My Letter

[Guest guest]

This is the Letter I wrote and Brought to the School When I enrolled

into Kindy.

I am lost!

My Son is almost 5 June 30th, I have knows something was off when

he was a little over 2 years old and he forgot all his colors,

numbers, and alphabet, he hopped all over the place on his tiptoes and

we nicknamed him tigger, I took him to his pediatrician and she told

me that it was ok and that that's common and he will remember them.

Then 's was 3 and his yearly came around and he still didn't know

them and he has always had issues drinking and choking on what ever he

drinks, no matter what type of cup he chokes on it, I also told her

that he was 3 now and cant count or say his alphabet or name any

colors correctly, he still could not hold silverware to feed himself

even though he tried and tried, his whining was going way beyond

normal to me, I have 2 older children he would whine about 7 hours a

day, he would fall all the time, He still spaces out, The ped told me

yet again that he was just a clumsy 3 year old and would grow out of

it all.

Then 's 4 year old yearly came around and he was chewing on his

stuffed animal rolling around the floor saying " googoogaagaa " then it

wasn't normal!!!! He was still choking on anything he was drinking,

still couldn't hold a fork or a spoon to eat, he could name colors and

say some of the alphabet and he could count to 6, But his whining was

still a lot! his fits were lasting hours his new thing was everything

went into his mouth, so bad I had to make sure nothing small was on

the floor or he would eat it or chew on it. She told me that a lot of

this sounded like Aspbergers and she wanted me to take him to the

Child Study Center in Dallas.

Well we get to his appt and the last talks to me and I told her

everything! She talks to and I have to copy what he says so she

can understand him, she had him look at 7 pictures and he pointed to

the others and then she had him Draw a circle, triangle, Square, then

she had him run up and down the hall way and gave him a bunch of candy

for doing so, She then looks at me and says she doesn't see anything

" wrong " but writes that he needs to have a OT Evaluation, Physical

Therapy Eval. And a Speech Eval. She also wanted an EEG and MRI and

that was it, we went back after the EEG and MRI and she said all

looked Fine, not to come back unless he forgets anything again.

The OT therapist said he was about 18 months behind, and she noticed

memory problems but she would work on that with him, and the Physical

therapist said that the OT would go over most things she would and

better to let the OT cover that, The speech therapist appt was so

close to me putting him into Kindergarten so I called the school and

well he will be Evaluated this August.

Everything I have read points to Autism!!! Why does no one see what I see?

Why do I feel like the only one out? I have been asked so many rude

things and I have no clue what else to do, I have been asked why I am

doctor shopping, I have been asked why I want to get this diagnosis,

why do I want to keep looking for something that is not there!

I want someone to understand my concerns and to help me get the help

my son needs!!

He can say his alphabet now he can count to 10 on good days, he knows

his colors! He still hops on his tip toes; He has different things he

has gone through, for months he would lick his hands palms to the tips

of his fingers drool running down his arms, he would do this so much!

He would have a toy hanging out of his mouth most of the day, he would

suck on his collar of his shirt all day, and today he has started to

clap for no reason other to just clap! He hates loud noises, Last week

he started to get mad and his new thing to say is he is going to hurt

himself so he climbs up on his bed and jumps off to try and get hurt

(is this normal?) He still whines for hours during the day I have no

clue why he is whining at all! He is obsessed over animals what type

there habitat and what they eat.

He does so many other little things but right now at 1am I can't think

of them, if any one can help me please do!

Thank you

Jess

[Guest guest]

Oh I feel so terrible for all of you in Texas...come move to PA....it is so unfair the way your school district treat your kids!!! Shame on them!

Jan

Janice Rushen

Mom, Mentor, Wife, Teacher, Advocate, Accountant,

Maid, Taxi, Shopper, Bulletin Board Artist

Nanny, Crafter, Therapist, Friend, Sister, Aunt,

Daughter, Grand-daughter, Personal Care Aide,

Student, Believer, and Giver.

From: Miriam <callis4773@...>Subject: ( ) Re: My Letter Date: Wednesday, August 6, 2008, 11:30 PM

Yes, I agree with this, though I think it's even more local than just city to city. It's district to district and individual school to individual school. I have a friend who moved from Autin to Plano to get her son into the school my son was in. She had an extremely bad time in Austin and is having a much better time in Plano in the one and ONLY school in Plano that could help her child. If she'd moved to another neighborhood there might have been no chance of getting him into the school we were in. We moved to TX when was almost 7 years old. He started school in January 2004 when he was in first grade. He went to a terrible school in our neighborhood which is part of plano ISD schools called Boggess Elementary. It has since been nicknamed Bogus Elementary. Once we drove by and my son saw the sign, "Welcome to Boggess" and he said "They pretend to be nice!" He was only about 8 years old by

that time but he really had them pegged after we got him to a better school. My attitude of letting him advocate for himself in the only way he knew how really made a difference. I refused to let them keep him in "special programs" which is kind of like a lock down school for kids who bring drugs and weapons to school once I figured out what it was. My son pushed a chair into the back of his teacher's legs. He was 7. At this "special programs" school he was restrained on the floor when he forgot to raise his hand to go to the restroom. He still doesn't think to tell anyone he's going to the restroom, he just can't fathom needing to do it. He's improved at school, is much better at asking. If he's with me at the mall I think he really believes there's a connection between our brains that leads me to him. Not quite, though I'm exceptionally good at predicting his behavior. If he walks away

from me at the mall it's usually for the bathroom, water fountain or gamestop. Really there isn't anything else he does and most of the time he asks if we can go to gamestop. It's those bodily functions that he can't remember to tell me about. LOL. In Plano ISD there's the one school that is great and then the rest it's really just a crapshoot depending on the current principal (lots of turnover lately) and the staff involved. Texas just isn't all that consistent and I thought what I had in TX was fantastic until I got to New Hampshire which has standards higher than the federal gov't and IDEA. It's not perfect here and some schools and districts are better than others but even the worst seems to be better than the best was in TX that I encountered. I worked with a lot of parents in TX because I started a support group in my area. It was all Dallas suburbs so I don't know how it would

be in Austin though I know the politics in Austin is very different from all the rest of TX.Around Dallas, Plano is supposed to be the best district however there are good and bad schools within that district. Dallas ISD is supposedly very good. Crandall is just the WORST I've seen. Frisco isn't great though the wonderful person who started the classroom attended in Plano has taken a position on Frisco. isn't terribly good. Carrollton is very good. Again you have to check out the individual schools.Here's what I get in New Hampshire. A 1:1 support person. Home base in the "resource room" where keeps his backpack so he doesn't have to fight the locker area rush insanity. The resource teacher suggested that instead of foreign language and "enrichment" should go to resource at the end of the day to catch up on homework and get his stuff ready for going home and cool down.

Foreign language was really stressing him so they suggested just taking him out and if we want to help him learn a foreign language we can do it differently. Enrichment is supposed to be kind of a fun learning thing that has nothing to do with current classwork. Kind of a waste of time if you ask me. Not that they shouldn't have fun, but I think perhaps more recess would make more sense. My son is in the "intermediate school". It's not elementary and not middle school. There are 5th and 6th graders there. gets breaks. He works with the guidance counselor regularly and then there is OT and ST. can use a computer or alphasmart or even a tape recorder in completing assignments. He gets extra time to do assignments. If we need something the school jumps to it. Then there's extended school year for which never qualified in TX. The district paid for to do 4 weeks of day camp at a

typical camp with a 1:1 paraprofessional paid for by the school. It was a boys and girls club thing. A professional staff member from the school district was on sight to help with the special needs kids at all times. He was fantastic at communicating with me. We had some rough times and though the para was unfamiliar with asperger syndrome she was flexible and able to learn quickly. She did a fantastic job. had a great, amazing week during his last week of camp. We all worked to fine tune it to get the most positive experience with the most social skill work. It was FUN. One day I forgot to mention to the para that I'd be picking up at 1:00. We shortened his day from 9:00 - 2:30 down to 9:30 to 1:00 since was getting sort of irritable by 1:00 and was refusing to eat lunch at camp. Anyway one day I forgot to mention I was picking him up at 1. It was an unwritten agreement

but since I didn't mention it to anyone, nobody was 100% sure what to tell when he asked. His para said, "I don't know, maybe we should ask Mr. Quinney (district person) to call your mom. So he went to Mr. Quinney and said, "Can you please call my mom to find out if she's picking me up at 1:00." He was appropriate so Mr. Quinney and the para both made sure he knew he'd done a GREAT job of using words. Then Mr. Quinney called me immediately and got right back to with the information. It's these kinds of amazing actions combined that made the experience fantastic. The district buys up a bunch of slots for special needs kids and offers them to parents. I didn't pay a single penny. I had to buy a plain white t-shirt to tie dye one day. That's IT for the whole camp experience. I'm sure that was THOUSANDS of dollars worth of camp. Other parents of special needs kids here told me how

fantastic this camp is. We WILL do it again next year without fail. The para plans to come back too, so we're hoping she'll get to work with again. The school takes all of my suggestions seriously. We are a team. It's a beautiful thing.Miriam> >> > This is the Letter I wrote and Brought to the School When I enrolled> > into Kindy.> > > > I am lost!> > > > My

Son is almost 5 June 30th, I have knows something was off > when> > he was a little over 2 years old and he forgot all his colors,> > numbers, and alphabet, he hopped all over the place on his tiptoes > and> > we nicknamed him tigger, I took him to his pediatrician and she told> > me that it was ok and that that's common and he will remember them.> > > > Then 's was 3 and his yearly came around and he still didn't > know> > them and he has always had issues drinking and choking on what ever > he> > drinks, no matter what type of cup he chokes on it, I also told her> > that he was 3 now and cant count or say his alphabet or name any> > colors correctly, he still could not hold silverware to feed himself> > even though he tried and tried, his whining was going way beyond> >

normal to me, I have 2 older children he would whine about 7 hours a> > day, he would fall all the time, He still spaces out, The ped told > me> > yet again that he was just a clumsy 3 year old and would grow out of> > it all.> > > > Then 's 4 year old yearly came around and he was chewing on his> > stuffed animal rolling around the floor saying "googoogaagaa" then > it> > wasn't normal!!!! He was still choking on anything he was drinking,> > still couldn't hold a fork or a spoon to eat, he could name colors > and> > say some of the alphabet and he could count to 6, But his whining > was> > still a lot! his fits were lasting hours his new thing was > everything> > went into his mouth, so bad I had to make sure nothing small was on> > the floor or he would eat it or

chew on it. She told me that a lot > of> > this sounded like Aspbergers and she wanted me to take him to the> > Child Study Center in Dallas.> > > > Well we get to his appt and the last talks to me and I told her> > everything! She talks to and I have to copy what he says so she> > can understand him, she had him look at 7 pictures and he pointed to> > the others and then she had him Draw a circle, triangle, Square, > then> > she had him run up and down the hall way and gave him a bunch of > candy> > for doing so, She then looks at me and says she doesn't see anything> > "wrong" but writes that he needs to have a OT Evaluation, Physical> > Therapy Eval. And a Speech Eval. She also wanted an EEG and MRI and> > that was it, we went back after the EEG and MRI and she said all> >

looked Fine, not to come back unless he forgets anything again.> > > > The OT therapist said he was about 18 months behind, and she noticed> > memory problems but she would work on that with him, and the > Physical> > therapist said that the OT would go over most things she would and> > better to let the OT cover that, The speech therapist appt was so> > close to me putting him into Kindergarten so I called the school and> > well he will be Evaluated this August.> > > > Everything I have read points to Autism!!! Why does no one see what > I see?> > > > Why do I feel like the only one out? I have been asked so many rude> > things and I have no clue what else to do, I have been asked why I > am> > doctor shopping, I have been asked why I want to get this diagnosis,> > why

do I want to keep looking for something that is not there!> > > > I want someone to understand my concerns and to help me get the help> > my son needs!!> > > > > > He can say his alphabet now he can count to 10 on good days, he > knows> > his colors! He still hops on his tip toes; He has different things > he> > has gone through, for months he would lick his hands palms to the > tips> > of his fingers drool running down his arms, he would do this so > much!> > He would have a toy hanging out of his mouth most of the day, he > would> > suck on his collar of his shirt all day, and today he has started to> > clap for no reason other to just clap! He hates loud noises, Last > week> > he started to get mad and his new thing to say is he is going to > hurt> >

himself so he climbs up on his bed and jumps off to try and get hurt> > (is this normal?) He still whines for hours during the day I have no> > clue why he is whining at all! He is obsessed over animals what type> > there habitat and what they eat.> > > > He does so many other little things but right now at 1am I can't > think> > of them, if any one can help me please do!> > > > Thank you> > > > Jess> >>

[Guest guest]

Okay, Miriam, if I ever decide to move out of Austin, I'm looking you up! What wonderful resources for your son. Wish all schools could be like that!

( ) Re: My Letter

Yes, I agree with this, though I think it's even more local than just city to city. It's district to district and individual school to individual school. I have a friend who moved from Autin to Plano to get her son into the school my son was in. She had an extremely bad time in Austin and is having a much better time in Plano in the one and ONLY school in Plano that could help her child. If she'd moved to another neighborhood there might have been no chance of getting him into the school we were in. We moved to TX when was almost 7 years old. He started school in January 2004 when he was in first grade. He went to a terrible school in our neighborhood which is part of plano ISD schools called Boggess Elementary. It has since been nicknamed Bogus Elementary. Once we drove by and my son saw the sign, "Welcome to Boggess" and he said "They pretend to be nice!" He was only about 8 years old by

that time but he really had them pegged after we got him to a better school. My attitude of letting him advocate for himself in the only way he knew how really made a difference. I refused to let them keep him in "special programs" which is kind of like a lock down school for kids who bring drugs and weapons to school once I figured out what it was. My son pushed a chair into the back of his teacher's legs. He was 7. At this "special programs" school he was restrained on the floor when he forgot to raise his hand to go to the restroom. He still doesn't think to tell anyone he's going to the restroom, he just can't fathom needing to do it. He's improved at school, is much better at asking. If he's with me at the mall I think he really believes there's a connection between our brains that leads me to him. Not quite, though I'm exceptionally good at predicting his behavior. If he walks away

from me at the mall it's usually for the bathroom, water fountain or gamestop. Really there isn't anything else he does and most of the time he asks if we can go to gamestop. It's those bodily functions that he can't remember to tell me about. LOL. In Plano ISD there's the one school that is great and then the rest it's really just a crapshoot depending on the current principal (lots of turnover lately) and the staff involved. Texas just isn't all that consistent and I thought what I had in TX was fantastic until I got to New Hampshire which has standards higher than the federal gov't and IDEA. It's not perfect here and some schools and districts are better than others but even the worst seems to be better than the best was in TX that I encountered. I worked with a lot of parents in TX because I started a support group in my area. It was all Dallas suburbs so I don't know how it would

be in Austin though I know the politics in Austin is very different from all the rest of TX.Around Dallas, Plano is supposed to be the best district however there are good and bad schools within that district. Dallas ISD is supposedly very good. Crandall is just the WORST I've seen. Frisco isn't great though the wonderful person who started the classroom attended in Plano has taken a position on Frisco. isn't terribly good. Carrollton is very good. Again you have to check out the individual schools.Here's what I get in New Hampshire. A 1:1 support person. Home base in the "resource room" where keeps his backpack so he doesn't have to fight the locker area rush insanity. The resource teacher suggested that instead of foreign language and "enrichment" should go to resource at the end of the day to catch up on homework and get his stuff ready for going home and cool down.

Foreign language was really stressing him so they suggested just taking him out and if we want to help him learn a foreign language we can do it differently. Enrichment is supposed to be kind of a fun learning thing that has nothing to do with current classwork. Kind of a waste of time if you ask me. Not that they shouldn't have fun, but I think perhaps more recess would make more sense. My son is in the "intermediate school". It's not elementary and not middle school. There are 5th and 6th graders there. gets breaks. He works with the guidance counselor regularly and then there is OT and ST. can use a computer or alphasmart or even a tape recorder in completing assignments. He gets extra time to do assignments. If we need something the school jumps to it. Then there's extended school year for which never qualified in TX. The district paid for to do 4 weeks of day camp at a

typical camp with a 1:1 paraprofessional paid for by the school. It was a boys and girls club thing. A professional staff member from the school district was on sight to help with the special needs kids at all times. He was fantastic at communicating with me. We had some rough times and though the para was unfamiliar with asperger syndrome she was flexible and able to learn quickly. She did a fantastic job. had a great, amazing week during his last week of camp. We all worked to fine tune it to get the most positive experience with the most social skill work. It was FUN. One day I forgot to mention to the para that I'd be picking up at 1:00. We shortened his day from 9:00 - 2:30 down to 9:30 to 1:00 since was getting sort of irritable by 1:00 and was refusing to eat lunch at camp. Anyway one day I forgot to mention I was picking him up at 1. It was an unwritten agreement

but since I didn't mention it to anyone, nobody was 100% sure what to tell when he asked. His para said, "I don't know, maybe we should ask Mr. Quinney (district person) to call your mom. So he went to Mr. Quinney and said, "Can you please call my mom to find out if she's picking me up at 1:00." He was appropriate so Mr. Quinney and the para both made sure he knew he'd done a GREAT job of using words. Then Mr. Quinney called me immediately and got right back to with the information. It's these kinds of amazing actions combined that made the experience fantastic. The district buys up a bunch of slots for special needs kids and offers them to parents. I didn't pay a single penny. I had to buy a plain white t-shirt to tie dye one day. That's IT for the whole camp experience. I'm sure that was THOUSANDS of dollars worth of camp. Other parents of special needs kids here told me how

fantastic this camp is. We WILL do it again next year without fail. The para plans to come back too, so we're hoping she'll get to work with again. The school takes all of my suggestions seriously. We are a team. It's a beautiful thing.Miriam> >> > This is the Letter I wrote and Brought to the School When I

enrolled> > into Kindy.> > > > I am lost!> > > > My Son is almost 5 June 30th, I have knows something was off > when> > he was a little over 2 years old and he forgot all his colors,> > numbers, and alphabet, he hopped all over the place on his tiptoes > and> > we nicknamed him tigger, I took him to his pediatrician and she told> > me that it was ok and that that's common and he will remember them.> > > > Then 's was 3 and his yearly came around and he still didn't > know> > them and he has always had issues drinking and choking on what ever > he> > drinks, no matter what type of cup he chokes on it, I also told her> > that he was 3 now and cant count or say his alphabet or name any> > colors correctly, he still could not hold silverware to

feed himself> > even though he tried and tried, his whining was going way beyond> > normal to me, I have 2 older children he would whine about 7 hours a> > day, he would fall all the time, He still spaces out, The ped told > me> > yet again that he was just a clumsy 3 year old and would grow out of> > it all.> > > > Then 's 4 year old yearly came around and he was chewing on his> > stuffed animal rolling around the floor saying "googoogaagaa" then > it> > wasn't normal!!!! He was still choking on anything he was drinking,> > still couldn't hold a fork or a spoon to eat, he could name colors > and> > say some of the alphabet and he could count to 6, But his whining > was> > still a lot! his fits were lasting hours his new thing was > everything> > went into

his mouth, so bad I had to make sure nothing small was on> > the floor or he would eat it or chew on it. She told me that a lot > of> > this sounded like Aspbergers and she wanted me to take him to the> > Child Study Center in Dallas.> > > > Well we get to his appt and the last talks to me and I told her> > everything! She talks to and I have to copy what he says so she> > can understand him, she had him look at 7 pictures and he pointed to> > the others and then she had him Draw a circle, triangle, Square, > then> > she had him run up and down the hall way and gave him a bunch of > candy> > for doing so, She then looks at me and says she doesn't see anything> > "wrong" but writes that he needs to have a OT Evaluation, Physical> > Therapy Eval. And a Speech Eval. She also wanted an EEG and

MRI and> > that was it, we went back after the EEG and MRI and she said all> > looked Fine, not to come back unless he forgets anything again.> > > > The OT therapist said he was about 18 months behind, and she noticed> > memory problems but she would work on that with him, and the > Physical> > therapist said that the OT would go over most things she would and> > better to let the OT cover that, The speech therapist appt was so> > close to me putting him into Kindergarten so I called the school and> > well he will be Evaluated this August.> > > > Everything I have read points to Autism!!! Why does no one see what > I see?> > > > Why do I feel like the only one out? I have been asked so many rude> > things and I have no clue what else to do, I have been asked why I >

am> > doctor shopping, I have been asked why I want to get this diagnosis,> > why do I want to keep looking for something that is not there!> > > > I want someone to understand my concerns and to help me get the help> > my son needs!!> > > > > > He can say his alphabet now he can count to 10 on good days, he > knows> > his colors! He still hops on his tip toes; He has different things > he> > has gone through, for months he would lick his hands palms to the > tips> > of his fingers drool running down his arms, he would do this so > much!> > He would have a toy hanging out of his mouth most of the day, he > would> > suck on his collar of his shirt all day, and today he has started to> > clap for no reason other to just clap! He hates loud noises, Last >

week> > he started to get mad and his new thing to say is he is going to > hurt> > himself so he climbs up on his bed and jumps off to try and get hurt> > (is this normal?) He still whines for hours during the day I have no> > clue why he is whining at all! He is obsessed over animals what type> > there habitat and what they eat.> > > > He does so many other little things but right now at 1am I can't > think> > of them, if any one can help me please do!> > > > Thank you> > > > Jess> >>

[Guest guest]

If all places were as good as this we'd be tapping into a wonderful

resource. All these wonderful kids who just need some specialized

attention at an early age so they can become the best people

possible. Texas just doesn't see the bigger picture. Our kids are

an investment in the future.

Miriam

> > >

> > > This is the Letter I wrote and Brought to the School When I

> enrolled

> > > into Kindy.

> > >

> > > I am lost!

> > >

> > > My Son is almost 5 June 30th, I have knows something was

off

> > when

> > > he was a little over 2 years old and he forgot all his colors,

> > > numbers, and alphabet, he hopped all over the place on his

> tiptoes

> > and

> > > we nicknamed him tigger, I took him to his pediatrician and she

> told

> > > me that it was ok and that that's common and he will remember

> them.

> > >

> > > Then 's was 3 and his yearly came around and he still

didn't

> > know

> > > them and he has always had issues drinking and choking on what

> ever

> > he

> > > drinks, no matter what type of cup he chokes on it, I also told

> her

> > > that he was 3 now and cant count or say his alphabet or name any

> > > colors correctly, he still could not hold silverware to feed

> himself

> > > even though he tried and tried, his whining was going way beyond

> > > normal to me, I have 2 older children he would whine about 7

> hours a

> > > day, he would fall all the time, He still spaces out, The ped

> told

> > me

> > > yet again that he was just a clumsy 3 year old and would grow

out

> of

> > > it all.

> > >

> > > Then 's 4 year old yearly came around and he was chewing on

> his

> > > stuffed animal rolling around the floor saying " googoogaagaa "

> then

> > it

> > > wasn't normal!!!! He was still choking on anything he was

> drinking,

> > > still couldn't hold a fork or a spoon to eat, he could name

> colors

> > and

> > > say some of the alphabet and he could count to 6, But his

whining

> > was

> > > still a lot! his fits were lasting hours his new thing was

> > everything

> > > went into his mouth, so bad I had to make sure nothing small

was

> on

> > > the floor or he would eat it or chew on it. She told me that a

> lot

> > of

> > > this sounded like Aspbergers and she wanted me to take him to

the

> > > Child Study Center in Dallas.

> > >

> > > Well we get to his appt and the last talks to me and I told her

> > > everything! She talks to and I have to copy what he says

so

> she

> > > can understand him, she had him look at 7 pictures and he

pointed

> to

> > > the others and then she had him Draw a circle, triangle,

Square,

> > then

> > > she had him run up and down the hall way and gave him a bunch

of

> > candy

> > > for doing so, She then looks at me and says she doesn't see

> anything

> > > " wrong " but writes that he needs to have a OT Evaluation,

Physical

> > > Therapy Eval. And a Speech Eval. She also wanted an EEG and MRI

> and

> > > that was it, we went back after the EEG and MRI and she said all

> > > looked Fine, not to come back unless he forgets anything again.

> > >

> > > The OT therapist said he was about 18 months behind, and she

> noticed

> > > memory problems but she would work on that with him, and the

> > Physical

> > > therapist said that the OT would go over most things she would

and

> > > better to let the OT cover that, The speech therapist appt was

so

> > > close to me putting him into Kindergarten so I called the

school

> and

> > > well he will be Evaluated this August.

> > >

> > > Everything I have read points to Autism!!! Why does no one see

> what

> > I see?

> > >

> > > Why do I feel like the only one out? I have been asked so many

> rude

> > > things and I have no clue what else to do, I have been asked

why

> I

> > am

> > > doctor shopping, I have been asked why I want to get this

> diagnosis,

> > > why do I want to keep looking for something that is not there!

> > >

> > > I want someone to understand my concerns and to help me get the

> help

> > > my son needs!!

> > >

> > >

> > > He can say his alphabet now he can count to 10 on good days, he

> > knows

> > > his colors! He still hops on his tip toes; He has different

> things

> > he

> > > has gone through, for months he would lick his hands palms to

the

> > tips

> > > of his fingers drool running down his arms, he would do this so

> > much!

> > > He would have a toy hanging out of his mouth most of the day,

he

> > would

> > > suck on his collar of his shirt all day, and today he has

started

> to

> > > clap for no reason other to just clap! He hates loud noises,

Last

> > week

> > > he started to get mad and his new thing to say is he is going

to

> > hurt

> > > himself so he climbs up on his bed and jumps off to try and get

> hurt

> > > (is this normal?) He still whines for hours during the day I

have

> no

> > > clue why he is whining at all! He is obsessed over animals what

> type

> > > there habitat and what they eat.

> > >

> > > He does so many other little things but right now at 1am I

can't

> > think

> > > of them, if any one can help me please do!

> > >

> > > Thank you

> > >

> > > Jess

> > >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

The camp sounds wonderful! Lucky you!

RoxannaYou're UniqueJust like everyone else...

( ) Re: My Letter

Yes, I agree with this, though I think it's even more local than just city to city. It's district to district and individual school to individual school. I have a friend who moved from Autin to Plano to get her son into the school my son was in. She had an extremely bad time in Austin and is having a much better time in Plano in the one and ONLY school in Plano that could help her child. If she'd moved to another neighborhood there might have been no chance of getting him into the school we were in. We moved to TX when was almost 7 years old. He started school in January 2004 when he was in first grade. He went to a terrible school in our neighborhood which is part of plano ISD schools called Boggess Elementary. It has since been nicknamed Bogus Elementary. Once we drove by and my son saw the sign, "Welcome to Boggess" and he said "They pretend to be nice!" He was only about 8 years old by that time but he really had them pegged after we got him to a better school. My attitude of letting him advocate for himself in the only way he knew how really made a difference. I refused to let them keep him in "special programs" which is kind of like a lock down school for kids who bring drugs and weapons to school once I figured out what it was. My son pushed a chair into the back of his teacher's legs. He was 7. At this "special programs" school he was restrained on the floor when he forgot to raise his hand to go to the restroom. He still doesn't think to tell anyone he's going to the restroom, he just can't fathom needing to do it. He's improved at school, is much better at asking. If he's with me at the mall I think he really believes there's a connection between our brains that leads me to him. Not quite, though I'm exceptionally good at predicting his behavior. If he walks away from me at the mall it's usually for the bathroom, water fountain or gamestop. Really there isn't anything else he does and most of the time he asks if we can go to gamestop. It's those bodily functions that he can't remember to tell me about. LOL. In Plano ISD there's the one school that is great and then the rest it's really just a crapshoot depending on the current principal (lots of turnover lately) and the staff involved. Texas just isn't all that consistent and I thought what I had in TX was fantastic until I got to New Hampshire which has standards higher than the federal gov't and IDEA. It's not perfect here and some schools and districts are better than others but even the worst seems to be better than the best was in TX that I encountered. I worked with a lot of parents in TX because I started a support group in my area. It was all Dallas suburbs so I don't know how it would be in Austin though I know the politics in Austin is very different from all the rest of TX.Around Dallas, Plano is supposed to be the best district however there are good and bad schools within that district. Dallas ISD is supposedly very good. Crandall is just the WORST I've seen. Frisco isn't great though the wonderful person who started the classroom attended in Plano has taken a position on Frisco. isn't terribly good. Carrollton is very good. Again you have to check out the individual schools.Here's what I get in New Hampshire. A 1:1 support person. Home base in the "resource room" where keeps his backpack so he doesn't have to fight the locker area rush insanity. The resource teacher suggested that instead of foreign language and "enrichment" should go to resource at the end of the day to catch up on homework and get his stuff ready for going home and cool down. Foreign language was really stressing him so they suggested just taking him out and if we want to help him learn a foreign language we can do it differently. Enrichment is supposed to be kind of a fun learning thing that has nothing to do with current classwork. Kind of a waste of time if you ask me. Not that they shouldn't have fun, but I think perhaps more recess would make more sense. My son is in the "intermediate school". It's not elementary and not middle school. There are 5th and 6th graders there. gets breaks. He works with the guidance counselor regularly and then there is OT and ST. can use a computer or alphasmart or even a tape recorder in completing assignments. He gets extra time to do assignments. If we need something the school jumps to it. Then there's extended school year for which never qualified in TX. The district paid for to do 4 weeks of day camp at a typical camp with a 1:1 paraprofessional paid for by the school. It was a boys and girls club thing. A professional staff member from the school district was on sight to help with the special needs kids at all times. He was fantastic at communicating with me. We had some rough times and though the para was unfamiliar with asperger syndrome she was flexible and able to learn quickly. She did a fantastic job. had a great, amazing week during his last week of camp. We all worked to fine tune it to get the most positive experience with the most social skill work. It was FUN. One day I forgot to mention to the para that I'd be picking up at 1:00. We shortened his day from 9:00 - 2:30 down to 9:30 to 1:00 since was getting sort of irritable by 1:00 and was refusing to eat lunch at camp. Anyway one day I forgot to mention I was picking him up at 1. It was an unwritten agreement but since I didn't mention it to anyone, nobody was 100% sure what to tell when he asked. His para said, "I don't know, maybe we should ask Mr. Quinney (district person) to call your mom. So he went to Mr. Quinney and said, "Can you please call my mom to find out if she's picking me up at 1:00." He was appropriate so Mr. Quinney and the para both made sure he knew he'd done a GREAT job of using words. Then Mr. Quinney called me immediately and got right back to with the information. It's these kinds of amazing actions combined that made the experience fantastic. The district buys up a bunch of slots for special needs kids and offers them to parents. I didn't pay a single penny. I had to buy a plain white t-shirt to tie dye one day. That's IT for the whole camp experience. I'm sure that was THOUSANDS of dollars worth of camp. Other parents of special needs kids here told me how fantastic this camp is. We WILL do it again next year without fail. The para plans to come back too, so we're hoping she'll get to work with again. The school takes all of my suggestions seriously. We are a team. It's a beautiful thing.Miriam> >> > This is the Letter I wrote and Brought to the School When I enrolled> > into Kindy.> > > > I am lost!> > > > My Son is almost 5 June 30th, I have knows something was off > when> > he was a little over 2 years old and he forgot all his colors,> > numbers, and alphabet, he hopped all over the place on his tiptoes > and> > we nicknamed him tigger, I took him to his pediatrician and she told> > me that it was ok and that that's common and he will remember them.> > > > Then 's was 3 and his yearly came around and he still didn't > know> > them and he has always had issues drinking and choking on what ever > he> > drinks, no matter what type of cup he chokes on it, I also told her> > that he was 3 now and cant count or say his alphabet or name any> > colors correctly, he still could not hold silverware to feed himself> > even though he tried and tried, his whining was going way beyond> > normal to me, I have 2 older children he would whine about 7 hours a> > day, he would fall all the time, He still spaces out, The ped told > me> > yet again that he was just a clumsy 3 year old and would grow out of> > it all.> > > > Then 's 4 year old yearly came around and he was chewing on his> > stuffed animal rolling around the floor saying "googoogaagaa" then > it> > wasn't normal!!!! He was still choking on anything he was drinking,> > still couldn't hold a fork or a spoon to eat, he could name colors > and> > say some of the alphabet and he could count to 6, But his whining > was> > still a lot! his fits were lasting hours his new thing was > everything> > went into his mouth, so bad I had to make sure nothing small was on> > the floor or he would eat it or chew on it. She told me that a lot > of> > this sounded like Aspbergers and she wanted me to take him to the> > Child Study Center in Dallas.> > > > Well we get to his appt and the last talks to me and I told her> > everything! She talks to and I have to copy what he says so she> > can understand him, she had him look at 7 pictures and he pointed to> > the others and then she had him Draw a circle, triangle, Square, > then> > she had him run up and down the hall way and gave him a bunch of > candy> > for doing so, She then looks at me and says she doesn't see anything> > "wrong" but writes that he needs to have a OT Evaluation, Physical> > Therapy Eval. And a Speech Eval. She also wanted an EEG and MRI and> > that was it, we went back after the EEG and MRI and she said all> > looked Fine, not to come back unless he forgets anything again.> > > > The OT therapist said he was about 18 months behind, and she noticed> > memory problems but she would work on that with him, and the > Physical> > therapist said that the OT would go over most things she would and> > better to let the OT cover that, The speech therapist appt was so> > close to me putting him into Kindergarten so I called the school and> > well he will be Evaluated this August.> > > > Everything I have read points to Autism!!! Why does no one see what > I see?> > > > Why do I feel like the only one out? I have been asked so many rude> > things and I have no clue what else to do, I have been asked why I > am> > doctor shopping, I have been asked why I want to get this diagnosis,> > why do I want to keep looking for something that is not there!> > > > I want someone to understand my concerns and to help me get the help> > my son needs!!> > > > > > He can say his alphabet now he can count to 10 on good days, he > knows> > his colors! He still hops on his tip toes; He has different things > he> > has gone through, for months he would lick his hands palms to the > tips> > of his fingers drool running down his arms, he would do this so > much!> > He would have a toy hanging out of his mouth most of the day, he > would> > suck on his collar of his shirt all day, and today he has started to> > clap for no reason other to just clap! He hates loud noises, Last > week> > he started to get mad and his new thing to say is he is going to > hurt> > himself so he climbs up on his bed and jumps off to try and get hurt> > (is this normal?) He still whines for hours during the day I have no> > clue why he is whining at all! He is obsessed over animals what type> > there habitat and what they eat.> > > > He does so many other little things but right now at 1am I can't > think> > of them, if any one can help me please do!> > > > Thank you> > > > Jess> >>No virus found in this incoming message.

Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com Version: 8.0.138 / Virus Database: 270.5.12/1597 - Release Date: 8/7/2008 5:54 AM

[Guest guest]

I am not going away either, Nora.

I am planning a strategy and will get back to our group sometime in the next day

or so.

Ellen

Ellen Garber Bronfeld

egskb@...

my letter

Thanks to all who responded about my letter to the trib. It has not been

published as far as I know. I think they call you if they publish. I am

spreading it around the net and will do some blogging on the topic. I am not

going to shut up. I am mad as hell and I am not going away. Nora

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