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Digital Safety and Rights for Students with Intellectual Disabilities

It can be jarring to receive a notification that your child sent an inappropriate message, especially when their ability to navigate technology is limited. This situation highlights a gap between the school's supervision and your son's understanding of digital communication. Because he has Autism and an Intellectual Disability (ID), penalizing him by simply removing access without teaching him why or how to use the tool correctly is not an educational solution—it’s just restriction.

Here is a breakdown of the issues at play and what you can do next:

1. The Supervision Failure If your son cannot type and must dictate to his Chromebook, he likely requires significant support to navigate the email system.

  • The Question: Who was supervising him when he accessed his email, found the aide's address (which is likely in the district directory), and dictated the message?

  • The Argument: For a student with ID in a specialized unit, digital activity usually requires proximity control. The fact that he was able to send this without interception suggests a lapse in supervision or a lack of protective software settings (like "walled garden" email access that only allows emailing specific teachers).

2. "Manifestation" of Disability

  • Impulsivity: With ADHD and Autism, impulse control is a major deficit. He may have had a thought ("I miss my aide" or an intrusive thought) and immediately dictated it without understanding the social appropriateness or consequences.

  • Social Understanding: Does he understand what "inappropriate" means in this context? Punishing him for a social deficit (a hallmark of Autism) is ineffective. He needs instruction, not just a ban.

3. Actionable Steps for the IEP Team Instead of accepting a permanent ban on email (which he may need for future independence), request an IEP meeting to discuss Digital Citizenship goals.

  • Request a "Walled Garden": Ask IT to restrict his email so he can only send messages to his current teachers and parents. This prevents him from emailing former staff or strangers while still allowing him to learn the skill.

  • Add a Goal: "Student will distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate messages with 80% accuracy using sorting activities."

  • ** assistive Technology (AT):** If he relies on speech-to-text, removing the Chromebook removes his voice. Ensure that the punishment (no email) does not bleed into removing his access to academic tools.

4. What to Say to the School

  • Draft: "I understand the seriousness of the email, but given [Son's Name]'s diagnosis of ID and his reliance on speech-to-text, this incident highlights a need for better supervision and instruction, not just a ban. I would like to discuss putting restrictions on his account (allow-list only) and adding an IEP goal for digital social skills so he can learn to use this tool safely, rather than just losing access to it."

VillageED’s special education services page offers guidance for digital safety and IEP goals for life skills: https://www.villageed.org/sped-services.