Guest guest Posted November 9, 2010 Report Share Posted November 9, 2010 My ds had his first IEP based on his anxiety.  And the IEP classification was Emotional Disturbance.  Those behaviors that he got the initial IEP for he has outgrown (hiding under tables or taking off when stressed or dealing with anxiety).  As he got older he would use a pass to go to the guidance office when overwhelmed in class.  He hasn't used a pass at all this year or last year.  We have moved to a new state and his old IEP has expired.  I and his new school definitely both want him to have an IEP (at least that isn't a hurdle to overcome). Now he is newly diagnosed with AS (and prior diagnosis of anxiety which isn't an issue at school).  We want the IEP based on AS.  What would the IEP classification be?  It's not a learning disability (he's on honor roll) or an Emotional Disturbance.  The issue is more his social skills, emotional immaturity,  and his black and white thinking and very literal interpretation of everything.  The schools guidance counselor seemed more familiar with AS than the Special Needs rep that was running the IEP meeting (not very reassuring).  He has a case manager that goes to the meetings with me too.  I also know to put all my requests and things in writing or they can ignore what I say. What testing do you all recommend?  What services under an IEP can be offered for social skills?  Also I want the teachers to all be aware that vague directions are taken very literally and they have to be specific and to the point or the misinterpretation or vagueness can cause major frustration to the point he just won't do the work.  How do I put that into the IEP?? Example:  homework assignment in English to compare native american indian character's items to items that he (ds) owns.  My son does not own a needle or a necklace.  I told him to compare them to an item that a family member or person of modern day society uses.  But,  that was not in the instructions.  He was very adament about that.    The 5 minute assignment took three hours and frustration and a meltdown and yelling and tears to complete. Thanks, Anne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 10, 2010 Report Share Posted November 10, 2010 Dear Anne: I completely understand that type of rigidity. My ASD dd has a precise way about doing what she does and if the teacher didn't say it, well... you get the gist. To address this, I am working on getting all of her instructions in writing placed into her IEP. Also, the teachers that I have this year prefer email communication. So, when my dd and I have come to a stand off, I send an email and she works it out with her teacher the next day. Sometimes, I even get a response that very night and we resolve it. You may not get that kind of " real time " communication but you can attempt to establish some type of it or some other process with the teachers. I have found that the teachers themselves are more willing to help when it is within their power to do so and doesn't hit the District's budget. The vagueness can be put into the present level of achievement and performance. Different states have different names for this in the IEP. Evaluations: Okay, the key factors for any ASD are usually intermingled with other Dxs. For example, sensory integration is a huge one. The external environments can reek havoc on our precious ones. So it is important to get an OT eval. done but only by an OT who is sensory suave. Many school OTs are not. You probably will have to find one that has years of experience in that specialized aspects of OT. Nevertheless, if you ask the District for an OT eval., make sure your letter states that the eval. focuses on sensory integration. A neuropsychological eval. will help you find out how the brain is assimilated information and what level is the cognitive and executive functioning abilities are at. An auditory processing assessment with establish whether or not his middle ear is receiving outside stimuli appropriately. A functional behavior assessment by a board certified behavior analyst would help identify social issues and make recommendations. Some states now require the BCBA certification but most do not. So most Districts will conduct their on FBA. It usually will be done by a CST member who has went to one seminar on FBAs. This is not what you want. So let them do there thing and then request and independent. They might offer a list of people that don't have the designation. You don't have to accept it. Write them back with your denial and request a new list that include board certified behavior analysts. This are outside of the typical psuedoeducational evaluations. Social skills: My daughter has social skills therapy once every two weeks in a small group setting at school. One circullum that is use is Second Step. She also sees the counselor every other week and that can be a one-on-one session or a small group. The program can include a lunch bunch, social stories, and role plays. The instructor could plan certain situations or opportunities and use positive reinforcement to encourage the proper response. Other techniques are modeling the skill and didactic instruction, which uses visual aids and lively presentations. Most importantly is the development of appropriate social skills goals. The key is to first get them to agree on the goals and then inquire as to how they will attend to them. I hope that this helps you. Regards, > > My ds had his first IEP based on his anxiety. And the IEP classification was Emotional Disturbance. Those behaviors that he got the initial IEP for he has outgrown (hiding under tables or taking off when stressed or dealing with anxiety). As he got older he would use a pass to go to the guidance office when overwhelmed in class. He hasn't used a pass at all this year or last year. We have moved to a new state and his old IEP has expired. I and his new school definitely both want him to have an IEP (at least that isn't a hurdle to overcome). > > > Now he is newly diagnosed with AS (and prior diagnosis of anxiety which isn't an issue at school). We want the IEP based on AS. What would the IEP classification be? It's not a learning disability (he's on honor roll) or an Emotional Disturbance. The issue is more his social skills, emotional immaturity, and his black and white thinking and very literal interpretation of everything. The schools guidance counselor seemed more familiar with AS than the Special Needs rep that was running the IEP meeting (not very reassuring). He has a case manager that goes to the meetings with me too. I also know to put all my requests and things in writing or they can ignore what I say. > > > What testing do you all recommend? What services under an IEP can be offered for social skills? Also I want the teachers to all be aware that vague directions are taken very literally and they have to be specific and to the point or the misinterpretation or vagueness can cause major frustration to the point he just won't do the work. How do I put that into the IEP?? > > > Example: homework assignment in English to compare native american indian character's items to items that he (ds) owns. My son does not own a needle or a necklace. I told him to compare them to an item that a family member or person of modern day society uses. But, that was not in the instructions. He was very adament about that. The 5 minute assignment took three hours and frustration and a meltdown and yelling and tears to complete. > > > Thanks, > > > Anne > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 10, 2010 Report Share Posted November 10, 2010 In NYC the classification is a bit of a joke because it doesn't mean anything beyond getting into or being rejected by specific programs. My son had been mistakenly assigned the classification of orthopedic impairment simply because he received physical therapy. It had no bearing on anything until I wanted to get him into a private SN school that had specific classifications it would accept and OI wasn't one of them; Though it's a school that takes mostly LD, Emotionally Fragile and Asperger kids -- legally they can take only Emotional Disturbance and Learning Disability; I had no trouble changing his IEP to read ED, so that he could be transferred to that school. Aspergers is on the autism spectrum so you could use that classification or OHI (other health impairment) works, as well. I would think you would classified in whatever way necessary in order to get the services you need. As far as social skills -- You can request counseling in a group -- which works as social skills and also the speech teacher can run groups the same way -- that are akin to social skills groups. My son currently has speech in a 1 to 1 to help with pragmatic language skills and in a group for social skills; He also has counseling in a 1 to 1 as well as in a group. His school also has a pragmatic language class once a week as well as a social skills class for everyone in the class. Good luck, > > My ds had his first IEP based on his anxiety. And the IEP classification was Emotional Disturbance. Those behaviors that he got the initial IEP for he has outgrown (hiding under tables or taking off when stressed or dealing with anxiety). As he got older he would use a pass to go to the guidance office when overwhelmed in class. He hasn't used a pass at all this year or last year. We have moved to a new state and his old IEP has expired. I and his new school definitely both want him to have an IEP (at least that isn't a hurdle to overcome). > > > Now he is newly diagnosed with AS (and prior diagnosis of anxiety which isn't an issue at school). We want the IEP based on AS. What would the IEP classification be? It's not a learning disability (he's on honor roll) or an Emotional Disturbance. The issue is more his social skills, emotional immaturity, and his black and white thinking and very literal interpretation of everything. The schools guidance counselor seemed more familiar with AS than the Special Needs rep that was running the IEP meeting (not very reassuring). He has a case manager that goes to the meetings with me too. I also know to put all my requests and things in writing or they can ignore what I say. > > > What testing do you all recommend? What services under an IEP can be offered for social skills? Also I want the teachers to all be aware that vague directions are taken very literally and they have to be specific and to the point or the misinterpretation or vagueness can cause major frustration to the point he just won't do the work. How do I put that into the IEP?? > > > Example: homework assignment in English to compare native american indian character's items to items that he (ds) owns. My son does not own a needle or a necklace. I told him to compare them to an item that a family member or person of modern day society uses. But, that was not in the instructions. He was very adament about that. The 5 minute assignment took three hours and frustration and a meltdown and yelling and tears to complete. > > > Thanks, > > > Anne > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 14, 2010 Report Share Posted November 14, 2010 The classification you probably want is, "autism." It would explain the literal problems, social delays, etc. I used a few books to decide what social skills to put in the IEP for my ds. One was, "Super Skills" - great list of social skills plus activities to use to teach those skills - but there are many others. There is another we used, "teaching your child the language of social success" that I have. Probably many more out there today. Another good book, "teaching children with autism to mind read." You can also find material at www.socialthinking.com Roxanna "I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them." - Jefferson ( ) IEP classification My ds had his first IEP based on his anxiety. And the IEP classification was Emotional Disturbance. Those behaviors that he got the initial IEP for he has outgrown (hiding under tables or taking off when stressed or dealing with anxiety). As he got older he would use a pass to go to the guidance office when overwhelmed in class. He hasn't used a pass at all this year or last year. We have moved to a new state and his old IEP has expired. I and his new school definitely both want him to have an IEP (at least that isn't a hurdle to overcome). Now he is newly diagnosed with AS (and prior diagnosis of anxiety which isn't an issue at school). We want the IEP based on AS. What would the IEP classification be? It's not a learning disability (he's on honor roll) or an Emotional Disturbance. The issue is more his social skills, emotional immaturity, and his black and white thinking and very literal interpretation of everything. The schools guidance counselor seemed more familiar with AS than the Special Needs rep that was running the IEP meeting (not very reassuring). He has a case manager that goes to the meetings with me too. I also know to put all my requests and things in writing or they can ignore what I say. What testing do you all recommend? What services under an IEP can be offered for social skills? Also I want the teachers to all be aware that vague directions are taken very literally and they have to be specific and to the point or the misinterpretation or vagueness can cause major frustration to the point he just won't do the work. How do I put that into the IEP?? Example: homework assignment in English to compare native american indian character's items to items that he (ds) owns. My son does not own a needle or a necklace. I told him to compare them to an item that a family member or person of modern day society uses. But, that was not in the instructions. He was very adament about that. The 5 minute assignment took three hours and frustration and a meltdown and yelling and tears to complete. Thanks, Anne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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