Re: AS and School.

[Guest guest]

Hope you've documented all the discussions you've had with the principal about how disruptive your son has been. Write a letter in which you refer to those incidents and request a Functional Behavior Assessment be done. Don't be surprised if the principal writes back saying the problems aren't that bad now! The FBA request really is your next step, though

On Wed, Sep 22, 2010 at 5:44 PM, leC <daniellecashman2007@...> wrote:

 

My 5 yr old son was diagnosed with AS when he was 4. Right now he is in school and I am getting letters home everyday stating that he's a bright child BUT he's very distracted in class by everything. He's not paying attention to what has to be done.I've spoken to his Principal and teacher numerous times and it seems to me that they keep beating around the bush in sending home his unfinished work or putting him back in special education. He is ADHD as well and my husband and I really don't want to medicate him( we don't feel that he needs it).Is/has anyone ever had this problem with the school system? And What kind of advise can anyone give me to help him out in class? I'm open to any suggestion anyone might have on this subject.I don't want my son to fall behind in class or feel that he's being left behind..

[Guest guest]

Has he been diagnosed yet by someone certified in the field of psychology/psychiatry on ADHD or AS?

Do you want to go far as requesting an IEP? I went to CHADD and signed up as a ;member, then I got info in how to write a proper request for an IEP. Then I got an Advocate. We are in the process of right now waiting for the district to respond to our request for more evaluations, because they did such a poor job the first time. My son is 7 and already really falling behind.

It is so good that you are on top of this early. You will be ok, take it one step at a time. Do you have any support groups in your area?

Cathleen

From: leC <daniellecashman2007@...> Sent: Wed, September 22, 2010 2:44:47 PMSubject: ( ) AS and School.

My 5 yr old son was diagnosed with AS when he was 4. Right now he is in school and I am getting letters home everyday stating that he's a bright child BUT he's very distracted in class by everything. He's not paying attention to what has to be done.I've spoken to his Principal and teacher numerous times and it seems to me that they keep beating around the bush in sending home his unfinished work or putting him back in special education. He is ADHD as well and my husband and I really don't want to medicate him( we don't feel that he needs it).Is/has anyone ever had this problem with the school system? And What kind of advise can anyone give me to help him out in class? I'm open to any suggestion anyone might have on this subject.I don't want my son to fall behind in class or feel that he's being left behind..

[Guest guest]

Does your son have an IEP? You may want to consider getting him a paraprofessional who could work with him and keep him on task. Is the work too easy? Are they working at a slower pace? He may be bored....has your son been tested?

I am working with an intermediate students and she fidgets especially when she is bored. I truly think she needs to be in a more advanced class. When she starts fidgeting too much...I take her out for a walk. She needs that break.

My son was dx with ADHD in 3rd grade and finally AS in 6th. I wish I had known in kindergarten. All the signs were there...but no one mentioned it to me and I had no idea at the time. My son ending up falling behind in reading. He is caught up now because he got help starting in 6th grade....(wilson reading program).

If he is overly active and can't focus...you may want to consider medication. There are new types out now. It made a big difference in my son's life. When he doesn't take it, his friends tell him to go take it. So, that shows you how much it works....his friends don't like when he acts wild and crazy and off task.

If you don't want medicine, try other remedies and see if they work. Things like diet.

Jan

"In the Midst of Difficulty lies Opportunity" Albert Einstein

Success is not measured by one's position but by the obstacles one has overcome to obtain that position

From: leC <daniellecashman2007@...> Sent: Wed, September 22, 2010 5:44:47 PMSubject: ( ) AS and School.

My 5 yr old son was diagnosed with AS when he was 4. Right now he is in school and I am getting letters home everyday stating that he's a bright child BUT he's very distracted in class by everything. He's not paying attention to what has to be done.I've spoken to his Principal and teacher numerous times and it seems to me that they keep beating around the bush in sending home his unfinished work or putting him back in special education. He is ADHD as well and my husband and I really don't want to medicate him( we don't feel that he needs it).Is/has anyone ever had this problem with the school system? And What kind of advise can anyone give me to help him out in class? I'm open to any suggestion anyone might have on this subject.I don't want my son to fall behind in class or feel that he's being left behind..

[Guest guest]

le,

I know how difficult it is to consider putting your child on meds. I spent 2

years trying alternatives and agonizing over what to do. In the end, we gave the

stimulants a trial, and the response was immediate and measurable. His grades

improved and he felt better about himself, because he could stay on task.

I have a friend who went thru the same process and she has found the meds have

helped immensely too.

Meds are not the panacea to the problem, but they are one tool in the toolbox

that should be considered carefully and given a fair trial. Discuss it with your

child's pediatrician.

Kylie

>

> My 5 yr old son was diagnosed with AS when he was 4. Right now he is in school

and I am getting letters home everyday stating that he's a bright child BUT he's

very distracted in class by everything. He's not paying attention to what has to

be done.I've spoken to his Principal and teacher numerous times and it seems to

me that they keep beating around the bush in sending home his unfinished work or

putting him back in special education. He is ADHD as well and my husband and I

really don't want to medicate him( we don't feel that he needs it).Is/has anyone

ever had this problem with the school system? And What kind of advise can anyone

give me to help him out in class? I'm open to any suggestion anyone might have

on this subject.I don't want my son to fall behind in class or feel that he's

being left behind..

>

[Guest guest]

I am knew to the group so forgive me if I am speaking out of turn. I can't tell you how may times my Mom heard, "Laurie is really bright, if she would only apply herself..." By 4th grade my impulsivity and lack of

focus (ADD/ADHD) were really causing problems. Though she has no reason

to, my Mom apologizes for putting me on Ritalin, somehow feeling that it may have been a "cop-out". However, she also states that it allowed me to sit still long enough to learn and mature. It is a tough decision and BRAVO to you for doing the work to decide if it is right for you and

your son.N.E.A.T. - Nevada Equine Assisted TherapyBambi Spahr and Laurie (775)622-7042 (775)750-9823 www.nevadaequineassistedtherapy.com

[Guest guest]

If he can't pay attention in class, you may need to rethink whether he needs medication. I know I have a ds who has ADHD as well as HFA and I never bothered to address the ADHD aspect. Finally a year ago, we did that and it really does make a big difference. I don't think we appreciated how tough it is for him to pay attention and he was missing out on a lot of things as well - unable to sit through a tv show, for instance, or watch a movie, read a book, etc. He would get in trouble in class for walking around but he really was easily bored and prone to wander.

Not sure what you can do at school except work on the areas that he is behind in. With the IEP, you can have them address his short attention span issues with concrete ways of teaching him - the teacher will need to cue him to keep him on task or other ideas as necessary. You should request an IEP meeting to sit down and discuss the specific problems he has, then ask for solutions. If you don't wish to deal with meds right now, then you need to keep them focused on other ways they can help him be successful. Probably you can find ideas on various ADHD websites. My ds had a lot of 1-1 teaching when he was younger so his ADHD issues were limited in those settings. The sped teacher should be able to come up with ideas as well.

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

( ) AS and School.

My 5 yr old son was diagnosed with AS when he was 4. Right now he is in school and I am getting letters home everyday stating that he's a bright child BUT he's very distracted in class by everything. He's not paying attention to what has to be done.I've spoken to his Principal and teacher numerous times and it seems to me that they keep beating around the bush in sending home his unfinished work or putting him back in special education. He is ADHD as well and my husband and I really don't want to medicate him( we don't feel that he needs it).Is/has anyone ever had this problem with the school system? And What kind of advise can anyone give me to help him out in class? I'm open to any suggestion anyone might have on this subject.I don't want my son to fall behind in class or feel that he's being left behind..