RE: AS and school (longish)

January 23, 2009

Hi Diane.

I'm Robin and have a 12yr old boy. Your story is very familiar. Our course, in the end, was to yank Ian out and now he does a Virtual School from home. Things are much better.

Anyway, I know you'll get some wonderful advice, here. One thing I do know, is that very rarely is there a school/life situation, where everything just falls in place for someones child. There is a lot of "Yeah, sure, we'll do it......we understand".....and a lot of, "no ways" that get said to all of the parents. It seems like an endless fight, when you never really wanted a fight. You just wanted your child to get a fair shake, that, to you, didn't sound so irrational. Sigh.

Oh well........

Sounds like you're doing everything you can.

Have a great day.

Robin

Normal is just a cycle on a washing machine!!

From: dphock <dphock@...>Subject: ( ) AS and school (longish) Date: Thursday, January 22, 2009, 4:31 PM

Hi--I'm a new member, so I'll introduce myself. I'm Diane, mom of a 13year old with relatively mild AS. We've been thru what is probably atypical course...being told thru elementary school that C is gifted,as an explanation for seeing her social difficulties in the classroomsetting. A full evaluation last year confirmed the AS we suspectedfor a long time.C has gone to public school through 6 grade, with great academicsuccess but increasing unhappiness, depression, and anxiety aboutschool. She has not had great social experiences at school, althoughshe has solid friendships (on a one-on-one basis) outside of school.For 7th grade, my husband and I decided to try to eliminate a lot ofthe environmental stressors, and enrolled C in a new, very smallprivate school. It's a K-8 school in its second year (run by anexperienced principal from another private school). There are about100

kids in the school, 13 in 7th grade. The school has promoteditself as a rigorous academic school which teaches "the individualchild" based on each individual child's needs. Sounds perfect, yes?Before school started, my husband and I asked for what was effectivelyan IEP meeting. We brought C's counselor and the evaluatingpsychologist to try to outline what C's needs are, what situationsmight prove difficult for her, etc. The teachers, principal andclassroom helper were there and said all the right things.Well, here is our dilemma. They SAY the right things. But inpractice, they do not seem tuned in to C or what she needs. I hadhoped -- maybe naively -- that once we explained and they saw what C'sparticular issues were, they would not only accomodate them, but tryto think about her, anticipate things, and plan accordingly so thatthe dynamic would work for her. There are only 13 kids in the

class,so that didn't seem unreasonable, I didn't think.Time after time, we are finding that her main teacher doesn't seem tohave a clue. She's a great and dynamic teacher in terms of presentingthe info to the class and making learning fun. But attending to C,understanding what might be hard for her, and helping her BEFOREHANDsimply has not occurred and, we now think, may just not be within herskill set. We've removed C from PE at school, as we saw the PEteacher there as simply not being able to get her issues, and she wasfinding the whole dynamic so humiliating that she hated, hated HATEDgoing to school on PE days. For now, we have stopped waiting for them to help us figure out whatwill work for her (I had expected, again naively, that we'd be"partners" and that they would work with us to make school a goodplace for her.) Now, we are in a stage where we just TELL them whatwe think needs

to happen. They accomodate that, or at least say theywill, but we're not convinced that they are being anything close toproactive to make school a good place for her.So, where from here? We are going in next week to talk to theprincipal, and thinking of calling another IEP to regroup and beclearer about our expectations for how things will be for C at school.We hesitate to get to get to negative with them, as we don't want tobe perceived as "problem parents" but we feel our expectations arehigh, especially because the class is so small and they keep talkingabout how they teach the "individual. " We want to convey ourimpression thus far that they don't do what they say.I'm concerned about 8th grade next year, very concerned about highschool, and starting to research home-schooling and online schoolalternatives. But I guess I'm hoping some of you can give me advice.Maybe it's just that my

husband and I have been too naive about thisschool, and we need to get a lot more aggressive about insisting onwhat we think will be best for C, without expecting them to help usarrive at that as a team.Anyway, any advice will be appreciated.

January 23, 2009

You may find it difficult making any progress simply because it is a

private school and the law does not " make " them accomodate special ed

children. I hope that you can make some progress but be prepared for

the fact that they may simply choose not to change their ways.

Vickie

>

> Hi--

>

> I'm a new member, so I'll introduce myself. I'm Diane, mom of a 13

> year old with relatively mild AS. We've been thru what is probably

a

> typical course...being told thru elementary school that C is gifted,

> as an explanation for seeing her social difficulties in the

classroom

> setting. A full evaluation last year confirmed the AS we suspected

> for a long time.

>

> C has gone to public school through 6 grade, with great academic

> success but increasing unhappiness, depression, and anxiety about

> school. She has not had great social experiences at school,

although

> she has solid friendships (on a one-on-one basis) outside of school.

>

> For 7th grade, my husband and I decided to try to eliminate a lot of

> the environmental stressors, and enrolled C in a new, very small

> private school. It's a K-8 school in its second year (run by an

> experienced principal from another private school). There are about

> 100 kids in the school, 13 in 7th grade. The school has promoted

> itself as a rigorous academic school which teaches " the individual

> child " based on each individual child's needs. Sounds perfect, yes?

>

> Before school started, my husband and I asked for what was

effectively

> an IEP meeting. We brought C's counselor and the evaluating

> psychologist to try to outline what C's needs are, what situations

> might prove difficult for her, etc. The teachers, principal and

> classroom helper were there and said all the right things.

>

> Well, here is our dilemma. They SAY the right things. But in

> practice, they do not seem tuned in to C or what she needs. I had

> hoped -- maybe naively -- that once we explained and they saw what

C's

> particular issues were, they would not only accomodate them, but try

> to think about her, anticipate things, and plan accordingly so that

> the dynamic would work for her. There are only 13 kids in the

class,

> so that didn't seem unreasonable, I didn't think.

>

> Time after time, we are finding that her main teacher doesn't seem

to

> have a clue. She's a great and dynamic teacher in terms of

presenting

> the info to the class and making learning fun. But attending to C,

> understanding what might be hard for her, and helping her BEFOREHAND

> simply has not occurred and, we now think, may just not be within

her

> skill set. We've removed C from PE at school, as we saw the PE

> teacher there as simply not being able to get her issues, and she

was

> finding the whole dynamic so humiliating that she hated, hated HATED

> going to school on PE days.

>

> For now, we have stopped waiting for them to help us figure out what

> will work for her (I had expected, again naively, that we'd be

> " partners " and that they would work with us to make school a good

> place for her.) Now, we are in a stage where we just TELL them what

> we think needs to happen. They accomodate that, or at least say

they

> will, but we're not convinced that they are being anything close to

> proactive to make school a good place for her.

>

> So, where from here? We are going in next week to talk to the

> principal, and thinking of calling another IEP to regroup and be

> clearer about our expectations for how things will be for C at

school.

> We hesitate to get to get to negative with them, as we don't want

to

> be perceived as " problem parents " but we feel our expectations are

> high, especially because the class is so small and they keep talking

> about how they teach the " individual. " We want to convey our

> impression thus far that they don't do what they say.

>

> I'm concerned about 8th grade next year, very concerned about high

> school, and starting to research home-schooling and online school

> alternatives. But I guess I'm hoping some of you can give me

advice.

> Maybe it's just that my husband and I have been too naive about

this

> school, and we need to get a lot more aggressive about insisting on

> what we think will be best for C, without expecting them to help us

> arrive at that as a team.

>

> Anyway, any advice will be appreciated.

>

January 23, 2009

I need help too..Any advice would be appreciated..My Aspie's (10 yr old)

teacher called me today to tell me that my son has been very impulsive

lately..Falling off chairs, overreacting to small things, " adjusting

himself " in front of others. Mostly since coming back from Winter

break.. I have discussed this with him on numerous occassions and he

says he understands,but keeps doing these behaviors,., Its like he cant

control it..How to I get himto stop these behaviors?The teacher wanted

me to tell her how to handle it, and quite frankly, I'm not sure..Any

advice?

Conni

January 23, 2009

>

> The school has promoted

> itself as a rigorous academic school which teaches " the individual

> child " based on each individual child's needs. Sounds perfect, yes?

Actually, no. The word " rigorous " is throwing a red flag at me. Most

Asperger kids need flexibility. Giving kids more individual teaching

is not the same thing as giving kids DIFFERENT teaching.

> She's a great and dynamic teacher in terms of presenting

> the info to the class and making learning fun. But attending to C,

> understanding what might be hard for her, and helping her BEFOREHAND

> simply has not occurred and, we now think, may just not be within her

> skill set.

This may well be. You probably don't want to hear this, but you are

asking a lot of teachers who are not special education teachers and

have no special education department to work with.

> So, where from here? We are going in next week to talk to the

> principal, and thinking of calling another IEP to regroup and be

> clearer about our expectations for how things will be for C at school.

You might want to start out by asking them what they plan for C BEFORE

you discuss anything about what YOU want. See what they say when they

aren't being led. Ask them where their boundaries are. What can they

do and what can't they do? What is THEIR plan? Then you can

introduce your ideas as part of the discussion of their plan and see

what they think. You may want to explicitly ask them to be upfront

with you about what they can and can't do.

> Maybe it's just that my husband and I have been too naive about this

> school, and we need to get a lot more aggressive about insisting on

> what we think will be best for C, without expecting them to help us

> arrive at that as a team.

I would say that it is unlikely they will know how to teach your

daughter if they can't come up wih a plan in the first place. You can

try to tell them what to do, but if they don't know how, it isn't

going to happen. And if they aren't motivated to learn about teaching

kids with Asperger, it isn't going to happen either. You have to

remember that this is a private school, and they aren't under any

obligation to educate your daughter--it is their choice. You're not

really in a place where you can make demands. Offering individual

attention is not the same thing as offering differentiated teaching to

accommodate disability. It doesn't sound like they ever promised such

a thing or advertised themselves as such a school. I would say the

decision you have to make is whether this is the right school for your

daughter--the way it is.

> Anyway, any advice will be appreciated.

If you can afford a small private school like this one, you might want

to consider one of the private schools specifically for kids with

learning differences like ADHD and Asperger. They are popping up all

over the place since so many public schools are doing badly with this

group of kids. There are many that are college prep and some that are

even for gifted kids with learning disabilities. Most of the people I

know with kids in such schools are very happy with them. They are

very expensive though.

Hope this helps! (I have a 14yo son with Asperger and developmental

coordination disorder in public jr high, by the way--we did do private

school for a couple of years though).

Ruth

January 23, 2009

>

> I need help too..Any advice would be appreciated..My Aspie's (10 yr old)

> teacher called me today to tell me that my son has been very impulsive

> lately..Falling off chairs, overreacting to small things, " adjusting

> himself " in front of others. Mostly since coming back from Winter

> break.. I have discussed this with him on numerous occassions and he

> says he understands,but keeps doing these behaviors,., Its like he cant

> control it..How to I get himto stop these behaviors?The teacher wanted

> me to tell her how to handle it, and quite frankly, I'm not sure..Any

> advice?

Hi Conni. This is not something there is a simple answer to. If you

are in public school, ask for a full and individual special ed

evaluation IN WRITING. Call your school district special ed office to

ask for details like who to turn it into and whether there is a form.

If you are in private school, you will need to get the evaluations

done yourself through your health insurance. My advice would be to

start getting supports in place, even though you don't know enough yet

to know what they need to be!

I don't have a pat answer to your son's problems; it is not something

that is going to be a quick fix. For my own self, it was a matter of

lots of reading, talking to people, friends, discussions lists,

professionals I took my son to, experimenting, etc. It's a process.

Try not to be discouraged. It will get better and better the more you

learn about Asperger and how it affects your son specifically.

Hopefully someone else will have a better answer for NOW, as I seem to

be flat out of ideas at the moment. Sorry.

Ruth

January 24, 2009

You need to request the school conduct an FBA (Functional Behavior Assessment) and Positive Behavior Plan. They need to get at the root of why these behaviors are occuring and find ways to lessen the occurence. Pam

In a message dated 1/23/2009 9:07:51 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, clbrew311@... writes:

I need help too..Any advice would be appreciated..My Aspie's (10 yr old)teacher called me today to tell me that my son has been very impulsivelately..Falling off chairs, overreacting to small things, "adjustinghimself" in front of others. Mostly since coming back from Winterbreak.. I have discussed this with him on numerous occassions and hesays he understands,but keeps doing these behaviors,., Its like he cantcontrol it..How to I get himto stop these behaviors?The teacher wantedme to tell her how to handle it, and quite frankly, I'm not sure..Anyadvice?Conni A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy steps!

January 24, 2009

Pam,

Thanks so much! I will try that and let you know what happens.. Is the

FBA and Positive Behavior Plan two different things? Or is that all one

phrase? Thanks.

Conni

January 24, 2009

Ruth,

Thanks. My son is in mainstream classroom with a 504 plan.. He meets

with a guidance counselor once a week in a group setting.. Pam suggested

I request a Functional Behavior assessment..I just need to know,what

exactly is a FBA?

Conni

I need help too..Any advice would be appreciated..My Aspie's (10 yr old)

> teacher called me today to tell me that my son has been very impulsive

> lately..Falling off chairs, overreacting to small things, " adjusting

> himself " in front of others. Mostly since coming back from Winter

> break.. I have discussed this with him on numerous occassions and he

> says he understands,but keeps doing these behaviors,., Its like he

cant

> control it..How to I get himto stop these behaviors?The teacher wanted

> me to tell her how to handle it, and quite frankly, I'm not sure..Any

> advice?

Hi Conni. This is not something there is a simple answer to. If you

are in public school, ask for a full and individual special ed

evaluation IN WRITING. Call your school district special ed office to

ask for details like who to turn it into and whether there is a form.

If you are in private school, you will need to get the evaluations

done yourself through your health insurance. My advice would be to

start getting supports in place, even though you don't know enough yet

to know what they need to be!

I don't have a pat answer to your son's problems; it is not something

that is going to be a quick fix. For my own self, it was a matter of

lots of reading, talking to people, friends, discussions lists,

professionals I took my son to, experimenting, etc. It's a process.

Try not to be discouraged. It will get better and better the more you

learn about Asperger and how it affects your son specifically.

Hopefully someone else will have a better answer for NOW, as I seem to

be flat out of ideas at the moment. Sorry.

Ruth

January 25, 2009

Conni, a Postive Behavior Plan should come out of the FBA...so the FBA would be done first.

In a message dated 1/25/2009 11:46:33 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, clbrew311@... writes:

Pam,Thanks so much! I will try that and let you know what happens.. Is theFBA and Positive Behavior Plan two different things? Or is that all onephrase? Thanks.Conni A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy steps!

January 25, 2009

These links may help:

Functional Behavior Assessment and Behavior Intervention Plans. ERIC/OSEP Digest

slaw - Functional Behavioral Assessments: What? Why? How? Who? by Starin, Ph.D.

In a message dated 1/25/2009 11:46:43 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, clbrew311@... writes:

Ruth,Thanks. My son is in mainstream classroom with a 504 plan.. He meetswith a guidance counselor once a week in a group setting.. Pam suggestedI request a Functional Behavior assessment..I just need to know,whatexactly is a FBA?ConniI need help too..Any advice would be appreciated..My Aspie's (10 yr old)> teacher called me today to tell me that my son has been very impulsive> lately..Falling off chairs, overreacting to small things, "adjusting> himself" in front of others. Mostly since coming back from Winter> break.. I have discussed this with him on numerous occassions and he> says he understands,but keeps doing these behaviors,., Its like hecant> control it..How to I get himto stop these behaviors?The teacher wanted> me to tell her how to handle it, and quite frankly, I'm not sure..Any> advice?Hi Conni. This is not something there is a simple answer to. If youare in public school, ask for a full and individual special edevaluation IN WRITING. Call your school district special ed office toask for details like who to turn it into and whether there is a form.If you are in private school, you will need to get the evaluationsdone yourself through your health insurance. My advice would be tostart getting supports in place, even though you don't know enough yetto know what they need to be!I don't have a pat answer to your son's problems; it is not somethingthat is going to be a quick fix. For my own self, it was a matter oflots of reading, talking to people, friends, discussions lists,professionals I took my son to, experimenting, etc. It's a process. Try not to be discouraged. It will get better and better the more youlearn about Asperger and how it affects your son specifically.Hopefully someone else will have a better answer for NOW, as I seem tobe flat out of ideas at the moment. Sorry.Ruth A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy steps!

January 25, 2009

My son just had a FBA...this is how his school ran it...

The entire IEP team was there, his homeroom teacher, his guidance counselor, myself, I invited his outside Behavioral Support Councelor. The assistant principal was there, the Occupational Therpist plus his school's special educ. supervisor plus another special ed. supivisor (she was invited as she knows alot about Aspergers and Autism). The woman who ran the meeting was the district's behavior specialist....

She wrote on the board...

What he excells in

His problem areas

Then we discussed the quick triggers and the long term triggers, then his behaviors and his actions in school and looking at everything...we can try to figure out what is going on....what is triggering him...and then work on resolving the problems.

It is very interesting but it was difficult on me...to listen to others talk about your own child and how he does not fit in and the things he does....I'll be honest and tell you i cried...it was overwhelming for me...

Jan

Janice Rushen

"I will try to be open to all avenues of wisdom and hope"

From: ppanda65@... <ppanda65@...>Subject: Re: ( ) AS and school (longish) Date: Sunday, January 25, 2009, 1:46 PM

These links may help:

Functional Behavior Assessment and Behavior Intervention Plans. ERIC/OSEP Digest

slaw - Functional Behavioral Assessments: What? Why? How? Who? by Starin, Ph.D.

In a message dated 1/25/2009 11:46:43 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, clbrew311webtv (DOT) net writes:

Ruth,Thanks. My son is in mainstream classroom with a 504 plan.. He meetswith a guidance counselor once a week in a group setting.. Pam suggestedI request a Functional Behavior assessment.. I just need to know,whatexactly is a FBA?ConniI need help too..Any advice would be appreciated. .My Aspie's (10 yr old)> teacher called me today to tell me that my son has been very impulsive> lately..Falling off chairs, overreacting to small things, "adjusting> himself" in front of others. Mostly since coming back from Winter> break.. I have discussed this with him on numerous occassions and he> says he understands, but keeps doing these behaviors,., Its like hecant> control it..How to I get himto stop these behaviors?The teacher wanted> me to tell her how to handle it, and quite frankly, I'm not sure..Any> advice?Hi Conni. This is not something there is a simple

answer to. If youare in public school, ask for a full and individual special edevaluation IN WRITING. Call your school district special ed office toask for details like who to turn it into and whether there is a form.If you are in private school, you will need to get the evaluationsdone yourself through your health insurance. My advice would be tostart getting supports in place, even though you don't know enough yetto know what they need to be!I don't have a pat answer to your son's problems; it is not somethingthat is going to be a quick fix. For my own self, it was a matter oflots of reading, talking to people, friends, discussions lists,professionals I took my son to, experimenting, etc. It's a process. Try not to be discouraged. It will get better and better the more youlearn about Asperger and how it affects your son specifically.Hopefully someone else will have a better answer for NOW, as I

seem tobe flat out of ideas at the moment. Sorry.Ruth

A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy steps!

January 26, 2009

I believe that any child who has behaviors interferring with their learning, is eligible for a Functional Behavior Assessment and Positive Behavioral Plan. Some districts are utilizing RTI (Response to Intervention) before conducting FBA's and special education evaluations. But you don't have to have an IEP to have a FBA done. Pam A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy steps!

January 26, 2009

>

> My son just had a FBA...this is how his school ran it...

> ï¿½

> The entire IEP team was there, his homeroom teacher, his guidance

counselor, myself, I invited his outside Behavioral Support

Councelor.ï¿½ The assistant principal was there, the Occupational

Therpist plus his school's special educ. supervisor plus another

special ed. supivisor (she was invited as she knows alot about

Aspergers and Autism).ï¿½ The woman who ran the meeting was the

district's behavior specialist....

Conni, just to let you know, since I know your son has only a 504 Plan

rather than an IEP, technically you can have a FBA with a 504. It

would be hard to get since a 504 is only supposed to be

accommodations, not intervention, and 504 accommodations will only

involve general ed staff. Now, they can pull in special ed people to

consult at the 504 meetings, but you will probably have to do the

squeaky wheel thing to make that happen (I did anyway).

Ruth

January 27, 2009

Hi Diane and welcome to our group!

My question is about public school. You didn't say if C had any accommodations in regular public school before you pulled her out for the small school? I am just guessing that she did not.

I wanted to say that each school is different, each teacher different. Some years, we had great people who did mostly good stuff. Other years, the teacher would be all wrong and the year stunk. I don't know that it mattered as much how many kids were there. You need a good main sped teacher. Even if your dd is gifted, if she has an IEP, a sped teacher/director can help you run interference with the staff. Directions coming from the other teacher/specialist will go over better than if it's coming from the parents.

I know this sounds bad but even though school's say they want a partnership with parents, they don't really want you to show up and tell them what to do. They want to tell you what to do at home and that's the end of the partnership in learning. There are some teachers who really work well with parents. There are some who avoid parents or consider us annoying. Again, having a sped person to be the in between person can often help in situations where the teacher is not wanting to work with you.

As for your current problem, I would make a list of all the problems going on currently and take it to your meeting. Use it to guide your conversation and try to focus on her needs, rather than their inability to support her needs. It might go over better that way. You can say, "What can be done to .....?" and try to get them to come up with solutions. If the results of your meeting are not written down into a formal IEP plan, write a follow up letter outlining exactly what you discussed and agreed to at the meeting. Then later, if something is not happening, you can refer back to your meeting and nicely but more pointedly ask them how that is working or if it needs to be tweaked? That might refocus teacher to do what she needs to do.

We are eschooling right now and my ds is doing better than he was in school. It is hard work and not easy, though. Good luck and let us know how your meeting goes/or went if I am late posting!

RoxannaYou're UniqueJust like everyone else...

( ) AS and school (longish)

Hi--I'm a new member, so I'll introduce myself. I'm Diane, mom of a 13year old with relatively mild AS. We've been thru what is probably atypical course...being told thru elementary school that C is gifted,as an explanation for seeing her social difficulties in the classroomsetting. A full evaluation last year confirmed the AS we suspectedfor a long time.C has gone to public school through 6 grade, with great academicsuccess but increasing unhappiness, depression, and anxiety aboutschool. She has not had great social experiences at school, althoughshe has solid friendships (on a one-on-one basis) outside of school.For 7th grade, my husband and I decided to try to eliminate a lot ofthe environmental stressors, and enrolled C in a new, very smallprivate school. It's a K-8 school in its second year (run by anexperienced principal from another private school). There are about100 kids in the school, 13 in 7th grade. The school has promoteditself as a rigorous academic school which teaches "the individualchild" based on each individual child's needs. Sounds perfect, yes?Before school started, my husband and I asked for what was effectivelyan IEP meeting. We brought C's counselor and the evaluatingpsychologist to try to outline what C's needs are, what situationsmight prove difficult for her, etc. The teachers, principal andclassroom helper were there and said all the right things.Well, here is our dilemma. They SAY the right things. But inpractice, they do not seem tuned in to C or what she needs. I hadhoped -- maybe naively -- that once we explained and they saw what C'sparticular issues were, they would not only accomodate them, but tryto think about her, anticipate things, and plan accordingly so thatthe dynamic would work for her. There are only 13 kids in the class,so that didn't seem unreasonable, I didn't think.Time after time, we are finding that her main teacher doesn't seem tohave a clue. She's a great and dynamic teacher in terms of presentingthe info to the class and making learning fun. But attending to C,understanding what might be hard for her, and helping her BEFOREHANDsimply has not occurred and, we now think, may just not be within herskill set. We've removed C from PE at school, as we saw the PEteacher there as simply not being able to get her issues, and she wasfinding the whole dynamic so humiliating that she hated, hated HATEDgoing to school on PE days. For now, we have stopped waiting for them to help us figure out whatwill work for her (I had expected, again naively, that we'd be"partners" and that they would work with us to make school a goodplace for her.) Now, we are in a stage where we just TELL them whatwe think needs to happen. They accomodate that, or at least say theywill, but we're not convinced that they are being anything close toproactive to make school a good place for her.So, where from here? We are going in next week to talk to theprincipal, and thinking of calling another IEP to regroup and beclearer about our expectations for how things will be for C at school.We hesitate to get to get to negative with them, as we don't want tobe perceived as "problem parents" but we feel our expectations arehigh, especially because the class is so small and they keep talkingabout how they teach the "individual." We want to convey ourimpression thus far that they don't do what they say.I'm concerned about 8th grade next year, very concerned about highschool, and starting to research home-schooling and online schoolalternatives. But I guess I'm hoping some of you can give me advice.Maybe it's just that my husband and I have been too naive about thisschool, and we need to get a lot more aggressive about insisting onwhat we think will be best for C, without expecting them to help usarrive at that as a team.Anyway, any advice will be appreciated.

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January 27, 2009

Conni, Pam had great advice about requesting an FBA. I also wanted to add that falling off chairs can often be a problem addressed by an OT (occupational therapist.) Some kids do not realize where their body's are in relation to "everything else" and slide off their seats, not realizing that they going to do that. It may be something out of his control. You should ask for an OT evaluation for sensory issues and see if that person can help him. They sell different seat cushions that might help as well if he is fidgety. Again, the OT could help you with those ideas/needs.

RoxannaYou're UniqueJust like everyone else...

Re: ( ) AS and school (longish)

Ruth,Thanks. My son is in mainstream classroom with a 504 plan.. He meetswith a guidance counselor once a week in a group setting.. Pam suggestedI request a Functional Behavior assessment..I just need to know,whatexactly is a FBA?ConniI need help too..Any advice would be appreciated..My Aspie's (10 yr old)> teacher called me today to tell me that my son has been very impulsive> lately..Falling off chairs, overreacting to small things, "adjusting> himself" in front of others. Mostly since coming back from Winter> break.. I have discussed this with him on numerous occassions and he> says he understands,but keeps doing these behaviors,., Its like hecant> control it..How to I get himto stop these behaviors?The teacher wanted> me to tell her how to handle it, and quite frankly, I'm not sure..Any> advice?Hi Conni. This is not something there is a simple answer to. If youare in public school, ask for a full and individual special edevaluation IN WRITING. Call your school district special ed office toask for details like who to turn it into and whether there is a form.If you are in private school, you will need to get the evaluationsdone yourself through your health insurance. My advice would be tostart getting supports in place, even though you don't know enough yetto know what they need to be!I don't have a pat answer to your son's problems; it is not somethingthat is going to be a quick fix. For my own self, it was a matter oflots of reading, talking to people, friends, discussions lists,professionals I took my son to, experimenting, etc. It's a process. Try not to be discouraged. It will get better and better the more youlearn about Asperger and how it affects your son specifically.Hopefully someone else will have a better answer for NOW, as I seem tobe flat out of ideas at the moment. Sorry.Ruth

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January 27, 2009

Roxanna,

Thanks I didnt know about the seat cushions..Are they special ones?My

son has had an OT eval, but they said he did not need it..Maybe now that

he is in a new school I will try again?

Conni

Conni, Pam had great advice about requesting an FBA. I also wanted to

add that falling off chairs can often be a problem addressed by an OT

(occupational therapist.) Some kids do not realize where their body's

are in relation to " everything else " and slide off their seats, not

realizing that they going to do that. It may be something out of his

control. You should ask for an OT evaluation for sensory issues and

see if that person can help him. They sell different seat cushions

that might help as well if he is fidgety. Again, the OT could help

you with those ideas/needs.

Roxanna

You're Unique

Just like everyone else...

Re: ( ) AS and school (longish)

Ruth,

Thanks. My son is in mainstream classroom with a 504 plan.. He meets

with a guidance counselor once a week in a group setting.. Pam suggested

I request a Functional Behavior assessment..I just need to know,what

exactly is a FBA?

Conni

I need help too..Any advice would be appreciated..My Aspie's (10 yr old)

> teacher called me today to tell me that my son has been very impulsive

> lately..Falling off chairs, overreacting to small things, " adjusting

> himself " in front of others. Mostly since coming back from Winter

> break.. I have discussed this with him on numerous occassions and he

> says he understands,but keeps doing these behaviors,., Its like he

cant

> control it..How to I get himto stop these behaviors?The teacher wanted

> me to tell her how to handle it, and quite frankly, I'm not sure..Any

> advice?

Hi Conni. This is not something there is a simple answer to. If you

are in public school, ask for a full and individual special ed

evaluation IN WRITING. Call your school district special ed office to

ask for details like who to turn it into and whether there is a form.

If you are in private school, you will need to get the evaluations

done yourself through your health insurance. My advice would be to

start getting supports in place, even though you don't know enough yet

to know what they need to be!

I don't have a pat answer to your son's problems; it is not something

that is going to be a quick fix. For my own self, it was a matter of

lots of reading, talking to people, friends, discussions lists,

professionals I took my son to, experimenting, etc. It's a process.

Try not to be discouraged. It will get better and better the more you

learn about Asperger and how it affects your son specifically.

Hopefully someone else will have a better answer for NOW, as I seem to

be flat out of ideas at the moment. Sorry.

Ruth

January 27, 2009

Ruth ,

What is the " squeaky wheel " thing you are referring to?

Conni

January 28, 2009

>

> Ruth ,

> What is the " squeaky wheel " thing you are referring to?

I'm not totally sure what you mean out of context, but I don't ever

let the school alone. I let school administrators know when teachers

are not following my son's 504 plan, I answer any teacher's questions

in full copied to a school administrator, point out things that aren't

working, etc. There have been some times when I go for weeks

contacting several teachers and administrators pretty much every

single day. In two years, I have gone from no accommodations at all,

to informal accommodations, through a failed IEP eval, to a 504, now

to another IEP eval--this time their idea--to be done with the Autism

team. When they would not evaluate, I did it--neuropsych,

occupational therapy and speech--and brought it back to them. Since

it is now their idea, I think he will finally get services--at age 14!

We will see.

Many school districts will try to get away with solving problems at

the lowest level possible, so you just have to keep pushing until

there are no more excuses left.

Ironically, totally coincidentally, the children's hospital also

contacted me and okayed us for an autism study that will get my son

the ADOS and ADI-R for free--the one thing where they didn't take our

insurance so we couldn't do. When it rains, it pours LOL!

Ruth

January 28, 2009

Could someone tell me what ADOS and ADI-R stand for?

Thanks,

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Subject: Re: ( ) AS and school (longish)