Re: Newly diagnosed AS and need advice on school placement

[Guest guest]

...

Our son spent an extra year in preschool, so that he was always one year

older than most of his classmates. It sounds like your son needs an IEP and

services from the school instead of holding him back a year in kindergarten.

Not being able to get thoughts to paper is dysgraphia, which my son also

has....along with NVLD. My son is 18 and graduating high school in another

week....he is currently on the honor roll and has participated in the school

drama

productions for the past three years...he also has a best friend (who attends

a different high school) and a girlfriend that will be going to the senior

prom with him. Be encouraged...it will be difficult while he is in the lower

grades...but we did not get our dx until my son was 11 and he has overcome so

much over the past several years. Be an advocate for your son and keep

pushing the school to do the right thing...

Blessings,

Gail

[Guest guest]

>

> Our son was diagnosed with AS about a month ago - he is six and

has

> just finished kindergarten. He has been receiving services from

the

> school because he was previously diagnosed with Signifact Delays

when

> he was three. My question is this - the school is recommending

we

> hold him back for one more year in kindergarten. Their main

issues

> center on the social aspect - many of things they site as

problems

> like initiating conversations, etc. Garrett has no problem with

at

> home and church. Garrett does have awkard moments but I don't

know if

> another year in Kindergarten will help. The second issue is

academic --

> Garrett is very bright but has trouble getting the knoweldge out

of his

> head and on to the paper. Has any one dealt with holding their

child

> back? And what did you end up doing and why? Thanks in advance

for

> your advice.

>

>

Hello ,

My son who is seven and just graduating from kindergarten tomorrow

(YEAH !!!!)faced the same situation only with preschool. The

decision was if he was ready to go on to preschool. I listened to

the schools opinions and feel that for my son it was a good

decision. We decided to keep him in preschool one more year. My son

also named Garrett is extreamly bright. He is doing adition and

subtraction , reading, and has a humungous vocabulary. He is also

very emotionally immature and frequantly has temper tantrums and

cries at the drop of the hat. He is a very good kid as long as

nobody interupts his play and everything stays the same. I am not

sure what to tell you except that you know your son better than

anyone else so follow your feelings on the issue and you will be

fine.

>

[Guest guest]

This is the puzzling part -- we had an IEP meeting and they wrote it

as if he was gong to 1st grade, they suggested regular ed/inclusion -

with some classroom modifications. He also will continue speech and

OT. Yet, they said Kindergarten might be the better choice so Garrett

could master some social and academic skills -- My problem is that

some of the social awkardness that Garrett has I understood may take

a long time for him to overcome.

I appreciate you letting me know how things have gone with your son.

I will research some more about the dysgraphia and talk with my

doctor about it. Thanks for your insight!

>

> ...

>

> Our son spent an extra year in preschool, so that he was always

one year

> older than most of his classmates. It sounds like your son needs

an IEP and

> services from the school instead of holding him back a year in

kindergarten.

> Not being able to get thoughts to paper is dysgraphia, which my

son also

> has....along with NVLD. My son is 18 and graduating high school

in another

> week....he is currently on the honor roll and has participated in

the school drama

> productions for the past three years...he also has a best friend

(who attends

> a different high school) and a girlfriend that will be going to

the senior

> prom with him. Be encouraged...it will be difficult while he is

in the lower

> grades...but we did not get our dx until my son was 11 and he has

overcome so

> much over the past several years. Be an advocate for your son and

keep

> pushing the school to do the right thing...

>

> Blessings,

> Gail

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Melaine,

I can only speak form my own personal experience, but we made the decision last

year to hold our son back and have him repeat kindergarten. He was socially

struggling at kindergarten and yet like your son was fine in other places where

he felt most comfortable. It was a difficult decision made even harder as I

listened to the other parents talk excitedly about their children starting

school. I also wondered if another year would make that much difference when he

would most likely struggle with school anyway.

Half a year in and I have to say that it was without a doubt the best decision

that we could have made. He is a totally different kid at kindergarten this

year. Last year he didn't interact with the kids at all, this year he is not

only interacting but dominating the play at times. He knows the routines there

and he is so comfortable, he's the big kid there now and he can help the new

kids because he knows where everything is and how it works. Last year he didn't

get invited to one party this year he is always going off to parties. By far

the best thing is just taking him to kinder and picking him up, hearing other

children call out " hey Isaac " and " see you next time Isaac " it makes me want to

burst with happiness.

I am sure that if I had sent him to school this year he would have had another

year of struggling to fit in with new peers, instead he is having confident

happy year at kinder and will go off to school with the skills and confidence to

interact with his peers.

Beck

( ) Newly diagnosed AS and need advice on school

placement

Our son was diagnosed with AS about a month ago - he is six and has

just finished kindergarten. He has been receiving services from the

school because he was previously diagnosed with Signifact Delays when

he was three. My question is this - the school is recommending we

hold him back for one more year in kindergarten. Their main issues

center on the social aspect - many of things they site as problems

like initiating conversations, etc. Garrett has no problem with at

home and church. Garrett does have awkard moments but I don't know if

another year in Kindergarten will help. The second issue is academic --

Garrett is very bright but has trouble getting the knoweldge out of his

head and on to the paper. Has any one dealt with holding their child

back? And what did you end up doing and why? Thanks in advance for

your advice.

[Guest guest]

Subject: Re: ( ) Newly diagnosed AS and need advice on school

placement

This is the puzzling part -- we had an IEP meeting and they wrote it

as if he was gong to 1st grade, they suggested regular ed/inclusion -

with some classroom modifications. He also will continue speech and

OT. Yet, they said Kindergarten might be the better choice so Garrett

could master some social and academic skills -- My problem is that

some of the social awkardness that Garrett has I understood may take

a long time for him to overcome.

I appreciate you letting me know how things have gone with your son.

I will research some more about the dysgraphia and talk with my

doctor about it. Thanks for your insight!

We did not hold our kids back because all of the problems they were having

were due to autism, which is a lifelong disability/struggle. A lot of

people I personally know have held their kids back a year or more - it is

almost standard in my school system - and there are mixed reviews. Some

wish they hadn't, others are pleased that they did. It is really a mixed

bag and there are good points to going either way.

Roxanna

[Guest guest]

They want to hold my son back in one year (he has one yaer left in spec ed room)

so that he can " fit in " better. The good point here is that my son is tiny

anyway so he won't stand out but I worry about this decision as well. I've

thought about homeschooling him at that point. I homeschool my 11 yo aspie

daughternow and love it. Any input from others, I'd love to read!

Re: ( ) Newly diagnosed AS and need advice on school

placement

This is the puzzling part -- we had an IEP meeting and they wrote it

as if he was gong to 1st grade, they suggested regular ed/inclusion -

with some classroom modifications. He also will continue speech and

OT. Yet, they said Kindergarten might be the better choice so Garrett

could master some social and academic skills -- My problem is that

some of the social awkardness that Garrett has I understood may take

a long time for him to overcome.

I appreciate you letting me know how things have gone with your son.

I will research some more about the dysgraphia and talk with my

doctor about it. Thanks for your insight!

We did not hold our kids back because all of the problems they were having

were due to autism, which is a lifelong disability/struggle. A lot of

people I personally know have held their kids back a year or more - it is

almost standard in my school system - and there are mixed reviews. Some

wish they hadn't, others are pleased that they did. It is really a mixed

bag and there are good points to going either way.

Roxanna

[Guest guest]

Roxanna,

I hope I am doing this right! :-) I have just started the

groups thing..

I am both a mom of a child diagnosed with Asperger's and a school

counselor. First of all, you DO NOT HAVE to sign an IEP at the

meeting!!!! You can take it home and read it for a couple of days.

If it is not what you feel is best for your son, you can ask to meet

again and discuss anything you want to. They must attempt to work

with you. Please tell me what kind of town/city do you live in? If

it's a large city, contact your special ed dept to see if they have a

parent resource center in your school system as mine does. If not,

ask if there is a special ed person at your son's school who could

sped time discussing things with you, to explain things if you have a

question. We have special ed coordinators who are " above " the school

level and who are more aware of the laws. DO NOT STOP ASKING YOUR

QUESTIONS! :-) The school MUST provide an adequate program for your

son. It sounds to me like he might do well in an inclusion setting

if that is where he has been successful so far. The speech and OT

can happen no matter what his placement. It sounds like the issue is

one of the social skills. I am not a doctor, but if it doesn't soudn

right TO YOU for YOUR SON, then ask his physician, ask his counselor,

don't stop until you get what you know he needs. I don't think it is

appropriate for a child to be half in one grade and half in another.

There MUST be a special ed person trained in your area; The same way

there are OT and speech services, there should be an annual goal

listed on his IEP for social skill development and there is NO reason

why this has to happen in a regular ed kindergarten situation. Now,

if they are going to group him in a special ed class with

kindergarteners who are also working on social skills, that might

make more sense. Please respond and let's see if I can offer any

ideas?? :-)

>

>

> Subject: Re: ( ) Newly diagnosed AS and need advice

on school

> placement

>

> This is the puzzling part -- we had an IEP meeting and they wrote

it

> as if he was gong to 1st grade, they suggested regular

ed/inclusion -

> with some classroom modifications. He also will continue speech

and

> OT. Yet, they said Kindergarten might be the better choice so

Garrett

> could master some social and academic skills -- My problem is that

> some of the social awkardness that Garrett has I understood may

take

> a long time for him to overcome.

>

> I appreciate you letting me know how things have gone with your

son.

> I will research some more about the dysgraphia and talk with my

> doctor about it. Thanks for your insight!

>

>

> We did not hold our kids back because all of the problems they were

having

> were due to autism, which is a lifelong disability/struggle. A lot

of

> people I personally know have held their kids back a year or more -

it is

> almost standard in my school system - and there are mixed reviews.

Some

> wish they hadn't, others are pleased that they did. It is really a

mixed

> bag and there are good points to going either way.

>

> Roxanna

>

[Guest guest]

I don't understand..how can your son have one year left in a special

ed room? :-)

>

> They want to hold my son back in one year (he has one yaer left in

spec ed room) so that he can " fit in " better. The good point here is

that my son is tiny anyway so he won't stand out but I worry about

this decision as well. I've thought about homeschooling him at that

point. I homeschool my 11 yo aspie daughternow and love it. Any

input from others, I'd love to read!

> Re: ( ) Newly diagnosed AS and need

advice on school

> placement

>

> This is the puzzling part -- we had an IEP meeting and they wrote

it

> as if he was gong to 1st grade, they suggested regular

ed/inclusion -

> with some classroom modifications. He also will continue speech

and

> OT. Yet, they said Kindergarten might be the better choice so

Garrett

> could master some social and academic skills -- My problem is

that

> some of the social awkardness that Garrett has I understood may

take

> a long time for him to overcome.

>

> I appreciate you letting me know how things have gone with your

son.

> I will research some more about the dysgraphia and talk with my

> doctor about it. Thanks for your insight!

>

>

> We did not hold our kids back because all of the problems they

were having

> were due to autism, which is a lifelong disability/struggle. A

lot of

> people I personally know have held their kids back a year or

more - it is

> almost standard in my school system - and there are mixed

reviews. Some

> wish they hadn't, others are pleased that they did. It is really

a mixed

> bag and there are good points to going either way.

>

> Roxanna

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Kerry,

My name is and I'm actually the one that is seeking advice on

grade placement for my son. I think Roxanne was just

responding...anyway, we did exactly what you suggested -- we went to

the meeting and did not make a commitment to the IEP or placement.

Kindergarten is not mandatory in the state of Georgia - so it's

really the parents decision. Garrett's been in the special education

program since 3 and was in an regualr ed/inclusion class this year.

Anyway, yesterday we got Garrett's report card - and except for a

couple of areas in writing skills marked as " Needs Improvement "

everything else he accomplished and the recommendation from the GKAP

(Georgia's kindergarten assesment test to determine if ready for 1st

grade) showed Garrett ready for 1st grade academically.

Socially some of things the IEP team brought up are really non-issues

to us because Garrett approaches his peers at church and in our

neighborhood, he has several friends at school that he plays with-

Garrett's big deficit is picking up on social cues - which again

training has been written into the IEP.

To make this long story a little shorter, both our pediatrician and

the psychologist that diagnosed Garrett recommend us moving Garrett

to first grade. Not to say that it won't be a struggle - but I

don't think it would ever be an easy jump. Secondly, at the IEP

meeting the principal asked the teachers (his regular teacher and the

inclusion/special ed teacher) what they would accomplish by Garrett

remaining in Kindergarten -- and they could not give a straight

answer. So, we've decided to put Garrett in 1st grade. It's hard

going against the schools recommendations - and I guess that is where

the doubt of whether we're doing the right thing comes in.

The special services dept. has been a joke -- they were suppose to

test Garrett back in March for further/additional learning

disabilities --and have not begun any testing -- the only reason we

have the AS diagnosis is because we went through our pediatrian to

get some testing done independently. Anyway, school is out now and

they said they hoped to test Garrett sometime this summmer (I'll

believe it when I see it)

I welcome whatever advice or ideas you have in dealing with the

school. We did write a letter to the school stating our reasons for

putting Garrett in 1st grade and some of concerns regarding this

whole matter.

:-)

> >

> >

> > Subject: Re: ( ) Newly diagnosed AS and need

advice

> on school

> > placement

> >

> > This is the puzzling part -- we had an IEP meeting and they wrote

> it

> > as if he was gong to 1st grade, they suggested regular

> ed/inclusion -

> > with some classroom modifications. He also will continue speech

> and

> > OT. Yet, they said Kindergarten might be the better choice so

> Garrett

> > could master some social and academic skills -- My problem is

that

> > some of the social awkardness that Garrett has I understood may

> take

> > a long time for him to overcome.

> >

> > I appreciate you letting me know how things have gone with your

> son.

> > I will research some more about the dysgraphia and talk with my

> > doctor about it. Thanks for your insight!

> >

> >

> > We did not hold our kids back because all of the problems they

were

> having

> > were due to autism, which is a lifelong disability/struggle. A

lot

> of

> > people I personally know have held their kids back a year or

more -

> it is

> > almost standard in my school system - and there are mixed

reviews.

> Some

> > wish they hadn't, others are pleased that they did. It is really

a

> mixed

> > bag and there are good points to going either way.

> >

> > Roxanna

> >

>