Re: Third try - Autism Assessment by school???

[Guest guest]

I know a lot of folks have been busy with the holidays but thought I'd try to

ask this question one more time...

When school districts step in to assess a child suspected of Asperger's

Syndrome, HFA or PDD-NOS do they generally " get it right " or did most of you

have to get an IEE or outside eval?

My son is currently dxed with ADHD and SPD. The school did the eval and they say

he's not on the spectrum BUT...I sent a pdf file (the draft copy of the eval

that will be presented at the ARD next week)of their findings, scored rating

scales, etc. to the nuero-psych that originally dxed my child and she said that

the school's results/conclusions are " suspect " and I " should request an IEE for

validity " . She also said that the notes in my son' file refer to Asperger's

(along with the ADHD) but that was 2 years ago when he was three years old and

she thought it was too early to dx that at the time...

Her concerns regarding the school's eval were:

• The interviews, questionnaires and rating scales completed by me, the primary

caregiver, have been dismissed by the evaluators. The LSSP sought clarification

and then minimized the responses of my son's Kindy teacher (she had him in her

class for 11 weeks) too. Our results both indicated a " very likely " possibility

of Autism on both the GARS2 and ASDS.

• Listed under the Teacher Interview portion of the Autism evaluation with

commentary from the NEW teacher, it states: concerns were noted regarding his

tendency to ignore others when they speak to him, avoid eye contact and not

utilize facial expressions to provide information related to his internal state.

She also reported that my son tends to worry about things over and over again -

that he has had several challenges socially and that he has been observed to

have difficulty respecting the personal space of others. The inclusion teacher

(old school) reported: difficulty adjusting effectively to changes in routine,

that he tended to respond by increased motor movement and greater use of his

chew (note: he uses a chewy necklace to help regulate his proprioceptive sense

and to stop sensory overload/stress). Again, these items are deemed to be

irrelevant by the evaluators.

• The CARS2-ST is subjective and based on the clinician's interpretation of

limited interactions with my child. The CARS2-ST results listed in this

evaluation do not reflect the behaviors of my child. Nor does it reflect the

information I provided via the CARS2-QPC. The Questionnaire for Parents or

Caregivers is an unscored form but its sole purpose is to give the clinician

more information on which to base CARS2-ST ratings.

• The ADOS is supposed to be the gold standard in diagnosing autism, but it is

only as good as the people giving it. The LSSP from the old school participated

in the ADOS even though she told me that she was biased and had informed her

direct supervisor that she would not be able complete R's Autism Evaluation

herself. When questioned about the old LSSP's ADOS participation, the new LSSP

stated in an email, " This is an observational instrument that requires a minimum

of two professionals to administer…[old LSSP] presented the stimulus materials

as I observed R's behavior during the administration. " BUT according to the ADOS

FAQs posted online by Western Psychological Services and answered by test author

Dr. Lord, " The ADOS is intended to be administered by one person…The

ADOS has its primary focus on interactive social behavior between the examiner

and examinee…A competent examiner must be proficient enough to manage the

materials and flow of the session while also collecting a good record of what

occurs. " So...is he really the best person to be performing the ADOS?

The private OT my son sees via Easter Seals also sees " asperger's

traits " ...She's known him/worked with him for over a year.

Am I wasting my time asking for an IEE? Do they usually get this right? I'm just

hoping to have a better understanding of his behaviors and want to get him the

correct support. Has anyone had a similar situation and if not, I'd like to know

that too...Please feel free to email me directly or post in here. My ARD is on

Tuesday of next week...Thanks for any feedback at all :-)

[Guest guest]

Schools generally try to get the lowest level of diagnosis possible,

as then they only have to provide services that fit that diagnosis. 

You have the right to ask for a review if you believe they get it

wrong.  It seems that your school does not want to see autism, even

though so many of his behaviours seem typical of ASD.  An

independent reviewer would be looking at behaviour without having to

consider what such behaviour might cost the school.  You need to ask

yourself what you are likely to regret most: asking the school for a

review and finding the review agrees with the school, or not asking

for a review and discovering in the future that the school did get

it wrong?  I would be asking for a review if I were you.

 

I know a lot of folks have been busy with the holidays

but thought I'd try to ask this question one more time...

When school districts step in to assess a child suspected

of Asperger's Syndrome, HFA or PDD-NOS do they generally

"get it right" or did most of you have to get an IEE or

outside eval?

My son is currently dxed with ADHD and SPD. The school did

the eval and they say he's not on the spectrum BUT...I

sent a pdf file (the draft copy of the eval that will be

presented at the ARD next week)of their findings, scored

rating scales, etc. to the nuero-psych that originally

dxed my child and she said that the school's

results/conclusions are "suspect" and I "should request an

IEE for validity". She also said that the notes in my son'

file refer to Asperger's (along with the ADHD) but that

was 2 years ago when he was three years old and she

thought it was too early to dx that at the time...

Her concerns regarding the school's eval were:

� The interviews, questionnaires and rating scales

completed by me, the primary caregiver, have been

dismissed by the evaluators. The LSSP sought clarification

and then minimized the responses of my son's Kindy teacher

(she had him in her class for 11 weeks) too. Our results

both indicated a "very likely" possibility of Autism on

both the GARS2 and ASDS.

� Listed under the Teacher Interview portion of the Autism

evaluation with commentary from the NEW teacher, it

states: concerns were noted regarding his tendency to

ignore others when they speak to him, avoid eye contact

and not utilize facial expressions to provide information

related to his internal state. She also reported that my

son tends to worry about things over and over again - that

he has had several challenges socially and that he has

been observed to have difficulty respecting the personal

space of others. The inclusion teacher (old school)

reported: difficulty adjusting effectively to changes in

routine, that he tended to respond by increased motor

movement and greater use of his chew (note: he uses a

chewy necklace to help regulate his proprioceptive sense

and to stop sensory overload/stress). Again, these items

are deemed to be irrelevant by the evaluators.

� The CARS2-ST is subjective and based on the clinician's

interpretation of limited interactions with my child. The

CARS2-ST results listed in this evaluation do not reflect

the behaviors of my child. Nor does it reflect the

information I provided via the CARS2-QPC. The

Questionnaire for Parents or Caregivers is an unscored

form but its sole purpose is to give the clinician more

information on which to base CARS2-ST ratings.

� The ADOS is supposed to be the gold standard in

diagnosing autism, but it is only as good as the people

giving it. The LSSP from the old school participated in

the ADOS even though she told me that she was biased and

had informed her direct supervisor that she would not be

able complete R's Autism Evaluation herself. When

questioned about the old LSSP's ADOS participation, the

new LSSP stated in an email, "This is an observational

instrument that requires a minimum of two professionals to

administer�[old LSSP] presented the stimulus materials as

I observed R's behavior during the administration." BUT

according to the ADOS FAQs posted online by Western

Psychological Services and answered by test author Dr.

Lord, "The ADOS is intended to be administered

by one person�The ADOS has its primary focus on

interactive social behavior between the examiner and

examinee�A competent examiner must be proficient enough to

manage the materials and flow of the session while also

collecting a good record of what occurs." So...is he

really the best person to be performing the ADOS?

The private OT my son sees via Easter Seals also sees

"asperger's traits"...She's known him/worked with him for

over a year.

Am I wasting my time asking for an IEE? Do they usually

get this right? I'm just hoping to have a better

understanding of his behaviors and want to get him the

correct support. Has anyone had a similar situation and if

not, I'd like to know that too...Please feel free to email

me directly or post in here. My ARD is on Tuesday of next

week...Thanks for any feedback at all :-)

No virus

found in this message.

Checked by AVG - www.avg.com

Version: 2012.0.1901 / Virus Database: 2109/4710 - Release Date:

12/29/11

[Guest guest]

There was no way to win in our S. District. When you bucked the system and asked for more the principal became irate and then you lost his support. Everything else was a trickle down effect. Have you met the people that would be providing his therapy? Are they "quality" therapists? I finally got some services for my son in school (not necessarily what I wanted, but something) and he began a social skills group and OT. I got called into the office b/c his social skills group teacher had an issue with BOOGERS!! My son wasn't wiping his nose properly. Can you believe she called me into the school for BOOGERS??!!! Hello Lady!! He's a 1st grader w/ Aspergers. Um....yeah, he picks his nose!! and he doesn't have the shame that the rest of us have

when we do it in public. Get him a tissue, remind him of his manners and continue. What's the problem here??? THEN!!! I find out the OT lady is having cell phone conversations during my son's therapy time in which she discusses that the Yankee baseball players are all druggies. Um....yeah, just what I wanted my 1st grade boy to obsess about anytime ANYONE would mention baseball he'd go into a bit about how all the Yankee baseball players are on drugs! Stupid people!! Some of the so called "professionals" aren't so professional. I came to the conclusion that I'd been fighting for these people to service my son and I wouldn't want them to touch him with a ten ft. pole. We get our services outside of school. Yes, there is drive time and expense (gas), etc but he's getting QUALITY services!! We have also recently started homeschooling w/

my son and he loves it!!Just another perspective.... To: autism-aspergers Sent: Friday, December 30, 2011 7:55 AM Subject: Re: RE: Third try - Autism Assessment by school???

Schools generally try to get the lowest level of diagnosis possible,

as then they only have to provide services that fit that diagnosis.

You have the right to ask for a review if you believe they get it

wrong. It seems that your school does not want to see autism, even

though so many of his behaviours seem typical of ASD. An

independent reviewer would be looking at behaviour without having to

consider what such behaviour might cost the school. You need to ask

yourself what you are likely to regret most: asking the school for a

review and finding the review agrees with the school, or not asking

for a review and discovering in the future that the school did get

it wrong? I would be asking for a review if I were you.

I know a lot of folks have been busy with the holidays

but thought I'd try to ask this question one more time...

When school districts step in to assess a child suspected

of Asperger's Syndrome, HFA or PDD-NOS do they generally

"get it right" or did most of you have to get an IEE or

outside eval?

My son is currently dxed with ADHD and SPD. The school did

the eval and they say he's not on the spectrum BUT...I

sent a pdf file (the draft copy of the eval that will be

presented at the ARD next week)of their findings, scored

rating scales, etc. to the nuero-psych that originally

dxed my child and she said that the school's

results/conclusions are "suspect" and I "should request an

IEE for validity". She also said that the notes in my son'

file refer to Asperger's (along with the ADHD) but that

was 2 years ago when he was three years old and she

thought it was too early to dx that at the time...

Her concerns regarding the school's eval were:

� The interviews, questionnaires and rating scales

completed by me, the primary caregiver, have been

dismissed by the evaluators. The LSSP sought clarification

and then minimized the responses of my son's Kindy teacher

(she had him in her class for 11 weeks) too. Our results

both indicated a "very likely" possibility of Autism on

both the GARS2 and ASDS.

� Listed under the Teacher Interview portion of the Autism

evaluation with commentary from the NEW teacher, it

states: concerns were noted regarding his tendency to

ignore others when they speak to him, avoid eye contact

and not utilize facial expressions to provide information

related to his internal state. She also reported that my

son tends to worry about things over and over again - that

he has had several challenges socially and that he has

been observed to have difficulty respecting the personal

space of others. The inclusion teacher (old school)

reported: difficulty adjusting effectively to changes in

routine, that he tended to respond by increased motor

movement and greater use of his chew (note: he uses a

chewy necklace to help regulate his proprioceptive sense

and to stop sensory overload/stress). Again, these items

are deemed to be irrelevant by the evaluators.

� The CARS2-ST is subjective and based on the clinician's

interpretation of limited interactions with my child. The

CARS2-ST results listed in this evaluation do not reflect

the behaviors of my child. Nor does it reflect the

information I provided via the CARS2-QPC. The

Questionnaire for Parents or Caregivers is an unscored

form but its sole purpose is to give the clinician more

information on which to base CARS2-ST ratings.

� The ADOS is supposed to be the gold standard in

diagnosing autism, but it is only as good as the people

giving it. The LSSP from the old school participated in

the ADOS even though she told me that she was biased and

had informed her direct supervisor that she would not be

able complete R's Autism Evaluation herself. When

questioned about the old LSSP's ADOS participation, the

new LSSP stated in an email, "This is an observational

instrument that requires a minimum of two professionals to

administer�[old LSSP] presented the stimulus materials as

I observed R's behavior during the administration." BUT

according to the ADOS FAQs posted online by Western

Psychological Services and answered by test author Dr.

Lord, "The ADOS is intended to be administered

by one person�The ADOS has its primary focus on

interactive social behavior between the examiner and

examinee�A competent examiner must be proficient enough to

manage the materials and flow of the session while also

collecting a good record of what occurs." So...is he

really the best person to be performing the ADOS?

The private OT my son sees via Easter Seals also sees

"asperger's traits"...She's known him/worked with him for

over a year.

Am I wasting my time asking for an IEE? Do they usually

get this right? I'm just hoping to have a better

understanding of his behaviors and want to get him the

correct support. Has anyone had a similar situation and if

not, I'd like to know that too...Please feel free to email

me directly or post in here. My ARD is on Tuesday of next

week...Thanks for any feedback at all :-)

No virus

found in this message.

Checked by AVG - www.avg.com

Version: 2012.0.1901 / Virus Database: 2109/4710 - Release Date:

12/29/11

[Guest guest]

My sons old school also didnt help with DX. They had him assesed for a developmental delay when he was 3 and i heard no more. They kept saying he was fine whenever i asked but his reports were awful. No social skills, didnt listen ,didnt respond to group prompts ,kept covering his ears etc.He hated school and wouldnt talk to anyone. When finally i got refered for assesment via my doctor, The autism specialists wanted info from the school. I gave my permisson and also all my sons reports. They didnt go to the school in the end as all the reports highlighted all ASD traits. He was 7 when DX. Then the school agreed there was a problem !!!!!

We now Home educate and its the best thing ever.

 

There was no way to win in our S. District.  When you bucked the system and asked for more the principal became irate and then you lost his support.  Everything else was a trickle down effect.  Have you met the people that would be providing his therapy?  Are they " quality " therapists?  I finally got some services for my son in school (not necessarily what I wanted, but something) and he began a social skills group and OT.  I got called into the office b/c his social skills group teacher had an issue with BOOGERS!!  My son wasn't wiping his nose properly.  Can you believe she called me into the school for BOOGERS??!!!  Hello Lady!!  He's a 1st grader w/ Aspergers.  Um....yeah, he picks his nose!! and he doesn't have the shame that the rest of us have when we do it in public.  Get him a tissue, remind him of his manners and continue.  What's the problem here???  THEN!!!  I find out the OT lady is having cell phone conversations during my son's therapy time in which she discusses that the Yankee baseball players are all druggies.  Um....yeah, just what I wanted my 1st grade boy to obsess about anytime ANYONE would mention baseball he'd go into a bit about how all the Yankee baseball players are on drugs!  Stupid people!!  Some of the so called " professionals " aren't so professional.  I came to the conclusion that I'd been fighting for these people to service my son and I wouldn't want them to touch him with a ten ft. pole.  We get our services outside of school.  Yes, there is drive time and expense (gas), etc but he's getting QUALITY services!! 

We have also recently started homeschooling w/ my son and he loves it!!

Just another perspective....

 

To: autism-aspergers

Sent: Friday, December 30, 2011 7:55 AMSubject: Re: RE: Third try - Autism Assessment by school???

 

Schools generally try to get the lowest level of diagnosis possible, as then they only have to provide services that fit that diagnosis.  You have the right to ask for a review if you believe they get it wrong.  It seems that your school does not want to see autism, even though so many of his behaviours seem typical of ASD.  An independent reviewer would be looking at behaviour without having to consider what such behaviour might cost the school.  You need to ask yourself what you are likely to regret most: asking the school for a review and finding the review agrees with the school, or not asking for a review and discovering in the future that the school did get it wrong?  I would be asking for a review if I were you.

 

I know a lot of folks have been busy with the holidays but thought I'd try to ask this question one more time...When school districts step in to assess a child suspected of Asperger's Syndrome, HFA or PDD-NOS do they generally " get it right " or did most of you have to get an IEE or outside eval?

My son is currently dxed with ADHD and SPD. The school did the eval and they say he's not on the spectrum BUT...I sent a pdf file (the draft copy of the eval that will be presented at the ARD next week)of their findings, scored rating scales, etc. to the nuero-psych that originally dxed my child and she said that the school's results/conclusions are " suspect " and I " should request an IEE for validity " . She also said that the notes in my son' file refer to Asperger's (along with the ADHD) but that was 2 years ago when he was three years old and she thought it was too early to dx that at the time...

Her concerns regarding the school's eval were:� The interviews, questionnaires and rating scales completed by me, the primary caregiver, have been dismissed by the evaluators. The LSSP sought clarification and then minimized the responses of my son's Kindy teacher (she had him in her class for 11 weeks) too. Our results both indicated a " very likely " possibility of Autism on both the GARS2 and ASDS.

� Listed under the Teacher Interview portion of the Autism evaluation with commentary from the NEW teacher, it states: concerns were noted regarding his tendency to ignore others when they speak to him, avoid eye contact and not utilize facial expressions to provide information related to his internal state. She also reported that my son tends to worry about things over and over again - that he has had several challenges socially and that he has been observed to have difficulty respecting the personal space of others. The inclusion teacher (old school) reported: difficulty adjusting effectively to changes in routine, that he tended to respond by increased motor movement and greater use of his chew (note: he uses a chewy necklace to help regulate his proprioceptive sense and to stop sensory overload/stress). Again, these items are deemed to be irrelevant by the evaluators.

� The CARS2-ST is subjective and based on the clinician's interpretation of limited interactions with my child. The CARS2-ST results listed in this evaluation do not reflect the behaviors of my child. Nor does it reflect the information I provided via the CARS2-QPC. The Questionnaire for Parents or Caregivers is an unscored form but its sole purpose is to give the clinician more information on which to base CARS2-ST ratings.

� The ADOS is supposed to be the gold standard in diagnosing autism, but it is only as good as the people giving it. The LSSP from the old school participated in the ADOS even though she told me that she was biased and had informed her direct supervisor that she would not be able complete R's Autism Evaluation herself. When questioned about the old LSSP's ADOS participation, the new LSSP stated in an email, " This is an observational instrument that requires a minimum of two professionals to administer�[old LSSP] presented the stimulus materials as I observed R's behavior during the administration. " BUT according to the ADOS FAQs posted online by Western Psychological Services and answered by test author Dr. Lord, " The ADOS is intended to be administered by one person�The ADOS has its primary focus on interactive social behavior between the examiner and examinee�A competent examiner must be proficient enough to manage the materials and flow of the session while also collecting a good record of what occurs. " So...is he really the best person to be performing the ADOS?

The private OT my son sees via Easter Seals also sees " asperger's traits " ...She's known him/worked with him for over a year. Am I wasting my time asking for an IEE? Do they usually get this right? I'm just hoping to have a better understanding of his behaviors and want to get him the correct support. Has anyone had a similar situation and if not, I'd like to know that too...Please feel free to email me directly or post in here. My ARD is on Tuesday of next week...Thanks for any feedback at all :-)

No virus found in this message.Checked by AVG - www.avg.comVersion: 2012.0.1901 / Virus Database: 2109/4710 - Release Date: 12/29/11

[Guest guest]

Thank you to all of you that responded - After speaking with my son's advocate

(from disability rights group for my state)I'm getting the vibe that even she

can't help me and that the school while deny my request for an IEE. I will get

him evaluated by an outside expert no matter what though. Why is all of this so

difficult???

I'm stuck waiting approx. 6-8 months to have my son seen by the Developmental

Pediatrician we were referred to see (also takes the insurance we have) but I

can get in him to see someone else, a PsyD that is an " asperger's " expert

(doesn't take my insurance), in just a couple of weeks. I know the school

respects the opinions of the Dev-Ped b/c they've mentioned her in the past. BUT

it sounds like I will not get any help from the current school district other

than what they are already doing (which isn't much).

I guess if he's found to be on the spectrum then we can start some outside

services and then I can think about how I want to handle school. He's only in

Kindy and he's young too. I know the recommended private school that's close to

my home offers more but of course it's pricey. I do not think I have what it

takes to home school my son with the behaviors we are currently seeing BUT maybe

that would change if the right supports were in place...

Thanks again for the input/feedback/personal stories...

> >

> >

> > I know a lot of folks have been busy with the holidays but thought I'd try

> > to ask this question one more time...

> >

> > When school districts step in to assess a child suspected of Asperger's

> > Syndrome, HFA or PDD-NOS do they generally " get it right " or did most of

> > you have to get an IEE or outside eval?

> >

> > My son is currently dxed with ADHD and SPD. The school did the eval and

> > they say he's not on the spectrum BUT...I sent a pdf file (the draft copy

> > of the eval that will be presented at the ARD next week)of their findings,

> > scored rating scales, etc. to the nuero-psych that originally dxed my child

> > and she said that the school's results/conclusions are " suspect " and I

> > " should request an IEE for validity " . She also said that the notes in my

> > son' file refer to Asperger's (along with the ADHD) but that was 2 years

> > ago when he was three years old and she thought it was too early to dx that

> > at the time...

> >

> > Her concerns regarding the school's eval were:

> > � The interviews, questionnaires and rating scales completed by me, the

> > primary caregiver, have been dismissed by the evaluators. The LSSP sought

> > clarification and then minimized the responses of my son's Kindy teacher

> > (she had him in her class for 11 weeks) too. Our results both indicated a

> > " very likely " possibility of Autism on both the GARS2 and ASDS.

> > � Listed under the Teacher Interview portion of the Autism evaluation with

> > commentary from the NEW teacher, it states: concerns were noted regarding

> > his tendency to ignore others when they speak to him, avoid eye contact and

> > not utilize facial expressions to provide information related to his

> > internal state. She also reported that my son tends to worry about things

> > over and over again - that he has had several challenges socially and that

> > he has been observed to have difficulty respecting the personal space of

> > others. The inclusion teacher (old school) reported: difficulty adjusting

> > effectively to changes in routine, that he tended to respond by increased

> > motor movement and greater use of his chew (note: he uses a chewy necklace

> > to help regulate his proprioceptive sense and to stop sensory

> > overload/stress). Again, these items are deemed to be irrelevant by the

> > evaluators.

> > � The CARS2-ST is subjective and based on the clinician's interpretation

> > of limited interactions with my child. The CARS2-ST results listed in this

> > evaluation do not reflect the behaviors of my child. Nor does it reflect

> > the information I provided via the CARS2-QPC. The Questionnaire for Parents

> > or Caregivers is an unscored form but its sole purpose is to give the

> > clinician more information on which to base CARS2-ST ratings.

> > � The ADOS is supposed to be the gold standard in diagnosing autism, but

> > it is only as good as the people giving it. The LSSP from the old school

> > participated in the ADOS even though she told me that she was biased and

> > had informed her direct supervisor that she would not be able complete R's

> > Autism Evaluation herself. When questioned about the old LSSP's ADOS

> > participation, the new LSSP stated in an email, " This is an observational

> > instrument that requires a minimum of two professionals to administer�[old

> > LSSP] presented the stimulus materials as I observed R's behavior during

> > the administration. " BUT according to the ADOS FAQs posted online by

> > Western Psychological Services and answered by test author Dr.

> > Lord, " The ADOS is intended to be administered by one person�The ADOS has

> > its primary focus on interactive social behavior between the examiner and

> > examinee�A competent examiner must be proficient enough to manage the

> > materials and flow of the session while also collecting a good record of

> > what occurs. " So...is he really the best person to be performing the ADOS?

> >

> > The private OT my son sees via Easter Seals also sees " asperger's

> > traits " ...She's known him/worked with him for over a year.

> >

> > Am I wasting my time asking for an IEE? Do they usually get this right?

> > I'm just hoping to have a better understanding of his behaviors and want to

> > get him the correct support. Has anyone had a similar situation and if not,

> > I'd like to know that too...Please feel free to email me directly or post

> > in here. My ARD is on Tuesday of next week...Thanks for any feedback at all

> > :-)

> >

> > No virus found in this message.

> > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com

> > Version: 2012.0.1901 / Virus Database: 2109/4710 - Release Date: 12/29/11

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

>