My friend Z's problems

[jinto86]

I tried posting this is the general board but I didn't get that many responses, though a couple were supportive which I liked. I would like to see what the educators think, though I would guess that most of the responses won't be quite as supportive here.

A few years ago I worked at a summer camp designed for those with special needs. At this camp I found many interesting kids, a few of which I have kept in touch with over the years (all teenagers so don't start thinking anything). One of these kids was named Z (name being shorted to protect his identity). To quote the one who knows him best (his mom), " Z is an intelligent, sensitive, generous young man with lots of energy and opinions on just about any subject under the sun! He is very curious about things and asks a lot of questions, sometimes in many different ways, in order to get the full meaning of things. He likes to be the leader and do things “his way,” but he can also be thoughtful enough to let someone else lead. He doesn’t like to talk or gossip about other people and tries never to hurt anyone’s feelings. He is stubborn sometimes and likes to think that he is always right! He’s a lovable boy!"

Sadly Z had many problems in public school that kept adding up year after year. He had a pretty severe case of ADHD and a more mild case of asperger's syndrome. The two really don't go together very well in todays school system as it caused his teachers to not understand him... and sometimes to belittle him. He didn't have as much trouble with bullies as others with his disabilities frequently have, but this didn't exactly make him popular, in fact most of his days were spent alone. He didn't know how to communicate and that just scared others away. Finally after years of problems with his school, and his grades gradually declining (A caliber student getting Bs and Cs, most Cs then Bs as of late) his mom pulled him out and sent him to a private school for special needs kids.

The problem is that his mom is not sure how long she will be able to afford such a school. The school costs more then 13,000 a year, and that is a hard thing for her to afford. He is getting social skills training, has teachers that understand him and have taken more then one class on how to educate students with special needs, and is fitting in with his new peers as he finally has peers who are like him. I have a hard time believing this isn't the best school for him... though I have seen a few try suggesting its not.

I wish so hard that the government would help him out. They have failed him already, why can't they help him out now. I don't believe that helping one student who clearly has a need that isn't being served in todays one size fits all system, will lead to the privatization of the entire system. I get that his school is expensive, and hard for the school district to pay for. But so is educating him in the public system considering that him and many of his classmates received one on one paras in the old system. I can't imagine a little assistance would hurt anyone, so why would it be so evil to try?