Pattilpn, I just reread your story and you said your son was doing fine until he started MS. I saw you live on the west of FL (I'm on the east) and I know most MS here start at 7th gr. In elementary school the kids are in a contained classroom and just go out for their specials, but when they get to MS they are constantly changing classrooms/teachers etc.. Our kids don't like change and it can be really overwhelming for them and cause a lot of anxiety. They really like to know what comes next and they really do well with a routine, They also prefer "rules" as to what is to be expected in the classroom, which is not the case when they hit MS and HS.Could this be some of his anxiety? In my son's IEP we have in place the teachers let him know what the rules are and they also give him a heads up of changes are coming, Also the amount of work can be a trigger, so things are broken into chunks, so instead of him doing 20 math problems (which is a BIG trigger for him) he's given 10. Same thing with other work. Also homework. He has a special class he goes to to work on the things he didn't finish so he does not have to bring school home. He is not penalize for handing work in a few days later. He is mainstreamed but he is in a dual taught classroom so he can stay on track and it helps when he gets overwhelmed too. He also has in his IEP that if he becomes overwhelmed he gives a signal and he can be left alone or he can go to his calming person.

Also a great resource is CARD(Center for Autism and Related Disabilities). Unfortunately the closest location to you is in Tampa. I don't know if they have coordinators near you, but we are with the Orlando UCF CARD and they have coordinators in each county in Central FL.They may have it set up the same way on the west cost. Anyway, if you get involved with CARD and meet a coordinator, they are able to have someone observe your son at school.They will visit classrooms and observe to see what needs to be done to help him with his anxiety. They are really good and have helped us out .They also can come to your IEP meetings for support as far as what he needs in the classroom. They also offer alot of classes for parents and they have a social skills group for teens and young adults.

You may want to get in touch with FIN (Florida Inclusion Network). They have alot of information.

You could check and see if your public schools have an advocacy agency that works for them. We have the Family Liaison project here. They also work with private schools. They come in a make sure the IEP is being followed along with Wright's Law and IDEA.

Are you applying for the McKay Scholarship? It will cover the cost of private school but not any extra's, like if he needed any therapy at school. That is the only bad thing about it.
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I'm glad you found a Dr. that can be of assistance. They may be able to give you some other resources too.

I hope this info. helps.

We had that issue when my son started MS. He would not tell us what was going on to cause this issue. He also takes a while to process the why of when something happens. I took him to his psychologist, with whom he has a good relationship with. Does your son have someone he can talk to like a psychologist? They may be able to get to the issue b/c teens don't want to talk to their parents. I know with his Dr. she was able to find out what was going on. He was having an issue with a teacher who wasn't following his IEP and he was being overwhelmed by the amount of work he was given by other teachers, again not following his IEP. We where then able to have a meeting with the teachers (again) to explain to them what they need to be doing. I hope this helps.

My son did the same thing as far as putting his head down etc. b/c of being overwhelmed. It is really unfortunate that the teachers were like that with him. Yes, you really need to be on top of the school system b/c if you are not, they let our children fall through the cracks. I don't work b/c of that, it has become a full time job b/c I am constantly advocating.

It really sounds like he is really overwhelmed by the whole school process. I am familiar with the scholarship, but I don't know of anyone who has gotten it or used it. Have you been to the school you are thinking of and really sat down with the GC and Principle to see what they can do for him? You may sit down with them and find out it's not right or it could be great. Talk to different schools, even another public HS. Does your county have the HS school of choice? I know kids can go to different schools b/c of what they offer at each school differs but there is no transportation provided. I know here they have a JR/SR HS that is combined and they have a contained classroom for kids with different disabilities. The current MS he is at suggested it at a meeting we were having while he was still in elementary school. It wasn't a good fit for us and he didn't want to go there. There is also virtual school, maybe that could be an option. I know too there is a few students that are home schooled at my son's school but come to school for band etc. Would that work for him either one of those? I know about the anxiety you are dealing with. I'm just trying to give you some ideas.

You're welcome. Good luck. :)

Thank you