Re: New diagnosis- What now?

[Guest guest]

Hi . This topic comes up frequently. You are in a great

position with already having a diagnosis from a doctor.

The long and short of it is you REALLY want to have an IEP

set up for your son NOT a 504. Many of us started with a

504 perhaps like us we did not have a diagnosis.

The district may tell you, you don't need an IEP

(they may try to scare you and say that

by being classified you stigmize your child BUT I don't

think anyone in this group believes that. I was told this

very thing and I cry to think what my daughter endured. If I only

knew my rights).

The IEP process: You put in writing that you have a diagnosis

from a doctor of Asperger Syndrome. You put in writing you are requesting an IEP

evulation for your child and you

want the doctors diagnosis (and report if you have one)

included in the IEP as part of the input.

They will have 30 days to start. You can also specify you would

like included Occupational Therapist Evaluation, Physical

Therapy Evaluation, Speech Evaluation and a Social Skill

Evulation (may be done by the ST or the counselor).

They may also give an IQ test (not sure what they do for 6 year olds).

You can wait until school starts so that you get to see the kinds

of issues your child will have.

Or you can get this started now and request your child be placed in a classroom

that has extra support.

There are standard accomodations we probably all agree kids with AS

need.

1. Extra time transitioning.

2. Help getting their coats on etc.

3. Positive reinforcement, not punishment

4. A buddy assigned.

5. Quiet place to go if he needs a break.

6. Quiet place with a peer at lunch

7. Faciliated games etc at recess so he is not isolated.

8. Specify sensitivites he has. (being touched maybe, they

shouldn't overstate risks of germs etc. That he may take

too literally).

You mentioned he is already fearful of school.

You can request a gradual introduction of school, so he is not

overwhelmed (if you want this). Goes to school 1 hour to start

then 2 hours etc. if the anxiety is severe.

You can request that he meets his teacher prior to school starting.

I would get this started now, don't wait. You want to

have services in place in anticipation that he will

need them.

I don't think throwing AS kids into the deep end of pools

(so to speak) ever makes sense. But my daughter is soooo

anxious. It would be cruel to do this to her and it sets off

OCD like symptoms in my daughter.

Pam

>

> My son age 6 was recently diagnosed with asperger's by his doctor without any

referrals to any special doctors. He is so anxious about school that he

literally gets sick. This summer has been better but now it is almost time to

go back to school. The doctor recommended that we get a 504 (we live in

Greenville, TX), not sure if all the plans are the same for all of the states.

Anyway, was just wondering if I should do this before school starts or should I

wait to see what accommodations we will need first. I know he also needs social

skills training but I am not sure where to go to find this. If anyone has any

advise for me please let me know. All I seem to find are articles on what

asperger syndrome is and its symptoms and not much on how to deal with it or how

to help my son deal with it. Thanks in advance,

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

>

> My son age 6 was recently diagnosed with asperger's by his doctor without any

referrals to any special doctors. He is so anxious about school that he

literally gets sick. This summer has been better but now it is almost time to

go back to school. The doctor recommended that we get a 504 (we live in

Greenville, TX), not sure if all the plans are the same for all of the states.

Anyway, was just wondering if I should do this before school starts or should I

wait to see what accommodations we will need first. I know he also needs social

skills training but I am not sure where to go to find this. If anyone has any

advise for me please let me know. All I seem to find are articles on what

asperger syndrome is and its symptoms and not much on how to deal with it or how

to help my son deal with it. Thanks in advance,

Hi . You'll need more than simply a diagnosis to figure out what your son

needs in school. If you aren't clear on what your son's problems in school are,

you'll need to wait for school to start to see what he needs. What happens at

that point depends on what your school district is like.

Your son will not get social skills training with a 504. He would have to have

special education for that. A 504 is intended for physical accomodations, like

more time for tests, physical help with organization like packing his backpack

for him, etc. You have to get special ed services to have access to special ed

teachers, such as would teach social skills. Some schools have general ed

counselors (the school counselor) teach social skills groups (to kids who are

not in special ed), but that is not the same as social skills training for

autistic children.

It is highly likely that the school district will not accept a diagnosis from a

general MD. So, your first thought might be to verify the diagnosis with a

specialist. You can try to get the school district to do that, but it is much

easier to go get the evaluation done yourself. Chances are your insurance

covers it. Your best bet is the nearest children's hospital. They usually have

neurobehavioral clinics with neuropsychologists who specialize in autism

spectrum. There you can get a neuropsychological evaluation done. They will

give you recommendations to the school tailored for your son. You will find out

how his executive functioning, attention, pragmatic language, cognitive ability

are with this evaluation, and this will help you understand what he needs.

There will most likely be a long waiting list for an evaluation, possibly up to

a year, so this is not something that is going to happen overnight. Your son is

young; this is not the end of the world.

I'm from Texas too, with a 14yo son with Asperger (Houston area) so feel free to

ask me any specifics. In any state, you need to request a special ed evaluation

in writing. Call your school district's special ed department to get the

particulars for your district (forms, who to hand in to, etc.). It is a good

idea to start getting to know the people in your school district special ed

department.

Texas has something called the Autism supplement that you need to know about.

Something which differs from state to state is how Asperger is classified. In

Texas, the Autism classification includes the entire spectrum, including

Asperger.

By the way--you can't ask your school for social skills because your son has

Asperger. It just doesn't work like that. The school will have to do an

evaluation and establish need. All the evaluations get confusing. The school

has to do their own evaluations, and you will probably want to get evaluations

done yourself too. What you do is ask the school to consider your evaluations

as input to their evaluations. Assuming you follow proper procedures, they must

consider your input. If they reject the findings, they must tell you in writing

why. I've never had problems with the schools accepting my evaluations--just

make sure you go somewhere they accept as reputable--ask them first if you

aren't sure.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

[Guest guest]

That is great advice and examples. We are still kind of new at this too, so I need to understand the things we are entitled to. I really would like to see facilitated play and a buddy assigned for my son, along with some of the other things you mentioned. And I am going to request a meeting with his teacher before school starts, that would really help.

Thanks for your suggestions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Suzanne

suzmarkwood@...

From: susanonderko <susanonderko@...>Subject: ( ) Re: New diagnosis- What now? Date: Monday, July 20, 2009, 6:07 PM

Hi . This topic comes up frequently. You are in a greatposition with already having a diagnosis from a doctor. The long and short of it is you REALLY want to have an IEPset up for your son NOT a 504. Many of us started with a 504 perhaps like us we did not have a diagnosis. The district may tell you, you don't need an IEP (they may try to scare you and say that by being classified you stigmize your child BUT I don'tthink anyone in this group believes that. I was told this very thing and I cry to think what my daughter endured. If I onlyknew my rights).The IEP process: You put in writing that you have a diagnosis from a doctor of Asperger Syndrome. You put in writing you are requesting an IEP evulation for your child and you want the doctors diagnosis (and report if you have one) included in the IEP as part of the input.They will have 30 days to start. You can also specify

you wouldlike included Occupational Therapist Evaluation, Physical Therapy Evaluation, Speech Evaluation and a Social Skill Evulation (may be done by the ST or the counselor).They may also give an IQ test (not sure what they do for 6 year olds).You can wait until school starts so that you get to see the kindsof issues your child will have.Or you can get this started now and request your child be placed in a classroom that has extra support. There are standard accomodations we probably all agree kids with ASneed. 1. Extra time transitioning.2. Help getting their coats on etc.3. Positive reinforcement, not punishment4. A buddy assigned.5. Quiet place to go if he needs a break.6. Quiet place with a peer at lunch7. Faciliated games etc at recess so he is not isolated. 8. Specify sensitivites he has. (being touched maybe, they shouldn't overstate risks of germs etc.

That he may taketoo literally). You mentioned he is already fearful of school.You can request a gradual introduction of school, so he is notoverwhelmed (if you want this). Goes to school 1 hour to start then 2 hours etc. if the anxiety is severe. You can request that he meets his teacher prior to school starting.I would get this started now, don't wait. You want to have services in place in anticipation that he will need them. I don't think throwing AS kids into the deep end of pools(so to speak) ever makes sense. But my daughter is sooooanxious. It would be cruel to do this to her and it sets offOCD like symptoms in my daughter. Pam >> My son age 6 was recently diagnosed with asperger's by his doctor without any referrals to any special doctors. He is so anxious about school that he literally gets sick. This summer has been better but now it is almost time to go back to school. The doctor recommended that we get a 504 (we live in Greenville, TX), not sure if all the plans are the same for all of the states. Anyway, was just wondering if I should do this before school starts or should I wait to see what accommodations we will need first. I know he also needs social skills training but I am not sure where to go to find this. If anyone has any advise for me please let me know. All I seem to find are articles on what asperger syndrome is and its symptoms and not much on how to deal with it or how to help my son deal with it. Thanks in advance,> > >

[Guest guest]

>

> That is great advice and examples. We are still kind of new at this too, so I

need to understand the things we are entitled to. I really would like to see

facilitated play and a buddy assigned for my son, along with some of the other

things you mentioned. And I am going to request a meeting with his teacher

before school starts, that would really help.

I probably already said enough in my other post, but... It sounds like you are

off to a good start. Just be aware that the teacher doesn't have the authority

to give your son anything other than very informal accommodations she can do

herself in her classroom. It all depends on what you end up deciding your son

needs. But if you want something requiring facilitation in place before school

starts, you will definitely need to talk to the school administration to get

that to happen. Unless your son is severe though, they will probably want to

wait and see how it goes and see for themselves what they think he needs. Did

your doctor write up some recommendations for the school? That would probably

help expedite things. Just remember that if you are not requesting an

evaluation or a 504 plan in writing, they are free to ignore your doctor's

recommendations. It just depends on the school how that goes. They can be

helpful or they can be stinky.

[Guest guest]

Thank you so much for this input.

I will print it and put it in the refrigerator to remember it. I am going to request an Ip when the school start. ( ) Re: New diagnosis- What now? Date: Monday, July 20, 2009, 6:07 PM Hi . This topic comes up frequently. You are in a greatposition with already having a diagnosis from a doctor. The long and short of it is you REALLY want to have an IEPset up for your son NOT a 504. Many of us started with a 504 perhaps like us we did not have a diagnosis. The district may tell you, you don't need an IEP (they may try to scare you and say that by being classified you stigmize your child BUT I don'tthink anyone in this group believes that. I was told this very thing and I cry to think what my daughter endured. If I onlyknew my rights).The IEP process: You put in writing that you have a diagnosis from a doctor of Asperger Syndrome. You put in writing you are requesting an IEP evulation for your child and you want the doctors diagnosis (and report if you have one) included in the IEP as part of the input.They will have 30 days to start. You can also specify you wouldlike included Occupational Therapist Evaluation, Physical Therapy Evaluation, Speech Evaluation and a Social Skill Evulation (may be done by the ST or the counselor).They may also give an IQ test (not sure what they do for 6 year olds).You can wait until school starts so that you get to see the kindsof issues your child will have.Or you can get this started now and request your child be placed in a classroom that has extra support. There are standard accomodations we probably all agree kids with ASneed. 1. Extra time transitioning.2. Help getting their coats on etc.3. Positive reinforcement, not punishment4. A buddy assigned.5. Quiet place to go if he needs a break.6. Quiet place with a peer at lunch7. Faciliated games etc at recess so he is not isolated. 8. Specify sensitivites he has. (being touched maybe, they shouldn't overstate risks of germs etc. That he may taketoo literally). You mentioned he is already fearful of school.You can request a gradual introduction of school, so he is notoverwhelmed (if you want this). Goes to school 1 hour to start then 2 hours etc. if the anxiety is severe. You can request that he meets his teacher prior to school starting.I would get this started now, don't wait. You want to have services in place in anticipation that he will need them. I don't think throwing AS kids into the deep end of pools(so to speak) ever makes sense. But my daughter is sooooanxious. It would be cruel to do this to her and it sets offOCD like symptoms in my daughter. Pam >> My son age 6 was recently diagnosed with asperger's by his doctor without any referrals to any special doctors. He is so anxious about school that he literally gets sick. This summer has been better but now it is almost time to go back to school. The doctor recommended that we get a 504 (we live in Greenville, TX), not sure if all the plans are the same for all of the states. Anyway, was just wondering if I should do this before school starts or should I wait to see what accommodations we will need first. I know he also needs social skills training but I am not sure where to go to find this. If anyone has any advise for me please let me know. All I seem to find are articles on what asperger syndrome is and its symptoms and not much on how to deal with it or how to help my son deal with it. Thanks in advance,> > >

[Guest guest]

Yes, I am communicating with the principal as well. So far the school has been helpful. But I was thinking more from my son's point of view. He gets so anxious in new situations, it would help him a lot to meet the teacher before school started, to get a little bit of a comfort level. (He's going into 4th grade.) He had a really rough start last year, and although that is what led to him getting diagnosed with AS, I really don't want to repeat that this year if I can help it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Suzanne

suzmarkwood@...

From: r_woman2 <me2ruth@...>Subject: ( ) Re: New diagnosis- What now? Date: Tuesday, July 21, 2009, 5:06 PM

>> That is great advice and examples. We are still kind of new at this too, so I need to understand the things we are entitled to. I really would like to see facilitated play and a buddy assigned for my son, along with some of the other things you mentioned. And I am going to request a meeting with his teacher before school starts, that would really help.I probably already said enough in my other post, but... It sounds like you are off to a good start. Just be aware that the teacher doesn't have the authority to give your son anything other than very informal accommodations she can do herself in her classroom. It all depends on what you end up deciding your son needs.

But if you want something requiring facilitation in place before school starts, you will definitely need to talk to the school administration to get that to happen. Unless your son is severe though, they will probably want to wait and see how it goes and see for themselves what they think he needs. Did your doctor write up some recommendations for the school? That would probably help expedite things. Just remember that if you are not requesting an evaluation or a 504 plan in writing, they are free to ignore your doctor's recommendations. It just depends on the school how that goes. They can be helpful or they can be stinky.

[Guest guest]

Roxanna

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." E. Burke

a 504 and an IEP are both federal and so it is the same state to state. Each state will have it's own laws as to how to implement the federal requirements. But the requirements are not different.

A good website to read more about 504 and IEP's is www.wrightslaw.com

First, I would call the school and find out who the director of special services is and how to contact that person. Then I would do that and follow up with a letter letting them know that you have a child with a disability. You will ask for a full educational evaluation. You will want to meet with this person or the school pychologist to go over what kinds of testing they will be doing. This way, you can make sure that they are testing for the areas of need that your child has. (For instance, a typical speech eval will not usually cover the pragmatic issues that a kid with AS has.)

I would do it now before school starts so they know it's top on the list when school starts. Also, discuss with the sped director about having your ds come to school a few times before it starts so he can meet his teacher a few times, hang out in the classroom, play on the playground, etc. These kinds of transition activities can often help alleviate the anxiety of starting something new.

Once they complete the evaluation, you can sit down to discuss his needs and at that time, you can put together a 504 plan or an IEP, depending on what he needs.

You can have social skills taught at the school. Many times it is the ST who does this but sometimes the school psychologist or counselor does it too.

( ) New diagnosis- What now?

My son age 6 was recently diagnosed with asperger's by his doctor without any referrals to any special doctors. He is so anxious about school that he literally gets sick. This summer has been better but now it is almost time to go back to school. The doctor recommended that we get a 504 (we live in Greenville, TX), not sure if all the plans are the same for all of the states. Anyway, was just wondering if I should do this before school starts or should I wait to see what accommodations we will need first. I know he also needs social skills training but I am not sure where to go to find this. If anyone has any advise for me please let me know. All I seem to find are articles on what asperger syndrome is and its symptoms and not much on how to deal with it or how to help my son deal with it. Thanks in advance,

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