The school board has no place for my son.
He has suffered by being enrolled in the "public school system" and the board has faught our diagnosis for 2 years. Now that I have contacted the Toronto Star and am making this issue public, they NOW want to acknowledge his DX but have no appropriate classroom for him. So, being that the board has failed us can we fight for funding to educate at home??
Here is what has been happening...

WHERE DO WE GO NOW?
HE’S NOT A MONSTER….he’s a beautiful, loving 7 year old who wants so much to fit right in! The question is where will that be?
In 7 years and 11 months my son has had Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Neurologists, Social workers, 3 ERW’s (Educational Resource Workers) 2 CYW (Child and Youth Workers, 3 SLP’s (Speech and Language pathologists), 3 OT’s (occupational therapists), 4 Red cross Respite workers over a 4 month period (all of whom quit and one who hit my son with a stick) and a SERT.
He has had a CT scan, Psych assessments, IQ testing, blood work ups, Paediatric Neurology assessment and been assessed by PCC (Peel Children’s Center), CAMH (Center for addition and mental health), PBS (Peel Behavioural Services), Geneva Center for Autism, Dufferin Peel Catholic District school board, Credit Valley Hospital, Family Care Center, Mississauga Trillium Paediatric Outpatient program and now once again we are being assessed by PCC.
He’s been on Ritalin, Immipramine, Respridol, Celexa and Haloperidol. We have tried special diets, vitamins, no sugar, no milk and Omega 3’s. None have serves the desired purpose. When my son was 6, during a 9 month period, his weight fluctuated from 80lbs (while on Anti-psychotics) to 54lbs (while on anti-depressants) back up to a whopping 125lbs (on anti-psychotics once again) yet no change in behaviour! He still could not attend school and had major melt downs thru out the day.
He’s has been diagnosed with P.D.D. (pervasive developmental disorder) Aspergers Syndrome which is more commonly known as high functioning Autism, ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyper-activity Disorder), ODD (Oppositional Defiance Disorder) Oh and a few times “just a bad child”!
I’ve been told everything from, and I quote, “If you do not have him on full dose of Ritalin, by the age of 13, your child will be in the criminal justice system” that from a Doctor, when he was 3 years old. On one of his “good days” one psychologist told me “There is nothing wrong with your child, I think you are just an over reacting parent” He ended up in the crisis unit of the hospital that very night, restrained hand, foot and mouth. BUT, the most common of all, from psychologists, teachers, social workers, PSW’s and doctors is “I’m sorry, I don’t know what to tell you. I have never seen or experienced a child like this before. I wish I could help!” Well so do I!
Welcome to the world of my very loving, wonderfully funny, hyperactive, bit of an “Enigma”, son Joshua.
Joshua is wonderful at home, he cleans his room, takes out the garbage, takes care of his belongings and never forgets to kiss, hug and tell me he loves, every time he walks by! He does not have melt downs when he is with me and is able to function as any other child would.
He has an incredible sense of humour and his own very special talents. According to him and me, he is also the greatest T-ball player ever known to man! Thanks to the Ontario Special Olympics (Mississauga chapter) he is actually able to play on a team.
However, this same wonderful child has no place in the school system and this is where life gets even more difficult. At almost 8 Joshua can barely read, or do math. Due to a lack in fine motor skills writing is a great difficulty too. He has an IEP (Independent Education Plan) and every year we have IPRC (Identification Placement And Review Committee) meeting.
With 2 one on one ERW’s and a CYW on hand, his former school implemented a walkie talkie system to make sure, in case of need, back up was always available to physically remove my son from a situation (a melt down) and place him in a “quiet room”. This was a room approximately 10x10 (and I’m being generous) with nothing but a blanket and a window in the door! He would end up in this room at least once a day and sometimes up to 3 or 4 times a day! His day was modified to a half day, No recess (as that was taken away from him) no gym, just misery on a daily basis. I pulled Joshua from school a number of times; due to the stress this was causing him and his self esteem. I spoke to the school practically on a daily basis and we all tried to find a solution that would better suit Joshua’s needs. We looked into PDD classrooms and Autism classrooms according to the board he did no fit their criteria for either of these placements. In the beginning of 2003 the school asked that I let their psychologist assess him and I agreed. I was then asked if I would accept a letter on behalf of the school omitting any prior diagnosis and allowing them to state he was solely ADHD; as their psychologist had deemed him. His reasoning was that Joshua made some eye contact and he was able to wave when he said hello and he is quite verbal therefore he cannot have a Pervasive developmental disorder. His psychiatric and other clinicians must have been wrong. I beg to differ!
We then went to case conference at the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board where it was requested that Joshua be put into a Sensitivity Classroom. The criterion for this class is NO PDD children; basically the child can have not mental deficits. Since Joshua tested at an IQ level of 80 (in the 10th percentile) I did not feel this was right and the Board Psychiatrist agreed with me. No sensitivity class for Josh!
My next step was Peel Children’s Center. I called and inquired about their Day Treatment Program, a program outside of the board that focuses on behaviour management and discipline. Once again I was told their criterion was that no PDD children would be accepted. We went to an orientation where I must have asked a million questions. We were told Joshua’s file would be reviewed and then we would come in for an assessment. We were also told that we would be looking at a 2005/6 starting date if we were approved. One month later we were called and told we were scheduled for an assessment with a possible start date of Sept 2004.
Joshua was accepted into the program on a 8-10 week assessment period (due to the fact that there was a discrepancy in his diagnosis) to see if this is where he belonged.
Tuesday September 7th, Joshua started the program and Thursday September 9th I was asked to come and pick him up as he had “destroyed the classroom”. I arrived, calmed him down and told him to clean his mess. Once again I heard that a relief worker visiting the school the day before had said “In all my years working in corrections and detention centers, I have never seen anything like Joshua”. The classroom counsellor expressed that she commended me on being able to deal with him for 8 years and said” I’ve only been dealing with him 2 days and I don’t know how you do it!”
So here we are, September 10th 2004, only four days into the school year and once again my son has no place to go.
I spent 4 and a half hours at PCC today only to find out that not only do they not remove a child from a situation (unless he is harming others) but if the problem becomes bad enough, they simply call the police to deal with it. My son does not look 7 years old (more like 12) nor does he appear to have anything wrong with him, I’m afraid of how the police will react to a frightened “little boy” who is in a full blown melt down and cannot think like you or I.
My son has been kicked out of The Hospital for Sick Children, due to them not recognising a reaction to a medicine they administered. Only to be met with apologies that could not erase the 6 hours of chaos my son had to endure (NOT ACCEPTABLE). He has been removed from countless daycare centers and has been met with nothing but excuses from the school board. We have been told that there is no placement with in the board for a child like my son, and had been ask and I quote; “what would you have us do build a classroom just for him?”
The unfortunate fact that the Government cuts funding for Autism at the age of six and that there is little financial help for the families of these children, causes major problems.
Private institutes, such as the Behaviour Institute or any sort of ABA or IBI programming; costs in and upward of $4000.00 per month. This is simply not fees able for myself nor many other parents with a child like mine. Even centers such as Geneva center for Autism had there funding put on hold, forcing them to up the prices of their social skills groups and the like, by hundreds of dollars.
So here we are today and my son has no place to go. Once again while all the other children are at school, Joshua is at home. Yes I could put him back in his home school but then he would spend another year just being “accommodated”. As it stands right now, Joshua has received very little education in the 3 years he has been in school, yet every year he passes. He must withstand being in an environment where he gets so distraught that he has 3 and 4 melt downs with in a 3 hour period. Where he must be physically restrained and removed. He is not receiving an education nor is he gaining any much needed social skills he requires to function in society.
As a responsible parent, I have educated myself in the area of mental illness and social awareness in this area. I have put myself in contact with agencies I thought would have been able to help us. And I have and will continue to fight to end for what my son needs and deserves.
At this particular point and time I am asking for help. There has to be someone who is willing to take the time to find out what the problem is and what is the best remedy. I have exhausted all of my avenues but still refuse to give up MY SON”S LIFE IS WORTH THE FIGHT!
Thank you for your time
Michelle Mcilkenny
Michellemalcolm@sympatico.ca

Hi Michelle, I was reading your entry about your son. I am a elementary school supply teacher. I am finishing part2-Spec.Ed. at the Uni. of Western Ontario. I am very sorry to hear that you are not getting any help. All I can do is pray for you so that you get what you need to help your child to become a productive member of society. God Bless!