Re: MIddle school placement

[Guest guest]

Way to go, Tyler! I am so proud of him.

> My son is 14 1/2 and is in 8th grade. He is high functioning and

had a plan

> going in. It is my opinion that these plans need to be highly

individualized

> based upon need. Tyler needed to have visitation days prior to

starting

> middle school. He also needed time at the beginning of his 7th

grade year

> prior to the start of classes (a couple days before) to familiarize

himself

> with the areas that he would be using, to " walk his transitions and

> schedule " to find his locker and practice the combination, and to

meet the

> teachers individually. He also needed them to be aware of the

things that

> would help make class time successful and productive. Though many

parts of

> his 504 weren't originally followed well by many of the teachers,

they soon

> learned why they were needed and began using the tools needed to

help him

> succeed. Tyler also learned how to self-advocate and how to stop

a " spiral "

> and get the help he needed to cope with stressful situations as

they arose

> instead of having them get totally out of hand...

>

> This year has been even better. Tyler has been building on the

skills he

> learned last year. It started early, with him calmly walking away

from a

> bully several times, going through the process of telling the bully

to leave

> him alone, to going after school to the counseling office to file a

> complaint against the kid, to listing witnesses and prosecuting and

having

> the child suspended, to having to repeat the process four times

prior to the

> other child being expelled due to aggressive behaviors towards my

child. Now

> Tyler never really felt the victim because he was doing something

about it

> each and every time, making sure that he was following legal and

school

> protocol, noticing who was around witnessing the behavior, and

reporting it

> in such a way as to keep it confidential/private between the two of

them (no

> harassment arose from him telling because he didn't spread it

around or tell

> during times that others would notice his absence) The other kids

who were

> friends with the bully took notice of him being kicked out

repeatedly for

> his behaviors and finally expelled, and they backed off not only

Tyler, but

> any kids that were around Tyler or even in his vicinity. They knew

that

> Tyler knew the codes/laws now down to the specifics and wouldn't

hesitate

> helping another avoid what had been so hard for him to deal with

last year.

> Tyler has learned to really look at others as people, if that makes

any

> sense. He has figured out what empathy is and can finally put

himself in

> others shoes/situations to the point where he is actually making

real

> friends. He is able to be compassionate and is able to modify his

behaviors

> enough to keep from making others uncomfortable. Though Tyler has

always

> been pretty good at picking up on family cues, he is now able to

figure out

> how others may be feeling, though facial expressions still just

don't do it

> for him (or me either still for that matter). I am proud that he

has finally

> found a group that he can 'fit in' with and that it is others who

are good

> kids that are on the honors track for high school. What is really

funny

> though is that he has grown a LOT this year (6'1 " and under 160

lbs) and has

> become kind of cute in that adolescent boy way. The girls have

really

> started noticing him and watch him a LOT. They also make excuses to

be near

> him... but do you think he notices??? NOT!!! They could hit him

over the

> head with interest and he wouldn't realize that they were really

asking him

> about science homework in order to have something to talk to him

about (just

> one example). He thinks that they are all just being 'nice to him'.

As a

> youth group volunteer and one who is involved in his activities, it

is all I

> can do to keep from laughing at times at the length some are going

to trying

> just to get his attention... He just hasn't hit that " interested in

girls "

> stage yet (thank heaven)!

>

> Anyway, Tyler's plan did work once the followed it. He has learned

to be so

> much more independent and less sensitized to his sensory issues. He

is

> learning that though it isn't bad to be an Aspie, that some may not

> appreciate the traits or understand them. He has also learned the

value of

> fitting in when it will lead to a more harmonious environment...

>

> ~hugs~

> Rabecca

[Guest guest]

have you tried SSI?tharlan1@... wrote:

From: M Strahlendorf Date: Wed May 18 09:03:46 CDT 2005Autism and Aspergers Treatment Subject: Re: Re: Middle School PlacementCall it just that. " A socializing oppurtunity". Dont let them tell you no........ they love it when people give in easily.autismindc1@... wrote:My son is in a social skills group that I take him to privately thru my insurance w/psychologist as facilitator.??The other 2?children are totally verbal.? My son is verbal but language is constantly emerging. I also take him for speech and O/T outside the school because I'm not sure the "therapists" at school have appropriate experience or knowledge about autism and working with my son.?At his IEP meeting in June I will ask for placement in the afterschool program so he gets interaction with typically developing peers.? They gave teacher some

lame excuse why he could not participate.? Any ideas on how to word "socialization opportunities" in his IEP??Chelly?Stay connected, organized, and protected. Take the tour