School age kids having behavioral problems in school

I will be thinking about you. I hope that there is some positive action will come out of this - for your family and for the other family.

Thank you so much

Hi @pamelacelia I just wanted to check in about the progress of the bullying situation at school. How did the meeting go, and how are things with your son? Hoping the situation has improved.

Hello and thank you for your concern, yes the situation was resolved satisfactorily. My son is doing better in terms of he's not afraid to go to school anymore however he's since been diagnosed with ASD, and unfortunately our country doesn't have much resources in place at mainstream schools for special needs children, so he's isn't coping so well with the academic side of things but I'm doing what I can to help him. Thanks again.

@pamelacelia I'm so glad to hear the situation was resolved. It's one thing to be different and another to be bullied and tortured for it. And from what you said there are issues that the other children are facing as well. A younger relative of mine was diagnosed with ASD relatively recently, and she happens to live in an area with a supportive special needs community. I commend you for all you're doing to help your son because I know how much strength and energy it takes to provide your child with the environment he needs to succeed and flourish.

Here's an article on small things teachers can do: https://www.autismspeaks.org/blog/12-things-id-teachers-understand-about-autism

Have you found that teachers are willing to make an effort?

Thank you, there are schools for special needs but it's expensive, therapies are expensive, because it's not more mainstream I think and also there's very little support from government for the special needs community on the whole. My son's teacher honestly I feel like she can try a little more with him but I don't know, things are so different here, the education system is archaic in my opinion, it is complete academic learning, there is no exception for different learners, most days my son will go to school and come home without doing anything at all because he hates to write but tablets and laptops are not allowed so he's missing out on what is being taught. I'm trying however, I don't push him, I work with him according to what he can handle.

@pamelacelia
Hi!
I just saw your post and quickly read through some other posts from you.
You live in Trinidad?
I am a former teacher, principal and special education co-director, so I know a little bit about special education in the US.
Of course, not being from your country, I am at a loss for specifics.
Even though there are many programs for children with special needs, in the US, many parents are not aware of the ins and outs, as well as their rites.
At each and every meeting, the parent is given a booklet that spells it all out, but they don't take the time to read it.
That being said, I would like to suggest that you do some computer research to find out what the rules and regulations (or laws) say about special education.
You want to make sure you know as much as possible so that no one pulls the wall over your eyes and take advantage of your lack of knowledge.
You want to be sure that your child is getting all that is legally possible.
You might do a search...
"Special education laws in Trinidad", to start.

Good luck!!
Ronnie (GRANDMAr)

PS....You might want to do the same thing with regard to bullying in school. In the US, each and every school was mandated to have a plan in place to deal with such situations. Do they all obey the plans? No!

Thank you and yes we live in Trinidad, I have joined several local groups on fb and have tried to find out as much as I can, but special education isn't a part of the mainstream school carriculum, children have to attend private institutions which is quite costly, a simple 1/2 hr of occupational therapy can cost $350TT or more. One of the groups I've joined has been requesting a meeting with the education minister for so long, they formed a petition which has over 15000 signatures and the ministry refuses to acknowledge the request, so that should give you an idea of the struggle. The resources are very limited, this country is so small and honestly the differently abled and special needs individuals are continually overlooked, sure the authorities will come out and say they have this in place and that but parents can't seen to be able to find these many resources, even getting a government assisted grants are difficult, this past week there was a release by government saying a grant will be made available for special needs/disabled but parents and caregivers have to jump through hoops to access it and sometimes the application isn't even successful. Another example I can give is my own experience. When my son was diagnosed with ASD in March, the Dr wrote a report and gave it to me to present to the school principal so an aide can be assigned to him as well as concessions during exams, the principal assured me he'll give it the school's social worker the following week when she came to visit. He had a Dr's appointment last Monday and she asked if he was able to get an aide, so I told her not yet, I went the very next day to speak with the principal again only to be told he gave the report to the social worker just the week before at the beginning of the school term. So he had the report for months and didn't hand it in, parents and caregivers complain that request for aides had been made for years and none were forthcoming. It's an uphill battle honestly. It's like society just overlooks the most vulnerable.

@pamelacelia It seems like some serious change is due, but structural issues are the most difficult to navigate. Sometimes you can keep advocating for better resources and treatment but there's a deeper societal issue at hand. Have you managed to find a supportive community in these Facebook groups, as far as emotional support goes?

Definitely there are issues, mostly societal and like I mentioned with the limited resources available. I really expected the groups to be like this one, where a person can post about an issue or concern or ask a question and the community will try to assist as best they can but so far it hasn't really been like that, the group admins mostly post links to articles and workshops, but honestly it's all about what the groups are trying to accomplish but basically they're stagnated due to lack of dialogue with the relevant authorities. Someone will try to answer the questions but the support is lacking.