Hi
As a parent who has struggled to do the best for my autistic son, I find it annoying, to say the least, that the NAS continually ask me for donations. I signed on to this site in order to get assistance, I thought this charity was for us. I have gained most advice from the forums after I found the website in my son's teen years. I thank you profusely for those that have given advice through that channel.
However, your last email, asking for a donation to help with an exclusion from school made my ears steam. Basically, my son was excluded from 6th form. He was asked to leave because his results were not likely to be very high. This was soon after taking him on, knowing his academic capabilities very well as they had taught him all through secondary. Through various meetings it became clear that some staff were being pushed to reject him and some didn't think he ought to be in 6th form in the first place. (He had got GCSE As in sciences and maths) and he was often left with nothing to do. It was suggested to him that he could just go home. His general behaviour was calm and polite. I found out that others were 'set to fail' as I later learned this awful and illegal behaviour was called, and despite a battle with the senior staff, he left the school. I found and read papers from the county council rules about inclusion and such that what had happened was very wrong. We have no money for lawyers etc, but I stamped about and caused a local stir, leaving it with the school governors. I was very upset at how vindictive and uncaring (so-called educated) human beings can be to innocent children, and how other staff are kept quiet.
Now this phenomenon has occurred in the very target-led London schools (not just for autistic students) and has been bought to the attention of journalists. I heard Radio 4 and TV news mention similar happenings, and how dreadful it all was. Well, it is nothing new. We can't be the only family in the provinces to have been put through this? I know we are not, but many were silenced because of embarrassment. Why was it not known to be going on years ago? Why is it necessary to ask for donations for lawsuits from followers of this website; surely rules and procedures for schools are laid out in official documents already? Anyone can have access to them. Is it right to sue schools.?