmental delay or a
physical or mental condition likely to result in developmental delay is eligible
to receive early intervention services. If your child is determined to be
eligible, these early intervention services must be provided to you at no cost.
EI service offerings vary widely. They should, however, be determined by
the child's needs, not just what happens to be available or customary in your
area. The document that spells out these needs and the services that will be
provided to meet them is the Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP), which should
be based on a comprehensive evaluation of the child. The IFSP is a written
document that describes your child's current levels of functioning and
anticipated outcomes (goals) and enumerates the specific services that will be
provided to meet the skill-based needs of your child and the needs of your
family.
Early intervention services may be directed either toward your
child or your entire family. Early intervention services for your child may
include special instruction such as ABA, speech and language instruction,
occupational therapy, physical therapy, and psychological evaluation. Early
intervention services for families may include training to help the family
reinforce or generalize the child's new skills and counseling to help the family
adapt to the changed circumstances associated with having a disabled child.
Early intervention services are aimed at minimizing the impact of disabilities
on the development of your child.
The IDEA requires that states provide special
education services to children with disabilities beginning at the age of three.
Special education services are provided by local school districts. Therefore, if
your child has been receiving early intervention services through the state
early intervention office, you will stop working with this office, and you will
begin to work with the special education department within your local school
district.
The focus of special education is different from that of early
intervention. Whereas early intervention focuses on the entire family and seeks
to minimize the overall developmental impact of your child's disability, special
education services ensure that your child receives an adequate education,
regardless of disabilities or special needs.
The document that spells out
your child's needs and how these needs will be met is the individualized
education plan (IEP). Like the IFSP in Early Intervention programs, the IEP
describes your child's strengths and weaknesses, sets out goals and objectives,
and details how these can be met within the context of the school system. Unlike
the IFSP, the IEP is almost entirely about what happens within school walls.
