When it comes to treatment for developmentally disabled children, parents and doctors are usually on the same page. Whenever a parent asked a doctor for his/her prognosis, they are talking about long term, quality of life standards. Doctors approach these issues from the same perspective as parents. That is why they prescribe extensive OT and Speech Therapy for young children. They are trying to insure that children have the best possible chance at becoming independent and productive adults through intensive early intervention.
However the “treatment” prescribed by the doctors are usually not administered by doctors or clinicians. They are usually left up to our public schools to administer; that’s when the problems arise. It’s not necessarily the fault of our public schools alone. We, parents and the general public, have some major misconceptions about what our public schools actually do.
From the time I was a kid, I was always told that schools are here to educate. That’s true in theory however what they actually do is far different. In reality, our public schools provide assistance, opportunities and tools for an education. If your child is interested, engaged and motivated, he/she can receive a good education. For the rest of the population, public schools are all about matriculation. They talk about it all the time but I think it goes in one ear and out the other for many parents. How many times have you heard administrators and teachers talk about the “Basic Minimum Requirements”? Basic Minimum Requirements is “not-so code” for Matriculation. If your child’s Basic Minimum Requirement is to chew gum and walk a straight line, he/she will be promoted to the next level…matriculated through the system.
Here lies the rub; parents approach the schools looking for services they think the school should provide. They are under the misconception that the school is there to help their child achieve some level of independence. They believe that the school will educate their child and that is not reality, especially when it comes to children with development disabilities. To public school administrators, the learning plans developed by parents and doctors are a “wish list” and nothing more. Minimum standards for advancement are the priority and how your child adapts to the world after public school is not their concern. This is not to put a bad-rap on public schools. They have extremely limited resources in an ever-changing and demanding world.
I was talking with a friend of mine who has two children that attend a private middle school in the Silicon Valley. The tuition for both girls is about $29,000.00 per year. However, the tuition alone is not enough to get your kid(s) in the door. In addition to his monthly checks to the school, he and his wife must sign up for school service hours to support the children and staff. The parents sign up to work as chaperones, tutors, work with campus organizations, coordinate fundraisers, etc…What private schools recognize is that education doesn’t just happen with school staff. The participation of the parents, their engagement and support of their kid’s school activities enhance the educational experience. It also brings much need resources to campus. (Though how much more resources do you need when you charge $14,500.00 per student?)
The bottom line is that parents are the best advocates for children. It’s really hard to make ends meet and still take an active roll in your child’s education. I know this from personal experience. But, there really is no other way to insure your child will get the quality education that he/she deserves. You can’t leave it all up to the public schools.
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