All I Want For Xmas is a Really Good School Program

Okay, there’s probably a few other things, and generally we’ve been pleased with—-and Charlie seems comfortable, for the most part, to like—his current school placement. Nothing’s entirely perfect and things this week have been more frazzled than they have been, with Charlie irked by a sore in his mouth (’tis the season for such things). Plus, he seems more sensitive to sound than ever, especially to certain types of people’s voices, and especially when these are at higher pitches and loud. A low-ceilinged classroom in a really big middle school — and fluorescent lights and linoleum — probably aren’t the ideal set-up and his teacher and I have been emailing a lot. Fortunately a package from my parents with some noise-cancelling headphones showed up on Tuesday and we’ve been working on Charlie wearing these.

“‘For almost a decade now, families of children with autism have continued to face an impossible choice between prohibitively expensive private autism programs and an unresponsive public school system.”

Taline Sagharian, whose 12-year-old son Christopher is autistic, is quoted as saying this in today’s CBC.ca news, in a story about a Supreme Court ruling regarding an appeal from five families who are to sue the Ontario government for discrimination against their autistic children. In 2004, the families filed a $1.25-billion lawsuit, charging “negligence and damages”:

The families are suing the province and five school boards, accusing them of discrimination for failing to provide their children with the expensive [ABA] therapies they require. They have argued that other kids with special needs receive therapy along with their education within the publicly funded school system.

So far, our public school system has been responsive, though misunderstandings can occur. We believe very much that Charlie needs and can be educated in the public schools and when school is good, it’s good for our whole family—-no family should have to face that “impossible choice.”