“My autistic son is being discriminated at school”, says the mother of a Dallas ISD student.

Note: “Ana’s” real name is not being used to protect the identity of her son.

Looking at pictures of her baby boy, Ana remembers having the feeling that he was not like the other kids. “He did not like to play with his toys, he would only arrange them”, Ana said. Eight years have passed and her suspicions have been confirmed. Her son is autistic and has also been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

Dealing with his condition has been harder, Ana says, because at John W. Carpenter Elementary in Dallas her son does not receive the special education that he needs. At the beginning of the school year she told the principal and her son’s teacher that he had special needs. In January she received the results of new exams conducted by Children’s Medical Center and by the Mental Retardation Association of Dallas County that confirmed his condition. It is May now and her son is still waiting for the school to set him up to receive special education.

“My son has been discriminated, he is not treated equally. He cries a lot and no body cares about comforting him or helping him to express himself”, Ana said. One day Ana remembers the school principal telling her “your son is not autistic, he is just lazy, and you are being manipulated by him”. Shocked by the principal comments Ana insisted that her son was suffering to what Ana said the principal responded: “Your son is not suffering, he doesn’t have feelings”.

Every day Ana is consumed by the anguish of wondering how is her son doing at school, a place where kids are supposed to feel safe. She told me that one day she noticed a bruise on her son’s arm. When he was able to tell her how he got it he said that his teacher had been rough on him. Ana confronted the teacher who admitted grabbing him by the arm because he was throwing a fit.

“Hearing about Ana’s situation is shameful” said Perla Najera Alvarez, spokesperson for the Autism Society in Dallas. “It is very ignorant to say that the boy does not have feelings, we all have feelings”, she added. Najera also has an autistic boy, five year old Victor, and she said they also struggled to get the Dallas ISD to provide the special education he needs. Najera said the school process to get kids tested and set up for special education is very long and complicated. She was able to navigate it after seeking help from other parents with special needs kids at Dallas ISD. “The school is being negligent. Teachers don’t have enough training or supervision to deal with special needs students”, Najera said.

To improve this situation, Najera said, it is necessary that the district invests more resources on training not only teachers, but principals, nurses, counselors and all the school personnel that has to be in contact with special education kids.

I contacted the Dallas ISD to inquire about Ana’s situation. They said that due to privacy policies they couldn’t comment on the case. All they could tell me was that they were aware of the situation and had started the process of testing the boy.

Erika Cavazos can also relate to Ana’s situation, her son Jesus Emmanuel is autistic and attends Dallas ISD. When he was diagnosed the doctor told her that he would never be able to speak or take care of his basic needs. Since then Erika has done everything in her power to make sure her son receives the attention, therapy and special education necessary to get him to be as normal as possible. However, she said, dealing with Dallas ISD has been a big challenge. “Special education is the weakness of the Dallas ISD, it is a bureaucratic process that has taken a physical and emotional toll on me and my son”, said Cavazos. Jesus Emmanuel is now 8 years old; he attends a regular classroom and receives special education. He can also speak both English and Spanish.

Erika and Perla recommend that parents reach out for help. Two years ago they created Manos, a support group for Hispanic families with special needs kids. They get together every month to share experiences, information, and to organize fun activities for their families. Right now there are about thirty moms in the group including Ana, who just joined.

There are only a few weeks left in the 2010-2011 school year, while Ana finds comfort in Manos she is still waiting for the Dallas ISD to set up a special education plan for her son.

If you would like to get in touch with Manos send me an E-mail!