Advocating for Our Children ~ Autism and Labels

A mini-rant on State Agencies and idiocy

Imagine my surprise when my grandson’s review from a Florida Early Learning Coalition had arrived via email filled with inaccuracies.

I looked at the report, stunned.

Before I get into the report’s absurdities, some background may help as to why an assessment would even generate.

I am the permanent guardian of my grandson. Because neither parent is ready to sign off on a full adoption, he is still fully immersed in the State system. If I blink, I need to send word to the courts and copy anyone pertinent to the case file of this child. He is in a school, a learning center, which is a provider to the State. State this, and State that, all come with strings tangled around my neck.

As such, State evaluations of any child in the system are used to determine progress. They are conducted for age-appropriate milestones.

I actually like that procedure.

When done correctly, the child and family benefit from information regarding areas that may need an extra boost of assistance. This can be enlightening as he approaches Kindergarten age; he will be 4 next month.

Therein the problem rises. “When done correctly…” If done incorrectly, maybe even negligently but most definitely recklessly, what happens?

Below is the screenshot of the section in question.

One glaring and obvious issue is that the reviewer has no idea how to spell autistic. Each time, it is incorrectly spelled and with a different variation. You may think that is unconscionable. It is.

Guess what’s worse?

He has never been diagnosed by any professional, anywhere on the face of this earth, as autistic. But the State makes that assertion, in writing, on his State report, 3 times.

Misspelled each time.

They further indicated that he lacks verbal skills and speaks in an un-understandable way.

This little boy is quite ambassador-like in how he greets everyone with proper titles like Mr. and Misses. His conversational manner has an immediate impact on every adult. He is very polite and speaks clearly for his age.

Of course, I forwarded the email to the school Director. She, too, was baffled. I waited until the morning to call the agency in question, known as the ELC (Early Learning Coalition.)

We went through the proper niceties. I explained the situation. It is simply my nature to be polite and pleasant, maybe even add a bit of Columbo-Esque confusion as I offer a bumbling series of questions. She pulled up the report in her system to further investigate.

“Let’s see, the review in question looks like it was done by a…Lisa Braun.”

Well, that is very interesting.

That is MY name. I was never asked a question, given a form, nor been to medical school, and I certainly do not work for your agency. I also know how to spell autistic.

As day 3 unfolds, with still no clear and definitive follow-up, I am left to marvel at the degree of ineptness. I think about the people who may not even read the reports and blindly trust the officials involved. I went from initial confusion to then being annoyed. I hit the angry phase.

Now, my feelings are a quiet and lethal resolve like a calm momma lioness ready to feed her young.

What none of these people know about me is that I am receptive and proactive. The world of autism is not foreign to me. I believe in the benefits of education for all mental health and spectrum disorders, the varying behavior modifications, and the tools available to customize for any challenged individual. I am a team player willing to work together for the benefit of any child.

Autism does not scare me.

State agencies that push paper without care do scare me.

I requested supporting documentation to warrant a diagnosis. Of course, they can’t supply that because not only aren’t they qualified to diagnose, but they also can’t spell. No such documentation exists.

Let’s say for the sake of argument that my grandson was autistic and had a diagnosis from a medical professional.

What did the State offer on the report as far as supports they would be offering him?

The recommendations for follow-up or an action plan were reduced to something along the lines of the next assessment being done in 90 days. That’s it. No offerings of assistance.

Is there a quota they are trying to meet in order to keep or secure funding? Not on my watch, not on my watch.

I have requested that the current review be expunged or corrected immediately. I also threw in that if it cannot be conducted properly, they shouldn’t do one at all.

And, I am still waiting for an answer.

Accountability.

Corrective action. Proper reporting.

Care about our kids.

Is that asking too much?

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