Asperger's Programs in Public Schools

The county I live in is supposed to be have one of the best Public School systems in the country. However, when it comes to providing a consistent, appropriate education for children with high functioning autism / Asperger's syndrome, they are failing miserably. There was a Special Education Advisory Committee meeting last night where the main topic was whether or not an Asperger's program was needed at the high school level. I don't understand how there can be any question.

I was blown away when the Director of Special Education Services said that there wasn't enough demand for the program. We all know that autism rates are going through the roof all over the country. Our county is no different. What is different is that even though there are very successful Asperger's programs available for both Elementary and Middle Schools, very few people know they exist, and the IEP meetings seem designed to keep kids out of these programs.

I was also shocked with the complacency regarding student failure. I don't understand why a student has to fail multiple times in their current placement before anyone would consider finding one that work better.

The easy explanation is that every child on the autism spectrum is different, with widely different challenges and support needs. While this is true, I believe that an educational team (teachers, paraeducators, and therapists) that is trained in working with children with autism has the highest chance of success. Trained professionals working with children who all have a similar disability can make a huge impact. This is clearly demonstrated in the few programs designed for children on the high end of the spectrum. Those parents who have children in an existing Asperger's program were generally happy with the education their children are getting, and were worried what would happen to their children when they reached high school. To simply give up on providing a consistent educational experience because it is difficult is beyond irresponsible.

When Michael was evaluated for his official disability code, the school psychologist told us she was on the fence between a diagnosis of High Functioning Autism and Asperger's Syndrome. She told us that there wasn't much difference between the two diagnoses, and that it wouldn't affect his coding/educational opportunities. Apparently, she was wrong. Because she decided to go with the autism diagnosis, the school wouldn't even discuss the possibility of Michael going into the Asperger's program. So, he's stuck in a learning center that is designed for students with many different diagnoses, where most students are not able to keep up with the standard curriculum.

Even though Michael is extremely bright, he is essentially failing this year. When he finished Kindergarten, he was reading at a level 11. At the end of the first quarter this year, he is reading at a level 10. Going backwards is not a good thing. Additionally, his report card states that he has 'minimal understanding' for every topic under Writing and Language. He has gone from 'complete understanding' in 75% of the Math categories in Kindergarten to 50% of the first grade. Again, going backwards.

When we discussed his lack of progress at the parent-teacher conference, his teacher indicated that Michael's behavior is getting in the way of obtaining information from him. He has trouble getting the words to answer questions and is easily overwhelmed, especially in writing assignments. Even though she has tried to implement strategies and accommodations from his IEP, results have been sporadic at best. She was going to ask for an autism consult to see if an autism expert could help. We haven't heard anything back yet.

I am very frustrated because I know that Michael can produce the information needed to pass his evaluations. When I sit with him to do his homework, he can do it. If I know that the main focus of the assignment is reading comprehension, I offer to scribe for him. Last night, he read a poem followed by three questions. When I asked him to tell me the answers, rather than to try to write them, I got the correct answers almost immediately. Yes, he has huge focus issues, but he can do the work; he does understand what he reads.

I don't want to be overly harsh to his teacher and the paraeducator. They are doing the best they can with the resources available. They are both extremely caring professionals who obvious like Michael and want him to succeed. The problem is that he has complex needs, and is not in an appropriate setting to address those needs.

So, where do we go from here? I honestly don't know what the options are, and what steps are in his best interests. We will probably look into getting private testing done to see what his best educational diagnosis is, but that is expensive and money is extremely tight at the moment. Anyone have good advice? If so, please leave a comment!

Bad Mommy, Happy Mommy!

I feel like the worst mother in the world, but I am also incredibly happy. The last couple weeks have been really rough for Michael. He's been emotionally fragile, aggressive, distant, weepy, you name it. The worst part was, we had no idea what started it all – until Friday. After another terrible day at school, Steve finally made the connection that all the behavior started a few days after we switched one of Michael's supplements from a clear liquid to a bright orange tablet. Yes, we should have known better. Of course we should have realized that the tablet had food coloring that Michael can't tolerate. We were so caught up in the allergy information, we totally missed the food coloring.

Saturday morning we switched him over to a 100% hypoallergenic capsule. We started seeing slow behavior improvements. Today, we have our sweet kid back. His teachers even commented on how hard he was trying to have good behavior at school! So, I feel like the crummiest mother possible for missing something that affected him so badly, and should have been so obvious. But, I am just grinning from ear to ear about having him 'back'!

I've been taking a food safety class in the evenings this month, so I haven't had as much time with Michael as I'd like. After hearing what went on while I was in school tonight, I want to drop the class and just be home more. But, I only have 2 classes left, so I think I can manage.

On the way home from his social skills group, Michael told Steve that he wanted to make cupcakes. In the past, he might help with one ingredient and pouring the batter. Tonight, Michael participated in every step: finding the recipe, gathering/measuring the ingredients, mixing the batter, and pouring it into the paper cups. He also supervised when Steve put the cupcakes in the oven, tested them, and took them out to cool. He was so proud of himself, and couldn't wait to taste his creation. When I came home tonight, he eagerly told me about making the cupcakes with Daddy and that they were 'delicious treats'. I couldn't be more proud!

The other amazing thing tonight was that he got a paper cut. Normally, he would get really upset over being hurt, but not let anyone do anything to help. Most times, he couldn't even express what had happened. Tonight he was sounding upset, so Steve asked what was wrong. He answered, "I have a paper cut." When Steve asked if he could see it, Michael said "No, I need a bandaid." Then, actually let Steve put a bandaid on. He wouldn't let Steve wash it, but didn't need to know that he had snuck some Neosporin onto the bandaid.

He was a little grumpy when it was finally time for bed, but I think he was just worn out from such a long, eventful day. I am so glad to have my Michael back. And I promised him I would be much more careful with any changes to his supplements!

Crazy days

What a crazy week. I seriously overscheduled this week, and now I'm paying for it. Plus, Steve and I are both dealing with a cold or allergies giving us a nasty cough and sore throat combination. Luckily, Michael is fine. It could be that the bug giving him asthma problems last week just finally found it's way to us.

We got Michael's report card yesterday, and he's actually doing pretty well academically. The only big problem is getting information out of him, verbally or in writing. Even when he knows the material, he just has a hard time pulling the answer out of his head in a way someone else can understand. Definitely something to work on.

Michael's behavior at school has been really terrible lately. To the point that his teacher wants to ask for an autism consult for behavior. It sounds scary, but it really just means she's going to ask an autism 'expert' from the county autism program to observe Michael and give some advice as to how to help him deal better in the classroom. He is just so afraid of everything that he would rather tantrum than attempt some of the activities - even activities that he's good at. We quickly gave permission for the consult, so hopefully it can happen soon.

Steve and I are going to go to a WrightsLaw Parent bootcamp tomorrow and Saturday to learn more about special education law. I am so excited, since they have such a great reputation. Even though we haven't had any problems with getting Michael the services and accommodations he needs, it can never hurt to have information.

Time to get back to today's challenges and hoping for calm.

A Long, Long Day

Michael has had a pretty good week, at home and at school. But, tonight he is fighting a cold and is generally pretty grumpy. His teacher called today to let us know he'd had a few meltdowns at school and was just really struggling today. I think he got overwhelmed with a writing assignment had an allergic reaction to touching the outside of a pumpkin, in addition to just feeling pretty lousy. I feel bad for him, but am so glad that he decided to go to bed early tonight.

If you haven't cast your vote for Lend 4 Healthyet, please do! The contest is almost over, and your vote can make a difference!!

The Good, the Bad, and the Hopeful

Today was a really good day, and a really bad day. After all the good stuff we've been telling you about, I guess we were due for a setback.

First, the good. Today was the open house at Michael's elementary school. So, we got to spend 2 hours in the classroom(s) with him, and see his 'other' life. In the special ed room, he stayed in location pretty well, did what was asked of him, and participated. It was great to see some of his strengths. When it came time to see him in the mainstream room, it was obvious that he doesn't have the self direction to be there full time yet. Where the other kids could go from center to center and do the assigned tasks, he needed constant help focusing. He could read the assignment, answer the questions, and do the tasks. However, if there wasn't an adult with him, he'd be all over the room, getting into everything.

The bad: he had two major meltdowns today - one at school, and one at home. He recovered fairly quickly from the one at school, but the one at home took longer. Since it was so out of character for him, we had to do a little digging to try to figure out what happened. When we opened his lunch box, most of his lunch was untouched, and his water bottle was mostly full. Given that he was hungry and dehydrated, I'm not surprised he had trouble controlling himself. We also found out he had a headache most of the afternoon. So, we're giving him the benefit of the doubt, and trying to work with the school to keep him fed and hydrated.

He was a little nervous at bedtime since he knew he got a bad report from school. It was nice to see that he was actually reassured when we told him that the teachers knew he wasn't feeling well, and that no one was mad at him. We told him that tomorrow is a whole new day, and he can make it a great one. Hopefully, he will!