New member intro

[Guest guest]

My name is Laurel & I am a new member to your group. I am not the

parent of a child with aspergers, but a teacher to 2 boys with AS.

I hope you don't mind me joining you here. I am very committed to

helping my students & giving them the tools to cope in the

classroom. Even though I have been to a few conferences & workshops

on AS, I was hoping to get some advice from some real experts (you

parents, of course).

A little background on me: I live in Canada. I have 3 children. My

oldest is 15. She just started highschool this year, & is in the

gifted program. My middle child is 8, and is an active, talkative,

and athletic little girl. My youngest is almost 4. he has Down

syndrome, and is the best little guy in the world. He uses mainly

sign language to communicate, but is speaking more & more everyday.

he starts school in September, and will be coming to the school I

teach at.

Right now I am teaching kindergarten. I have an EA for my

identified students, but she does more harm than good if you ask me

(long story, which I will share later). I think I have set up my

class in such a way that it meets the needs of my students. I use a

visual schedule, and many other visual aids. We have put together

some social stories & have some fidgit toys. I also have a quiet

area set up in the room (a bit like a mini snoozelin room). My boys

seem very happy in the class, and I have had nothing but positive

feedback from their parents. We only have one more month of school,

and I will really miss these 2 when they move on to 1st grade.

I will try my best not to reveal any personal, identifying

information about my students, in order to protect their privacy.

Please let me know if I use any incorrect, un-pc, language. I know

it drives me crazy when people don't use " people-first " language

when referring to my son (calling him a Downs, a Down syndrome boy,

or retarded). Please let me know if I am using the correct

terminology, and if my information is inaccurate.

I look forward to " meeting " you all, and getting an inside look at

your families, your children, & your world.

Laurel