Guest guest Posted August 19, 2009 Report Share Posted August 19, 2009 I sent my girl for a second opinion yesterday. After I talked with the psychiatrist for 30 minutes and was her turn to speak to him, she just refused to talk to him.Oh well, nobody can figure her out....I asked her and she said she did not want to talk to him and it was all. I asked him to help me to get service for her at school. The department of mental retardation in mass has free advocate for school but it is easier if it is filled by a doctor rather than the parents. Re: ( ) Re: Everybody got their intro letters in?This is fantastic. I appreciate this so much. I think you've put so muchinto your letter and it shows great detail and thought. Thank you.On Tue, Aug 18, 2009 at 11:03 AM, r_woman2 <me2ruth@...> wrote:>>> > >> > Could someone post one of their letters? Take your child's name out, but> I want to see one so if I can see if I'm on the right track. I'd appreciate> it and maybe other could be helped, too?>> Following is my son's. He is 14yo, incoming 9th grader with IEP for> organization and social skills. The formatting is not going to come out on> the listserv, so please have patience with that.>> The letter is nothing great, but teachers seem to appreciate it. Before I> started doing this several years ago, teachers would be caught totally> off-guard by my son and it was not pretty.>> Before he had a 504 or an IEP, I would do it a little differently, since> the teachers were getting no info at all. Instead of the "Challenges which> may not be obvious" section, I had several sections: Problems other teachers> have had due to my son's disability, Solutions other teachers have found,> Things that are counterproductive, What we do at home to support school. I> also included more intro, including info from evaluations.>> Remember you are going to be talking a lot to your child's teachers and> administrators all year, so you don't have to say everything and it doesn't> have to be perfect. You just don't want them to be caught off guard and get> off to a bad start.>> Hope this helps!>> ------------------------>> To the teachers of ----- ----->> Hello, we are -----’ parents. We are writing this because many of> -----’ teachers have commented that he “was a first†or “was a> learning experience.†Many have found ----- to be a challenge. We hope that> the following information will be helpful.>> Intro>> ----- has been diagnosed with a type of autism called Asperger Disorder and> also Developmental Coordination Disorder. He has also been termed> “emotionally fragile†by ----- Hospital.>> Strengths> • Academic> o Keen interests and skills in certain subjects> o High academic ability> o Reading and vocabulary> o Creative writing> o Science> • Learning style> o Auditory> o Group (as opposed to solitary)> o Hands-on> • Personality> o Kind and affectionate, positive attitude> o Imaginative and creative> o Good sense of humor> o Independent>> Weaknesses>> It is helpful to note that ----- is not typical of Asperger Disorder in> some ways. His visual-spatial processing skills are very average, while his> auditory processing skills are very high. He often prefers working on a team> as opposed to learning on his own, although he may also get very absorbed in> individual projects if he finds them very interesting.>> It is important to understand -----’ weaknesses, because they come out> looking like attention problems when he in fact he is having communication> breakdowns.>> It is easy to mistake ----- in shutdown mode for someone simply being> well-behaved and quiet.>> • Academic> o Math> o Written expression (grammar, punctuation, taking perspective)> • Social cognitive> o Using and understanding non-verbal behaviors> o Developing appropriate peer relationships> o Taking perspective> o Pragmatic language> • Executive functioning> o Organization and planning> o Working memory> o Initiation> • Processing speed> • Coordination> o Manual dexterity> o Bilateral (top and bottom) coordination> o To a lesser extent, left-right coordination> • Hypo-sensitive> o Doesn’t seek sensation (may not notice discomfort)> • Anxiety>> Special Interests>> • Science fiction> • Fantasy> • Creative writing in all types of forms: he has created role-playing> games on the computer, short graphic stories as well as written more> traditional stories. Many times he writes "episodes" to already existing> stories, TV shows or movies, even computer games, that he likes, and> sometimes he creates his own stories.> • Creative process. ----- studies directors, listens to interviews with> actors, directors, producers, authors. He hasn’t watched a movie until> he’s seen all the extra interviews available on the DVD, looks people up> on the internet, etc.> • Extreme weather, clouds> • Certain details of history may catch -----’ eye, usually to do with> some sort of extremeness. For example, he may decide he wants to learn about> and memorize all the names and ranks of Hitler’s top 100 men when studying> WWII.> • Germs and viruses> • Criminal histories> • Forensic science>> Challenges that may not be obvious>> Below are information on -----' challenges. Some of it is from direct> observation by ourselves, past teachers, evaluators, and some of it is> quoted material about Asperger Disorder from various sources.>> • Because he uses words somewhat differently, it is especially important> for ----- to learn to validate what he is trying to communicate and what> other people are trying to communicate to him. He needs to learn two-way> communication.>> • When discussing the "why" of problems, speak of why something is> troublesome in non-judgmental terms rather than using words such as> "should", "should not", "what would be better". This will help ----- feel> validated and listened to and will help him be able to continue the> conversation.>> • Be aware that saying "no", "stop" or other normal ways of communicating> to kids may not work with -----. He may misunderstand why you are saying> these things. Instead say "excuse me", tap him on the shoulder and give a> more concrete explanation. He needs not only simple statements but also an> explanation of why you are saying them.>> • It is hard for ----- to intercede in a conversation where he feels he> has lost control and quickly say "there was something important I wanted to> say first". He doesn't know how to regain control of a conversation if it> runs off in a different direction. It is easier to just go into automatic> mode--responding to exact questions. This is something he is working on.>> • Try binary decision-making. One of the most powerful causes for inertia> is the feeling of the Asperger’s child that some task is so vast and> complex that he can’t possibly accomplish it. To overcome this barrier,> teach him how to factor any problem into two decisions. He makes one of> those decisions and then factors the next part of the issue into two more> decisions, and makes one of these decisions until the job is done.>> • Avoid asking vague questions such as, "Why did you do that?" Instead,> say, "I did not like it when you slammed your book down when I said it was> time for gym. Next time put the book down gently and tell me you are angry.> Were you showing me that you did not want to go to gym, or that you did not> want to stop reading?" Avoid asking essay-type questions. Be as concrete as> possible in all your interactions with -----.>> • Although he has an occasional snafu, ----- does not have as much> difficulty with idioms, double meanings, sarcasm or nicknames as many kids> with Asperger have.>> • Remember that facial expressions and other social cues may not work.> Most individuals with autism have difficulty reading facial expressions and> interpreting "body language". One of the reasons why ----- needs to be> directly asked for his assignments is because he does not notice all the> non-verbal activity going on: teacher waiting at the front of the class,> other kids moving arms, passing papers and shifting in their chairs passing> papers up, eyes following the papers, etc.>> • If ----- does not seem to be learning a task, break it down into> smaller steps or present the task in several ways (e.g., visually, verbally,> physically). He is learning to make his own task lists, but typically does> not do that on his own yet. As stated earlier, he is not terribly> visual-spatial, but he does okay with linear lists.>> • Avoid verbal overload. Be clear. Use shorter sentences if you perceive> that the student is not fully understanding you. Although he probably has no> hearing problem and may be paying attention, ----- may have difficulty> understanding your main point and identifying important information. He has> difficulty following directions, both verbal and written.>> • Since ----- experiences various communication difficulties, do not rely> on him to relay important messages to his parents about school events,> assignments, school rules, etc. Even sending home a note for his parents may> not work. ----- may not remember to deliver the note. Phone calls or e-mails> to parents work best until the skill can be developed. ----- has a difficult> time recalling events on demand from different parts of the day. He has> never been able to answer questions like "what did you do at school today."> If a teacher does not tell me, for the most part, I don't know. He does> spontaneously remember some things, and he has an excellent long-term> memory. He remembers things forever once he remembers. Hopefully this will> improve as he gets older and keeps working on it, but he may always need to> write "everything" down.>> • Going along with the previous note, ----- needs to write down more> detail for assignments and notes than is typical. If it isn't written down,> it is often as if it never happened. This includes strategies like having> him verbally repeat things in his own words. This does not usually work,> that is, he has forgotten it by the time he gets home. As said above,> hopefully this will improve as he gets older and keeps working on it, but he> may always need to write "everything" down.>> • Assume nothing when assessing skills. For example, the individual with> autism may be a "math whiz" in Algebra, but not able to make simple change> at a cash register. Or, he may have an incredible memory about books he has> read, speeches he has heard or sports statistics, but still may not be able> to remember to bring a pencil to class. Uneven skills development is a> hallmark of autism. ----- IQ test subscores range from the 1st percentile to> the 99th percentile.>> • -----' coordination disability causes him to sit back and let his> teammates do all the physical work when working on things like science> experiments. It is good to strike a balance, encouraging him to get some> practice doing physical activities but not so much so that he is focusing> more on simple physical movements than on learning the material.>> • ----- shows anxiety or overwhelm by becoming very quiet and withdrawing> from interaction. He gives the impression of being quiet and well-behaved> when he is actually shutdown, possibly feeling very anxious. If he is not> doing what he is supposed to be doing, talk to him about what is going on.> Asperger's children tend to be very proud. If they cannot follow along in a> class, they may attempt to resolve the issue by just refusing to do the> work. It’s easier to say “No I won’t†then to say “I feel stupid> not being able to do the work. Help me!". In ----- case, he usually simply> quietly doesn't do the work, and if asked says something casual to indicate> he just didn't feel like it. He has gotten very good at this. To my> experience, he is usually having some difficulty he doesn't feel comfortable> admitting to rather than being unmotivated. It is very important to use> language that does not connote that he missed something.>> • An intensification of unusual behavior may mean escalating anxiety. For> -----, such behavior might be talking to self (thinking out loud), possibly> with anger, whole body tremoring and stiffness, dropping things and being> unable to pick them up. ----- has never "lost it" at school. If that were to> happen, it would probably be in the form of a verbal outburst. ----- is very> un-physical, and his personality is mild besides, so he has never been> violent.>> • Processing speed: a lot of the accommodation for this is simply> encouraging ----- to relax and take his time, possibly lessening the> workload. He is getting pretty good at accommodating himself, as long as he> is not rushed by someone else or by circumstances.>> Summary>> ----- may be a challenge sometimes, to both you and his classmates. We> think this is normal in the circumstances and expected. We hope the> difficult times will not let you lose perspective. Nothing works all the> time, and sometimes things go great and sometimes they don't. We hope you> will feel free to share with us, as we like to be able to support -----'> teachers. Please remember that we know our child well, and whatever you say> will not upset us or make us think poorly of you. Communication is key, even> at -----' age, and we feel we can only provide the best for ----- by working> together. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have questions or> think there is something we should know about.>> I will give you a little background on ourselves. Neither of us have ever> been teachers, so please don't hesitate to state the obvious. Also, -----> has not had an IEP before (he had a 504 Plan), so please have patience with> us as we learn the system.>> Thank you very much for all you doâ€"we are looking forward to a great> year!>> Sincerely,>> > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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