My 10 year old autistic daughter got suspended from school.?

Question

What can I do, she's 10 and got suspended for punching 2 other students leaving bruises on them, said "**** off" to her teacher and was throwing objects. She acts out whenever her routine gets altered due to her autism. She is now suspended for a day and a half, and gets to go back to school on Monday (today is Thursday). What sort of punishments should she get? Remember she is very mildly autistic, but I know that's no excuse for her behavior. Thank you all.

Answer 1

The first thing to do is reveiw the behavior management plan that should be part of her IEP. Be sure the school followed it before suspending her. Most plans will, as a last result, allow for short term suspensions for severe behaviors, but generally the child can not be expelled.

Next, time to look at your child's IEP. You need to be sure there is some mention of her behavior as a results of routine disruption and put in place goals and steps to not only prepare her for changes, but to help the teacher and any aides prepare as well.

Finally, for punishment at home, I would say use whatever you would use if another child in your home was suspended from school. My only difference would be I would only implement any loss of privelages, groundings, etc until she returns to school on Monday. Many kids on the spectrum have a tough time with understanding cause and effect, so you will need to remind her as to why she can not watch TV or ride her bike until Monday. Chances are, it is going to be a very long weekend for you, but stand firm. I would also ask her to write a note to the school explaining what she did, why it was wrong and why she is sorry (if she is...she many say she isn't ). If possible, bring her to school a bit early on MOnday so she can hand the note to the prinicple and her teacher. You may also want to arrange for her to apologize to the students involved, but only if she is genuinely sorry and you feel she can handle it.

My lsat suggestion would be to divise a set of punishments that correspond to certain behaviors or levels of acting out. She should know that if she breaks one of these "rules" this will be the result. You will need to follow through quickly and every time. If you don't have daily communication with the teacher...a notebook in a backpack works or a daily email..than request it now. That way even the more minor altercations can be brought to light and you can get a better understanding of what may be setting her off.

Answer 2

I am a 40 year old father of 2 girls, ages 8 & 10. The 10 year old doesn't have many friends; sounds similar to your situation. The 8 year old is very cute and personable and it seems that everyone is her friend. The older one notices this and gets discouraged and then acts up to get attention. Here is what we do that seems to work better: 1. introduce the 10 year old to some independent activities. Piano, knitting, reading, cross country (running), swimming, and fashion are all hobbies that she has taken up. 2. Let the two girls play together if / when they want to. They have to learn to accept each other as they are. 3. Find 1 friend for the 10 year old. It's not ideal to have only 1 friend, but it's a lot better than no one. I would not suggest starting at any other school, getting a doctor to diagnose ADD, etc. Those type of things say "you're a problem and we have to do something special for you". Treat your daughter like a normal person and eventually she will find herself.

Answer 3

The school should have a manifestation meeting to determine if the behavior was a manifestation of the disability. Students with IEP's can be suspended up to 10 days in a school year. The school should have a behavior plan in place to prevent these behaviors before they happen. Contact the special educator and request a team meeting to discuss how this can be prevented in the future. It will help if they know that you aren't using her disability as an excuse but want to address the situation appropriately. Write a social story to teach her acceptable ways to control her emotions and appropriate ways to deal with schedule changes. She should have a schedule at school, that way if there will be a change in her schedule or routine she knows about it ahead of time.

Answer 4

Looks like you need to review her IEP and ask for a meeting with the school (teachers, paras, principles, special ed director)...
They will have to be accommodating, grab anything that they have sent you, medical reports, any other information that you have and can share.
Has she had an FBA (Functional Behavior Analysis)? You can request the school district to do one...especially to support her during those tough times when the schedule gets off and she gets agitated. The goal of an FBA is to be able to pinpoint triggers and behaviors, and then suggest plans of action to help her be more successful. Then Behavior plan (including what to do when she is aggressive and making special accommodations in the discipline policy) can be written into her IEP.

Also, there has to be someone on her special ed IEP that has a certificate in Autism, if there is not you can go to your State Dept of Ed. and open a case (grievance).

I STRONGLY suggest that you get an advocate (the school should have given you numerous copies of parental rights which contain contact information for advocate groups), but I would look up ARC, PACER, or AutismSpeaks. If you have a county worker for her, they should be able to help advocate, or suggest local supports.
God Bless and Good Luck!

Answer 5

I completely understand why its upsetting to her. Her day is normally all planned out and when something is altered it disrupts her. That is typical of children with austism. I would have hoped that the school or teacher would have preped her enough to prevent the outburst. However, a students should not and I think cannot be punished if it is related to their disability. I don't remember where I heard that I know I heard it somewhere.

I am sorry and I know how hard it must be for you as a mother knowing that it was out of your daughters control.

Speak to the special education teacher or other people in your building about this. Maybe the can offer other advice.

Good luck

Answer 6

By law, she can still be suspended. The law says that students with special needs cannot be away from insrtuction more than 10 days during a school year. Before your 10 year old daughter comes back to school on Monday, talk to your daughter's teacher and principal about your concerns.

Answer 7

Is she in a regular school or special ed. school? Ultimately, her behavior needs to be assessed. She is effecting the learning of herself and, especially, those around her. The other kids also have a right to attend school and not get punched in the face.

Yes... request an FBA or functional analysis to determine the function of her behaviors. You may think her behavior stems from her rigid behavior and straying from her schedule, but an FA will determine exactly what is maintaining her behavior (i.e., escape from task, attention, tangible access, or sensory/automatic).

Then, the team can give an appropriate behavior plan. Have someone qualified assess her. Ask for someone who is BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analyst) certified. It is important. Ask questions as to HOW they are going to assess her and how they are coming up with treatment. Don't just accept what they say as truth. Some of the people there, especially if its a regular school, will have no idea how to conduct an appropriate assessment... Her behavior is serious, maybe not frequent, but serious enough to warrant an assessment. For reference, read the article from Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Toward a functional analysis of self-injury, (Iwata, et al) for an explanation of the functional analysis and how it is done.

Answer 8

What I would ask is why they haven't done a functional behavior assessment or why there aren't supports in place for when routine IS changed.
I'd call a manifestation hearing. Do it in writing so that they can't ignore you. I wouldn't punish her at home any more than I would punish a handicapped kid for not getting out of his wheelchair.
The school is failing your daughter, and she's not getting the help she needs to succeed in life. She can't live as an adult like this, and she needs help now. Please read at www.wrightslaw.com, and contact your districts special ed director and ask for help.

Answer 9

They do not have do have a manifestation determination unless she will be suspended for more than 10 days consec.
I would request an FBA be scheduled immediately upon her return. Based on the recommendations from the FBA, you could then revise the IEP.

Answer 10

I had no end of trouble with my child in public school...you name it..he got into it. He was also blamed for things he didn't do and wasn't learning. I got a Lawyer and the public school had to pay for an excellent non-public school for him.
The day he started there was the start of his becoming a straight A student with awards from the school for his performance and behavior...It's just a matter of where your child goes to school. Look into schools that work with autistic kids..most of the teachers there have Masters degrees and the kids will learn and succeed there.