6538 Celestial Pine Dr, Hope Mills, NC 28348

Unfortunately, my experience with Alderman Elementary was extremely disappointing, especially as the parent of an autistic child with significant communication and sensory differences. My child is verbal, but cannot have a typical conversation or come home and tell me what happened during her day, so communication and trust with my child’s school are incredibly important.I began receiving frequent messages from the teacher that made it seem like my child was completely out of control, including comments that felt like hints that I should pick them up early. Many of the behaviors being reported were related to sensory needs, dysregulation, and their disability. I constantly felt like I was having to explain my child’s autism rather than working with people who understood that autistic dysregulation is not the same as intentionally misbehaving.I also received a phone call from the principal regarding my child where I felt her attitude and the way she spoke to me were completely unnecessary. Later, I became concerned enough that I called a meeting myself to discuss what was happening and how we could better support my child. Despite already being aware of my concerns, the principal decided she was too busy to attend. That spoke volumes to me. I was expected to take every concern the school had about my child seriously, yet when I requested a meeting to advocate for my child, the principal couldn’t make the time to show up.There was even unnecessary focus on things like clothing and sensory preferences. If my autistic child is clean, dressed appropriately for the weather, and comfortable wearing clothes, I am not creating unnecessary distress over something that doesn’t affect their education.What bothered me most was constantly feeling like I had to defend and explain my child instead of feeling like we were a team. Parents of disabled children already spend so much time advocating for their kids. School should be one of the places where we have partners in that process, not another place where we have to fight for our children to be understood.