I hope you have someone you can bring with you to the meeting. If not a lawyer or advocate, at least a friend or relative. Question everything you don't understand or are not sure about. You don't have to be defensive. Remember the relationship with the school can be for 6 years and it is best to start out with a spirit of cooperation.

For the IEP you can request whatever communication method you think will work best for you and your son. In elementary I had the most success with a notebook that the teacher wrote in most days. If it was a good day sometimes she just put a smiley face. But when there was a problem she wrote an explanation and I would comment back. I could also write about home issues that I thought might impact my son's school day (one was when our pet died).

Begin educating yourself on special education laws so you are best able to advocate for your son. The Wrights Law website is excellent. Try not to feel overwhelmed. It is often said that the journey with autism is a marathon not a sprint so you can pace yourself.

Good Luck!

You are your childs advocate. I believe that if you back down, he will be lost in the system, and he's only in Kindergarten. Request a parent teacher meeting. I have a story to tell you. Maybe it will brighten your day....it did for me. My son was 3 (he is 9 now) and a Montessori school. At that age we didn't know that he had sensory processing disorder or HFA, or ADHD. So....that being said, we thought that he could learn from the other kids about "behaving better", and not being, we thought, "acting like a rough boy". Well, we took him on a tour of the classrooms and told him that he would start on Monday. When Monday came, we took the 20 minute drive to get to the school and he was in a good mood, we took him and dropped him off and made sure that he was settled and then left to go home. Well! We got a call from the school before we got home. They told us that our son wasn't a right fit for them. Okay then. We were so very lucky to have had that call, because there was a therapist there, working with another child and was observing my sons behavior (head on table, cheerios on table, making cirles with the cheerios, and making a mess of course). She told us that he needs to be tested, that he might have some disabilities. She was very nice and we decided that we would have him tested. That was the beginning of our understanding of our son. From that point we discovered that he had sensory processing disorder, then High Functioning Autism + ADHD. As he gets older he is able to deal with his disabilities more and more. One great book that we have read and explained ALOT OF THINGS is "The Out of Sync Child" and "The Out of Sync Child Has Fun". Research, research, research! Iknow that you can do it, and help him have a successful teacher student match. We are very lucky and has a school that is very supportive. If you don't get it solved with the teacher, talk to the school. Switch schools if necessary. Do whatever you must to get this resolved so that he can flourish and be happy. :@)

My son is 10 and nonverbal and still in diapers and if something happened at school and I didn't get answers....there would be problems!! I would go to the school and DEMAND they tell me what is going on! Forget the IEP....if my son has done something that is so severe he's kept out of school, I better know what it's for! I would make sure they know I am not a mother that is noy to be messed with, when it comes to my child! My sons school knows that I am VERY involved in his schooling-they probably think I am a pain in the butt however, I am my sons advocate and I am the one who needs to speak for him because he is unable to. I will do WHATEVER I have to in order for my son to get all the education he can! It really upsets me when I see a parent having problems with their child's school!! A teacher of "special needs" children needs to know how to deal with them!! If they don't know how to handle a special needs child, they shouldn't be teaching! The teacher should be working with you and asking you what helps to calm your son down, what you do at home, what triggers your child to act out; they should not just be suspending your him! I am sorry that happened and I hope it all works out OK! I wish the best for you! :)

I agree with @A MyAutismTeam Member. You really need to find a special needs attorney. There have been some apparent violations on the district's part and it does not seem like they are going to change anytime soon unless you push the issue. While advocates might be helpful, in your case, a special needs attorney is most likely needed.

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A MyAutis...

That's right! Do not back down! and YES contact a lawyer who handles special needs and schools. I had to, definitely gets the point across!