New member here... introduction

[Guest guest]

Dear Support Group,

I became familiar with Asperger's Syndrome this past September, just

6 months ago, when my 11 year old son, who we thought had ADHD

(diagnosed at age 5), was correctly diagnosed with Aspergers. My

son was in a private school in Kindergarten, and 2nd through 5th

grade. My son had all the social cue issues/problems that Asperger

kids have. My son was constantly getting into fights and had

trouble `playing by the rules' with kids in his class and the kids

seemed to be picking on him but we never attributed it to Aspergers

until he was diagnosed and we put two and two together. Last year,

in 5th grade, he and his teacher didn't get along and my son saw his

teacher as a completely `evil' person. She had some quirks but

definitely a good person and a good teacher… I have another child

that had her as a teacher. That's when he shut down, though. The

school said they didn't have the resources to help him (he was

diagnosed as ADHD at the time). In September he was diagnosed with

Aspergers Syndrome and we were left with no choice but to put him in

public school.

The IEP process has been painful! Before he started school we

provided the school administration with his Asperger diagnosis and

paperwork. The School took their sweet time to schedule an IEP……

December 21, at which time he was recoded from 08 to 14 for Aspergers

and special education hours increased to 18. We are NOW working to

change his school placement to an Asperger Program, another school,

in the school system that provides a paraeducator for each child in a

mainstream environment, a social skills class, and a homeroom

provided for these students 3x a day. But, the school system sees my

son differently. They see a child who is passively aggressive in the

classroom and won't respond to verbal and visual cues of the

teachers, which were only implemented in January as a result of the

IEP. My son won't do his homework, and as a result is failing

several classes. He has more social (cue) problems than he ever had

in the private school. The school thinks my son should be in a self-

contained `ED' program. I'm befuddled as to why???, but the school

system treats the `Asperger Program' like an elite program and would

prefer to put the Asperger kids in the `E D' program. It makes sense

to me that his behavior might be the result of poor school placement

and that the child should be at least given an opportunity to succeed

in the next `less restrictive environment… the Asperger Program'.

Our placement IEP is this Thursday. Please wish us luck!!!

A couple other miscellaneous things about my son:

* he's very bright but not articulate

* he's slow in processing, especially math…….. math is a real struggle

* he gets carried away reading books, fiction

* he doesn't know the names of kids in his class, unless I ask him to

remember them and tell me the next day.

(when in 4yr. old nursery school, he couldn't tell his teacher any

of the names of his peers…in February)

* I don't know if he can tell time or just doesn't have any sense of

time.

* he loves science and experimenting, he loves to make unusual things

to eat for himself……. combinations of foods that nobody else would

pair.

* he doesn't seem to have the full spectrum of emotions that the rest

of us have or he expresses them differntly. He gets angry and then

things are `annoying'

In the past week, since joining this group, I have learned so much

from you and you have provided terrific resource links (just the type

of thing that I need) such as the IEP preparation. I'm so glad I

joined this group.

Thank you!

ine

[Guest guest]

ine,

My son who is 15yo was not diagnosed as Aspergers

until last January (2007). Prior to that he was diagnosed ADHD and

bipolar. He still has those two diagnoses, but Aspergers is the primary

issue. He was placed in an ED placement in 6th grade due to

his physical aggression and meltdowns. Fortunately the ED classes in our

school system are excellent and have had much experience with Aspergers, ADHD,

and bipolar, and they are not full of juvenile delinquents that the schools

want to get rid of. We have an alternative school for those kids.

Our system does not have a Asperger program – they are either in ED or in

a generic mild/moderate class. Our son did very well in this

placement. I know that it is not for every child. Each child should

be treated individually. But every program should be evaluated

individually, too. Go and observe the program and see how it is

run. Our son did great with the structure and the levels for behavior and

they did social groups, as well as had counseling provided through Catholic

Charities.

My 16 yo son is diagnosed with Fetal

Alcohol Syndrome, but has a lot of Asperger traits. He sounds a lot like

your son with the passive aggressive and shutting down if he does not like the

teacher or any other person. He has thrived in the generic mild/mod

setting. He is in 10th grade and we have found a special ed

teacher who is his case manager that he has really bonded with. She will follow

him through high school. He respects and trusts her. She and I

communicate daily through email. He only spends one block each day with her

and works on social and vocational skills.

Sometimes I don’t think it matters

what the program is called, it is more important who is teaching and what they

are doing and how they bond with your child.

Let me know how things go. Donna

( ) New

member here... introduction

Dear Support Group,

I became familiar with Asperger's Syndrome this past September, just

6 months ago, when my 11 year old son, who we thought had ADHD

(diagnosed at age 5), was correctly diagnosed with Aspergers. My

son was in a private school in Kindergarten, and 2nd through 5th

grade. My son had all the social cue issues/problems that Asperger

kids have. My son was constantly getting into fights and had

trouble `playing by the rules' with kids in his class and the kids

seemed to be picking on him but we never attributed it to Aspergers

until he was diagnosed and we put two and two together. Last year,

in 5th grade, he and his teacher didn't get along and my son saw his

teacher as a completely `evil' person. She had some quirks but

definitely a good person and a good teacher… I have another child

that had her as a teacher. That's when he shut down, though. The

school said they didn't have the resources to help him (he was

diagnosed as ADHD at the time). In September he was diagnosed with

Aspergers Syndrome and we were left with no choice but to put him in

public school.

The IEP process has been painful! Before he started school we

provided the school administration with his Asperger diagnosis and

paperwork. The School took their sweet time to schedule an IEP……

December 21, at which time he was recoded from 08 to 14 for Aspergers

and special education hours increased to 18. We are NOW working to

change his school placement to an Asperger Program, another school,

in the school system that provides a paraeducator for each child in a

mainstream environment, a social skills class, and a homeroom

provided for these students 3x a day. But, the school system sees my

son differently. They see a child who is passively aggressive in the

classroom and won't respond to verbal and visual cues of the

teachers, which were only implemented in January as a result of the

IEP. My son won't do his homework, and as a result is failing

several classes. He has more social (cue) problems than he ever had

in the private school. The school thinks my son should be in a self-

contained `ED' program. I'm befuddled as to why???, but the school

system treats the `Asperger Program' like an elite program and would

prefer to put the Asperger kids in the `E D' program. It makes sense

to me that his behavior might be the result of poor school placement

and that the child should be at least given an opportunity to succeed

in the next `less restrictive environment… the Asperger Program'.

Our placement IEP is this Thursday. Please wish us luck!!!

A couple other miscellaneous things about my son:

* he's very bright but not articulate

* he's slow in processing, especially math…….. math is a real

struggle

* he gets carried away reading books, fiction

* he doesn't know the names of kids in his class, unless I ask him to

remember them and tell me the next day.

(when in 4yr. old nursery school, he couldn't tell his teacher any

of the names of his peers…in February)

* I don't know if he can tell time or just doesn't have any sense of

time.

* he loves science and experimenting, he loves to make unusual things

to eat for himself……. combinations of foods that nobody else would

pair.

* he doesn't seem to have the full spectrum of emotions that the rest

of us have or he expresses them differntly. He gets angry and then

things are `annoying'

In the past week, since joining this group, I have learned so much

from you and you have provided terrific resource links (just the type

of thing that I need) such as the IEP preparation. I'm so glad I

joined this group.

Thank you!

ine