Re: Public High School Issues..help

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Does your daughter have an IEP? She absolutely needs one, and it sounds like they need to put something in their about this math class. The school has a legal obligation to provide her with an adequate education, and it sounds like they are failing to do that. You need to be your daughter's biggest advocate here- so get in some people's faces! Don't let them treat her disorder like it's a disciplanary problem. She's not wrong- they are.

I'm sure other people on this list will have great advice for you, but I thought I'd throw in my two cents.

Good luck!!

On 9/26/06, <lindafhuber@...> wrote:

Hi, I am new to this group and need some advice. I have a daughter who is 14 and has Aspergers. She is a freshman in High School. She was getting A's and B's in Jr. High in Pre-Algebra...She's very bright..We moved into a new district, and she is failing...Long story short, the Algebra teacher said that she is not cooperating and she felt that she was being rebellious..I told them that she's been rebellious all her life, then!! She has Aspergers, and kids with this disorder don't always know the proper response, or are having over-stimulation problems in the classroom... I have said over and over that something is going on in this particuliar classroom for her to be failing...(She's getting an " F " for not cooperating!!) I told them that her grade is due to her disorder, and that the concepts must not be being broken down for her.The Algebra teacher was angry with me and kept " huffing " at me, like I was trying to spoil my child!!The school does have an Autism consultant, who is supposed to be evaluating the school environment..In the meantime, I am sitting tight to see what they come up with..It's been a week since the teachers got together with me, and I've been checking her grades..She is still getting " F " 's in Algebra...I keep thinking that someone is not doing their job over at the school!! I am contimplating home schooling..I had homeschooled her for 6 years, and I could go back to it..So tell me, has anyone out there had any luck fighting the school, or is it always a battle with very little resolve?? The fights wipe me out, and I am tired of teachers not understanding Aspergers!! I am also a little fearful that I won't have it in me to homeschool again...ation is always such a struggle..So any words of wisdom.?? Thanks so much, -- Margison

Don't Breed, Don't Buy, Adopt!www.avianwelfare.org

[Guest guest]

Does your daughter have an IEP? Have you considered hiring an advocate???? An advocate can be extremely helpful and knowledgeable when going into the ring with the school. They fight for your parental rights and your childs rights for a FREE AND APPROPRIATE PUBLIC EDUCATION also known as FAPE. When you hire an advocate who knows the laws and services your child is entitled to the school will know you mean business. They usually try to shape up fairly quickly. If you need an advocate go to this website and they can help you find an advocate in your area. www.taskca.org Dont underestimate the power of an advocate when meeting with the school. Often the school feels they can bully you into agreement with them but with an advocate present they will find it is not so easy. I have a wonderful advocate who has helped us tremendously. I will never go to another meeting with the school without her. She is a

Godsend. Literally....... GOOD LUCK TO YOU!!!!!! Dont be afraid to take on the school. I know how intimidating they can be.... Hire an advocate... They cost a little bit of money but are well worth it in the end. Not anything near what a lawyer would....... in Lancaster, Ca <lindafhuber@...> wrote: Hi, I am new to this group and need some advice. I have a daughter who is 14 and has Aspergers. She is a freshman in High School. She was

getting A's and B's in Jr. High in Pre-Algebra...She's very bright..We moved into a new district, and she is failing...Long story short, the Algebra teacher said that she is not cooperating and she felt that she was being rebellious..I told them that she's been rebellious all her life, then!! She has Aspergers, and kids with this disorder don't always know the proper response, or are having over-stimulation problems in the classroom... I have said over and over that something is going on in this particuliar classroom for her to be failing...(She's getting an "F" for not cooperating!!) I told them that her grade is due to her disorder, and that the concepts must not be being broken down for her.The Algebra teacher was angry with me and kept "huffing" at me, like I was trying to spoil my child!!The school does have an Autism consultant, who is supposed to be evaluating the school environment..In

the meantime, I am sitting tight to see what they come up with..It's been a week since the teachers got together with me, and I've been checking her grades..She is still getting "F"'s in Algebra...I keep thinking that someone is not doing their job over at the school!! I am contimplating home schooling..I had homeschooled her for 6 years, and I could go back to it..So tell me, has anyone out there had any luck fighting the school, or is it always a battle with very little resolve?? The fights wipe me out, and I am tired of teachers not understanding Aspergers!! I am also a little fearful that I won't have it in me to homeschool again...ation is always such a struggle..So any words of wisdom.?? Thanks so much,

Talk is cheap. Use Messenger to make PC-to-Phone calls. Great rates starting at 1¢/min.

[Guest guest]

Does your daughter have an IEP? Have you considered hiring an advocate???? An advocate can be extremely helpful and knowledgeable when going into the ring with the school. They fight for your parental rights and your childs rights for a FREE AND APPROPRIATE PUBLIC EDUCATION also known as FAPE. When you hire an advocate who knows the laws and services your child is entitled to the school will know you mean business. They usually try to shape up fairly quickly. If you need an advocate go to this website and they can help you find an advocate in your area. www.taskca.org Dont underestimate the power of an advocate when meeting with the school. Often the school feels they can bully you into agreement with them but with an advocate present they will find it is not so easy. I have a wonderful advocate who has helped us tremendously. I will never go to another meeting with the school without her. She is a

Godsend. Literally....... GOOD LUCK TO YOU!!!!!! Dont be afraid to take on the school. I know how intimidating they can be.... Hire an advocate... They cost a little bit of money but are well worth it in the end. Not anything near what a lawyer would....... in Lancaster, Ca <lindafhuber@...> wrote: Hi, I am new to this group and need some advice. I have a daughter who is 14 and has Aspergers. She is a freshman in High School. She was

getting A's and B's in Jr. High in Pre-Algebra...She's very bright..We moved into a new district, and she is failing...Long story short, the Algebra teacher said that she is not cooperating and she felt that she was being rebellious..I told them that she's been rebellious all her life, then!! She has Aspergers, and kids with this disorder don't always know the proper response, or are having over-stimulation problems in the classroom... I have said over and over that something is going on in this particuliar classroom for her to be failing...(She's getting an "F" for not cooperating!!) I told them that her grade is due to her disorder, and that the concepts must not be being broken down for her.The Algebra teacher was angry with me and kept "huffing" at me, like I was trying to spoil my child!!The school does have an Autism consultant, who is supposed to be evaluating the school environment..In

the meantime, I am sitting tight to see what they come up with..It's been a week since the teachers got together with me, and I've been checking her grades..She is still getting "F"'s in Algebra...I keep thinking that someone is not doing their job over at the school!! I am contimplating home schooling..I had homeschooled her for 6 years, and I could go back to it..So tell me, has anyone out there had any luck fighting the school, or is it always a battle with very little resolve?? The fights wipe me out, and I am tired of teachers not understanding Aspergers!! I am also a little fearful that I won't have it in me to homeschool again...ation is always such a struggle..So any words of wisdom.?? Thanks so much,

Talk is cheap. Use Messenger to make PC-to-Phone calls. Great rates starting at 1¢/min.

[Guest guest]

I am a big fan of homeschooling - especially in the later years so my

vote would be homeschooling. I am currently homeschooling my 14 year

old asperger son and soooooo glad I am.

My son is doing pre-algebra this year so I don't have first-hand

experience with teaching Algebra. From homeschool lists I am on

though, I often read about how around the time a child gets to

Algebra, math gets very difficult for one with aspergers. There are

more word problems and the thinking gets more abstract. Simple

calculation is one thing but trying to figure out what the problem is

when it is a word problem is quite difficult. I suspect her problem

is a combination of new school, algebra and possible a new textbook

publisher that is formatted differently than what she is used to.

I had read that with kids with aspergers, we should train them up for

a career, not a job. What this means is more focus on developing

marketable skills than general academics. I took this to heart last

year with my son. I backed off on the academics and let him focus on

areas of interest. This year we are adding back in more academics

but he has a renewed focus. He knows he will be successful in life

and now understands how the academics apply to what he will need in

his future career. He is now studying because he knows why he needs

it instead of because I tell him to. Had my son been in public

school, this would not have been possible.

>

> Hi, I am new to this group and need some advice. I have a

daughter

> who is 14 and has Aspergers. She is a freshman in High School. She

> was getting A's and B's in Jr. High in Pre-Algebra...She's very

> bright..We moved into a new district, and she is failing...Long

> story short, the Algebra teacher said that she is not cooperating

> and she felt that she was being rebellious..I told them that she's

> been rebellious all her life, then!! She has Aspergers, and kids

> with this disorder don't always know the proper response, or are

> having over-stimulation problems in the classroom...

> I have said over and over that something is going on in this

> particuliar classroom for her to be failing...(She's getting an " F "

> for not cooperating!!) I told them that her grade is due to her

> disorder, and that the concepts must not be being broken down for

> her.The Algebra teacher was angry with me and kept " huffing " at

me,

> like I was trying to spoil my child!!The school does have an Autism

> consultant, who is supposed to be evaluating the school

> environment..In the meantime, I am sitting tight to see what they

> come up with..

> It's been a week since the teachers got together with me, and

> I've been checking her grades..She is still getting " F " 's in

> Algebra...I keep thinking that someone is not doing their job over

> at the school!!

> I am contimplating home schooling..I had homeschooled her for

6

> years, and I could go back to it..

> So tell me, has anyone out there had any luck fighting the

school,

> or is it always a battle with very little resolve?? The fights wipe

> me out, and I am tired of teachers not understanding Aspergers!! I

> am also a little fearful that I won't have it in me to homeschool

> again...ation is always such a struggle..So any words of

> wisdom.?? Thanks so much,

>

[Guest guest]

You may want to check the Coulter Video

site. http://home.att.net/~coultervideo/articles.htm

They have some excellent articles to give to teachers that are unfamiliar

with Aspergers. I strongly feel that part of my job as a parent is to

educate my daughter’s teachers about AS. I regularly pass on

articles that I find that may make their job easier. I have found

that if I take a team approach with the teachers that things are far less

confrontational. The more information you can give them about your daughter’s

specific strengths and weakness, the better able they are to work with and for

her.

Ask what you can do to help her at

home. I’ve just sent two emails to teachers asking what we as

parents need to be doing to help both my NT honors student(3.8 last year) and

my AS student (3.5 last year) in classes that their grades are not up to par.

If it gets to bad with a particular teacher ask her counselor if there is another

teacher that is better suited to work with your daughter. I know that my

daughter is hand-scheduled to get the best possible combinations of teacher and

student inter action for the sanity of all! Sometimes it’s just not

possible to move a student and everyone has to learn to cope with a bad

situation – another type of learning experience for all of us.

Good Luck and check out the web site.

Gretchen Archinal

From:

Autism and Aspergers Treatment [mailto:Autism and Aspergers Treatment ] On Behalf Of

Sent: Tuesday, September 26, 2006

8:40 AM

To:

Autism and Aspergers Treatment

Subject: Public High

School Issues..help

Hi, I am new to this group and need some advice. I

have a daughter

who is 14 and has Aspergers. She is a freshman in High School. She

was getting A's and B's in Jr. High in Pre-Algebra...She's very

bright..We moved into a new district, and she is failing...Long

story short, the Algebra teacher said that she is not cooperating

and she felt that she was being rebellious..I told them that she's

been rebellious all her life, then!! She has Aspergers, and kids

with this disorder don't always know the proper response, or are

having over-stimulation problems in the classroom...

I have said over and over that something is going on in this

particuliar classroom for her to be failing...(She's getting an

" F "

for not cooperating!!) I told them that her grade is due to her

disorder, and that the concepts must not be being broken down for

her.The Algebra teacher was angry with me and kept " huffing " at me,

like I was trying to spoil my child!!The school does have an Autism

consultant, who is supposed to be evaluating the school

environment..In the meantime, I am sitting tight to see what they

come up with..

It's been a week since the teachers got together with me, and

I've been checking her grades..She is still getting " F " 's in

Algebra...I keep thinking that someone is not doing their job over

at the school!!

I am contimplating home schooling..I had homeschooled her for 6

years, and I could go back to it..

So tell me, has anyone out there had any luck fighting the school,

or is it always a battle with very little resolve?? The fights wipe

me out, and I am tired of teachers not understanding Aspergers!! I

am also a little fearful that I won't have it in me to homeschool

again...ation is always such a struggle..So any words of

wisdom.?? Thanks so much,

[Guest guest]

My son was having trouble with math also and I was able to get the use of a calculator into his IEP. Also, extra time to hand in assignments. Also, please go to website www.chairscholars.org . You can apply for a national scholarship for your daughter from this group here in Florida. These are National scholarships and anyone can apply. It might motivate her to know she can go to college or technical school. Thanks

[Guest guest]

My son was having trouble with math also and I was able to get the use of a calculator into his IEP. Also, extra time to hand in assignments. Also, please go to website www.chairscholars.org . You can apply for a national scholarship for your daughter from this group here in Florida. These are National scholarships and anyone can apply. It might motivate her to know she can go to college or technical school. Thanks

[Guest guest]

Thanks so much for all your advice..My daughter does have an IEP>

Last week, I contacted the head of Special Education for the

district and questioned if the staff is following the IEP> If they

are, then she shouldn't be failing the Algebra...She is working with

an Autism consultant to get what my daughter needs in the

classroom. I will be honest, I am leaning toward homeschooling,

becasue the fight Takes more out of me than homeschooling would..I

think??

I agree with you, about the big picture. I want my

daughter to have a career, and be a successful adult. I also think

that the cirriculum is different from last years cirriculum..IT is

form the University of Chicago, and from what I can see, quite

tedious.

I will be calling a meeting, shortly...My husband will be

present, and we are going to take on the school...Does anyone know

if you can get your money back if we do pull her out...just

kidding!! I highly doubt it!!!

Thanks again, guys...I'm so glad I have a group of people that

are going thru some of the same things!!!

In Autism and Aspergers Treatment , " cubicmonica " <cubicmonica@...>

wrote:

>

> I am a big fan of homeschooling - especially in the later years so

my

> vote would be homeschooling. I am currently homeschooling my 14

year

> old asperger son and soooooo glad I am.

>

> My son is doing pre-algebra this year so I don't have first-hand

> experience with teaching Algebra. From homeschool lists I am on

> though, I often read about how around the time a child gets to

> Algebra, math gets very difficult for one with aspergers. There

are

> more word problems and the thinking gets more abstract. Simple

> calculation is one thing but trying to figure out what the problem

is

> when it is a word problem is quite difficult. I suspect her

problem

> is a combination of new school, algebra and possible a new

textbook

> publisher that is formatted differently than what she is used to.

>

> I had read that with kids with aspergers, we should train them up

for

> a career, not a job. What this means is more focus on developing

> marketable skills than general academics. I took this to heart

last

> year with my son. I backed off on the academics and let him focus

on

> areas of interest. This year we are adding back in more academics

> but he has a renewed focus. He knows he will be successful in

life

> and now understands how the academics apply to what he will need

in

> his future career. He is now studying because he knows why he

needs

> it instead of because I tell him to. Had my son been in public

> school, this would not have been possible.

>

>

>

>

> >

> > Hi, I am new to this group and need some advice. I have a

> daughter

> > who is 14 and has Aspergers. She is a freshman in High School.

She

> > was getting A's and B's in Jr. High in Pre-Algebra...She's very

> > bright..We moved into a new district, and she is failing...Long

> > story short, the Algebra teacher said that she is not

cooperating

> > and she felt that she was being rebellious..I told them that

she's

> > been rebellious all her life, then!! She has Aspergers, and kids

> > with this disorder don't always know the proper response, or are

> > having over-stimulation problems in the classroom...

> > I have said over and over that something is going on in this

> > particuliar classroom for her to be failing...(She's getting

an " F "

> > for not cooperating!!) I told them that her grade is due to her

> > disorder, and that the concepts must not be being broken down

for

> > her.The Algebra teacher was angry with me and kept " huffing " at

> me,

> > like I was trying to spoil my child!!The school does have an

Autism

> > consultant, who is supposed to be evaluating the school

> > environment..In the meantime, I am sitting tight to see what

they

> > come up with..

> > It's been a week since the teachers got together with me,

and

> > I've been checking her grades..She is still getting " F " 's in

> > Algebra...I keep thinking that someone is not doing their job

over

> > at the school!!

> > I am contimplating home schooling..I had homeschooled her

for

> 6

> > years, and I could go back to it..

> > So tell me, has anyone out there had any luck fighting the

> school,

> > or is it always a battle with very little resolve?? The fights

wipe

> > me out, and I am tired of teachers not understanding

Aspergers!! I

> > am also a little fearful that I won't have it in me to

homeschool

> > again...ation is always such a struggle..So any words of

> > wisdom.?? Thanks so much,

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks so much for all your advice..My daughter does have an IEP>

Last week, I contacted the head of Special Education for the

district and questioned if the staff is following the IEP> If they

are, then she shouldn't be failing the Algebra...She is working with

an Autism consultant to get what my daughter needs in the

classroom. I will be honest, I am leaning toward homeschooling,

becasue the fight Takes more out of me than homeschooling would..I

think??

I agree with you, about the big picture. I want my

daughter to have a career, and be a successful adult. I also think

that the cirriculum is different from last years cirriculum..IT is

form the University of Chicago, and from what I can see, quite

tedious.

I will be calling a meeting, shortly...My husband will be

present, and we are going to take on the school...Does anyone know

if you can get your money back if we do pull her out...just

kidding!! I highly doubt it!!!

Thanks again, guys...I'm so glad I have a group of people that

are going thru some of the same things!!!

In Autism and Aspergers Treatment , " cubicmonica " <cubicmonica@...>

wrote:

>

> I am a big fan of homeschooling - especially in the later years so

my

> vote would be homeschooling. I am currently homeschooling my 14

year

> old asperger son and soooooo glad I am.

>

> My son is doing pre-algebra this year so I don't have first-hand

> experience with teaching Algebra. From homeschool lists I am on

> though, I often read about how around the time a child gets to

> Algebra, math gets very difficult for one with aspergers. There

are

> more word problems and the thinking gets more abstract. Simple

> calculation is one thing but trying to figure out what the problem

is

> when it is a word problem is quite difficult. I suspect her

problem

> is a combination of new school, algebra and possible a new

textbook

> publisher that is formatted differently than what she is used to.

>

> I had read that with kids with aspergers, we should train them up

for

> a career, not a job. What this means is more focus on developing

> marketable skills than general academics. I took this to heart

last

> year with my son. I backed off on the academics and let him focus

on

> areas of interest. This year we are adding back in more academics

> but he has a renewed focus. He knows he will be successful in

life

> and now understands how the academics apply to what he will need

in

> his future career. He is now studying because he knows why he

needs

> it instead of because I tell him to. Had my son been in public

> school, this would not have been possible.

>

>

>

>

> >

> > Hi, I am new to this group and need some advice. I have a

> daughter

> > who is 14 and has Aspergers. She is a freshman in High School.

She

> > was getting A's and B's in Jr. High in Pre-Algebra...She's very

> > bright..We moved into a new district, and she is failing...Long

> > story short, the Algebra teacher said that she is not

cooperating

> > and she felt that she was being rebellious..I told them that

she's

> > been rebellious all her life, then!! She has Aspergers, and kids

> > with this disorder don't always know the proper response, or are

> > having over-stimulation problems in the classroom...

> > I have said over and over that something is going on in this

> > particuliar classroom for her to be failing...(She's getting

an " F "

> > for not cooperating!!) I told them that her grade is due to her

> > disorder, and that the concepts must not be being broken down

for

> > her.The Algebra teacher was angry with me and kept " huffing " at

> me,

> > like I was trying to spoil my child!!The school does have an

Autism

> > consultant, who is supposed to be evaluating the school

> > environment..In the meantime, I am sitting tight to see what

they

> > come up with..

> > It's been a week since the teachers got together with me,

and

> > I've been checking her grades..She is still getting " F " 's in

> > Algebra...I keep thinking that someone is not doing their job

over

> > at the school!!

> > I am contimplating home schooling..I had homeschooled her

for

> 6

> > years, and I could go back to it..

> > So tell me, has anyone out there had any luck fighting the

> school,

> > or is it always a battle with very little resolve?? The fights

wipe

> > me out, and I am tired of teachers not understanding

Aspergers!! I

> > am also a little fearful that I won't have it in me to

homeschool

> > again...ation is always such a struggle..So any words of

> > wisdom.?? Thanks so much,

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Keep fighting . I have had some success within our district and my daughter has all A's and B's now when she was doing poorly in a couple classes before these issues were dealth with. We do have a small district though....so even though funding is lower, communication is better. I did have to threaten the AEA with a lawsuit though, the school has been very cooperative, they just were completely unfamiliar with AS and it's various manifestations within different people. I took it upon myself to find all the pertinent info I could and print off copies for the teachers and principal and basically educate them myself before we got any cooperation from the AEA. That seemed to help alot. All I can say is do not give up! If you feel your daughter needs to be in public school (which is how I feel about MY dd, how else does she learn to interact on a large scale?), then keep her there and FIGHT the system. Good luck and God bless! DeeDee mom of Aslynne 15, nt Elissa 13, AS, ADHD, ODD and possibly bi polar Tynan 6 ? we are doing testing now. and three step kids 8, 4, 2 <lindafhuber@...> wrote: Hi, I am new to this group and need some advice. I have a daughter who is 14 and has Aspergers. She is a freshman in High School. She was getting A's and B's in Jr. High in Pre-Algebra...She's very bright..We moved into a new district, and she is failing...Long

story short, the Algebra teacher said that she is not cooperating and she felt that she was being rebellious..I told them that she's been rebellious all her life, then!! She has Aspergers, and kids with this disorder don't always know the proper response, or are having over-stimulation problems in the classroom... I have said over and over that something is going on in this particuliar classroom for her to be failing...(She's getting an "F" for not cooperating!!) I told them that her grade is due to her disorder, and that the concepts must not be being broken down for her.The Algebra teacher was angry with me and kept "huffing" at me, like I was trying to spoil my child!!The school does have an Autism consultant, who is supposed to be evaluating the school environment..In the meantime, I am sitting tight to see what they come up with..It's been a week since the teachers got together with me,

and I've been checking her grades..She is still getting "F"'s in Algebra...I keep thinking that someone is not doing their job over at the school!! I am contimplating home schooling..I had homeschooled her for 6 years, and I could go back to it..So tell me, has anyone out there had any luck fighting the school, or is it always a battle with very little resolve?? The fights wipe me out, and I am tired of teachers not understanding Aspergers!! I am also a little fearful that I won't have it in me to homeschool again...ation is always such a struggle..So any words of wisdom.?? Thanks so much,

Talk is cheap. Use Messenger to make PC-to-Phone calls. Great rates starting at 1¢/min.