Guest guest Posted February 16, 2006 Report Share Posted February 16, 2006 Hi , Welcome, what does 's IEP state, goals etc? My thinking is if is resistant to learning that program may be teaching more through play. Does he have specific speech goals to address the use of PECS and sign? Has he made any progress in that area? Is he in this class with age appropriate peers? He should be taught according to the goals that are on his IEP. I hope this helps. Charlyne Mom to Zeb 13 DS/OCD/ASD? kcachet wrote: Hi! This is my first time posting and hope there is someone that can offer advice. I have a 6 yr old son , he has ds and asd. Although he is six, he is on the level of a 1 to 1 1/2 yr old. He does not speak (say a few words), has not and does not want to pick up a way to communicate such as pecs or signing. He communicates by taking your hand to show you waht he want or just eventually throws a tantrum if you can't figgure out what he wants. He does not read, print, does not understand danger (I don't think), not potty trained. He is a bit spoiled, very stubborn, his way or no way, but very cute and he does know who he can get over on. He just started public school this past September in an autistic support program. He had a very hard time there. He was on a preschool level while the other children were on a much higher level. though was much more outgoing and sociable. He had so much trouble adjusting to this class and eveyone at the school questioned why he was placed there. After a meeting it was decided he would do better in a life skills program. In October he was transfered . In the new school he adjusted quickly, never really fussed. My main concern is that due to his level of ability, is the life skills support program taught basically the same to all children regardless of age and ability. For example, my son has lessons on placing 911 calls, cooking, pet care, shopping. I feel his time would be better spent on more appropriate activities. After a meeting at the school, I was told through these activities he is learing other skills such as speech, sharing, imitation, numbers.I understand how this can be done but I still wonder if it is appropriate. What should I expect from this class? Sorry this is so long. Any and all advice would be appreciated. -------------------------------------------------- Checkout our homepage for information, bookmarks, and photos of our kids. Share favorite bookmarks, ideas, and other information by including them. Don't forget, messages are a permanent record of the archives for our list. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ -------------------------------------------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 18, 2006 Report Share Posted February 18, 2006 , Therese mentioned about Visual Strategies for Improving Communication. This book was written by Hodgdon. Here are two of her sites http://www.usevisualstrategies.com/ and at http://www.lindahodgdon.com/ Check out when she is speaking and if in your area do go and hear her, she is great. Louise Re: Life Skills Support Hi , Life skills programs still have to be based on your son's IEP. The school district just can't stick a child wherever it has a spot that " kind of " works. Activities should be skill level appropriate. It doesn't make sense to try to teach a nonverbal child to dial 911. I would think 's school's priority should be teaching him a communication system that is more universal than what he's using. Have you tried augmentative speech devices? A lot of children, my daughter included, respond much better to them than PECS or sign. It's just more motivating to push a button with a picture on it and have it talk for you. The district said my daughter didn't have the intelligence to learn to use a device but she picked it up immediately. She is still nonverbal but she can communicate now with her device, on the computer and by pointing to pictures. Also, a life saver for us was the book, Visual Strategies for Improving Communication. If you haven't read it, buy it tonight. It helped us a lot. Also, I think watching the movie, The Miracle Worker, is helpful. I think it gave me perspective on communication. My daughter used to just haul me around and grunt her needs, just like Helen Keller did before Ann Sullivan taught her a new method. Btw, that was also the start of ABA. Oh, sorry this is getting so long. But to give you some background. My daughter is 15 yo and has been in a modified life skills classroom since her asd diagnosis at age 11. We were having some real behavior issues in a typical sit at the desk, strictly academics classroom. She is happier in a more relaxed setting that integrates academics with real life applications. But it is tailored to her needs. Because she is nonverbal, all lessons are in a visual communication format. She has visual schedules for her jobs, activities, recipes, etc. Also we don't waste time at school working on things she can learn at home, like chores. Also, we still have academic work in her IEP but now that she is in high school she focuses mainly on vocational training and learning how to function out in the community. She leaves the school each day for two hours to work at different jobs, ie food bank, recycling center, garden nursery or meals on wheels. I hope this helps you help . Therese Mom to 15 yo ds-asd -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.375 / Virus Database: 267.15.11/264 - Release Date: 2/17/2006 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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