chasing butterflies
this makes me sick. I get so irratated when ppl who are supposed to be incharge can't take charge. I teach sunday school and I have a deaf girl with other problems in my class. I work very hard with her to make her feel part of the group and mom is so grateful. BUT I get yelled at by other parent who say I am taking time away from there child, that girl is too disruptive in class.
I am sorry if there are children in this world that don't follow in with the normal crowd. but you know what if my child was normal I would be bored.
Does your child prefer to be alone or play with objects rather than socialize with other kids or is she fairly social and interact well? My son acts like she does on field trips because he's more into looking at the scenery, picking things up, throwing them, spacing out, etc. Until he was in Special Ed, I used to volunteer for all field trips so he wouldn't get lost...lol. My son has been diagnosed with high functioning autism, however he did not get the right dx. until he was 11. A NeuroPsych could test her. This is especially if she is socially clueless and just not "with it." It got to the point where people started asking me if my son was autistic because a party could be roaring around him and he'd be sitting in the middle of it playing his Gameboy Advance, not even interested in the other kids. If somebody came up to him, he'd answer and maybe run around for a minute, then go back to his Gameboy Advance, apart from the other kids. His psychiatrist missed the autism completely and gave him other labels. Anyways, just food for thought. My son is doing well now, off meds (there are no meds for autism). ADHD behavior is part and parcel of any sort of autism, which was why my son was misdiagnosed at first. He was off-the-wall hyper. We had to peel him off the ceiling and lock him in his room at night or he'd run out the door at 3am while everyone slept. (Since he was a foster child first, social services gave us permission to lock him in his room as long as we had a monitor so he could yell for us if he needed us). If your daughter is happier off meds (like my son is) why even put her on them? I'd get a second opinion of some sort, even if you don't want to test for high functioning autism. NeuroPsychs tend to be very thorough and do a better job of screening than other professionals, many who just see a kid once and pull out the prescription pad. BTDT with my son.luvmygrl: Thanks for words of encouragement - I love her to death and am trying my best!
Well, sadly, I know somebody who's child was at camp (special needs kid) and ran in the street, with three counselors supposedly wataching the kids) and got hit by a car and died. After that, I got really scared and realized nobody will watch my son the way I do. My son gets so distracted by the little things (like those smooth stones) that he doesn't even notice that the rest of the group is walking ahead and, until he had an IEP, no matter what I told his teachers, they would say, "He's six, seven, eight, etc. and this is real life. He's old enough to follow instructions." But autistic kids, while they can follow instructions, get very distracted by the little things that others don't notice and can be so fascinated that they don't notice anything else. My son also has the ADHD behaviors that go with autism spectrum disorder and is highly inattentive. He is much better now, at almost 12, than he was at 9 when I still did the field trip thing, and having an aide with him at all times makes me feel safe. She isn't always by his side, but she is always with him in some way, even standing back at the playground, watching him, to make sure nothing happens. That way he can play, be watched, and nobody really knows anyone is watching him. It's scary the attitudes that teachers have, like all kids are the same, until we push the issue.
http://www.reedmartin.com/section504articlesandresources.htm
This is a great link for info on 504 and a host of other ADHD related info.
That is so scarey (and sad). Having the "aid" watching sounds like a wonderful idea. We are just begining the whole process for the IEP so hopefully we will get lucky and get some good results.
2 girls - My daughter is starting the 6th grade this year and she never minds when there is a field trip and she isn't going. She loves taking the day off with mom. Your girl is going to fine, with a mom who supports and loves her like you do, she is bound to succeed in life 
psm .. I sometimes forget how different our children are. It just seems unfathomable to me that a child could just be "lost" no matter what kind of space cadet they are. I never felt fear that my child would wander off, so I can't imagine that it would be such an issue. How short sighted of me.
Even though the camp is private, I believe they still have to follow certain guidelines as far as discrimination. You should contact the department of civil rights in your state. They will giude you in the right direction.
Try this link below it gives quite detailed information on recreation and requirements there is a man by the name of Dan on the site that could probably give you some more information on where you stand and how to go about having them follwo the rules or even find a better fit for you and your daughter.
http://www.aadd.org/www/html/sci.html
[QUOTE=TrLoBy]what is IDEA and section 504[/QUOTE]
I would be typing all day and they are very detailed, but they are there to protect our children - google the two and you will finds tons of information.
I am furious about the whole thing too! I love the fact that she see below the surface of things and sees that little pebble or shell and thinks it is beautiful. I wish our child care and schools were more understanding about the whole thing.
Section 504 is a federal civil rights law designed to prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability in programs and activities who receive federal financial assistance - if eligible they are entitled to receive a 'appropriate' education including reasonable accommodations.
IDEA short for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act which is a federal education act that provides federal assistance to state and local education agencies to guarantee special education and related services to eligible children with disabilities.
There is a lot more information on both laws and I am sure others on the board have dealt with each more than I since I am new to this!
I forgot to mention, I don't let my daughter go on field trips. Insteadt I take the day off and let her stay home and we go on our own field trip. I just don't trust the chaperones. They send home a paper for you to sign that basically says they are not responsible for your children. Look what happen to Natalee Holloway and she was in highschool.
I am relatively new this forum and think it is great! I just had to vent about what happened to my daughter (7 yrs) at camp yesterday. I got called into the 'office' because she was chasing butterflies and collecting rocks in the field instead of playing with the other kids. She is already banned from field trips because she lags behind the group and they "can't hold her hand". I think they are going to kick her out next - I feel so bad bout the whole thing - they make you feel like it is your fault - that your not disciplining them or something.
We have an appointment next week with an ADD psychiatrist at Children's Hospital (after waiting 3 mos) so hopefully this will help. We had to take her off Meds in June because she was getting extremely depressed and was talking about how she wished she wad dead. She is a very happy child by nature when not on meds.
I know exactly how you feel. People just don't want to be bothered. My daughter was having problems in her After Shcool Program and they were required under Section 504 to provide her with the services that she needed i.e. supervision. This may help with the part of them banning your daughter from field trips becuase they can't hold her hand. I would contact the Department of Civil Rights to get more details. I can look for my info when I am at home tonight and get back to you on the exact steps that I took. You may want to talk to the camp director and see if they are aware of what they are required to do??
Keep in mind that, normal is only one's interpretation. No one is "normal" - everyone has different challenges. If we were all normal, we would all be the same and oh what a boring world this would be.
Thank you all so much for your support - your replies made me feel a lot better - at least I am not alone. We are goint go shoot for having her enrolled in IDEA this year and if turned down will try for Section 504. I thought since camp was private, they pretty much went by their own rules and didn't have the same requirements but I am new to all of this and just don't know. I am trying to educate myself the best I can but it is difficult - so much conflicting information!
To PSM0905 - she sometimes plays with other kids but she is not at all coordinated and can't play baseball, kickball, etc. so tends to wander off by herself during those activities - she is great at arts and crafts but anything that requires some athletic ability she just stinks at.
When we go to Children's Hospital I am going to ask for a referral for a neurologist also - try to cover all my bases. I hate giving her meds but don't know what to do with school - no one seems to be able to handle her. Hopefully will get some new ideas soon!
My Matty chases butterflies and collects rocks too. He has been diagnosed ADD with PDD-NOS overlay. No one has ever ever told me he couldn't go on field trips or talked to me about his behavior. I would so hurt and furious if they did! I have been blessed with day care providers who take care of him and watch him and communicate with me. I have been blessed with school teaches who work with us and not against us. It makes me furious that they exclude your child rather than include her! I'd like to go and shakes some sense into these people. Trust me that problem is NOT you or your child .. it's the day care. I LOVE that my son likes rocks and butterflies. I even met the scientists at the university here that study butterflies and they invited me to bring hm in!
I don't have a solution for you but if it helps I and really really angry on your behalf 
. I wish the communities had more resources for special needs kids so that they could do the same things kids without special needs do. At least they have to accomodate at school.My husband keeps suggesting that we send my son to summer camp at the lake. I managed to plan other things this year that interfered so that I didn't have to do that. But then there will be next year. I am scared to death that the adult supervision is just not prepared for my son's tactics. He is so alive and bright and quick. Trouble is he can get himself into trouble and danger in the blink of an eye. I just can't trust him with others. Right now I have about 2 people I can safely leave him with and feel comfortable.
I thought I was the only one who thought this way. I have learned sooo much here.
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