New to Group - 16 yo dd w/Aspergers

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

I just joined this group yesterday. On Thursday, we had our first IEP meeting

where they told us that after testing her towards the end of last year that she

has aspergers. They said that she does not pick up on social cues and that some

of her teachers this year and last year says that she is very child like in her

choice of conversations.

She has a full schedule with a zero period, which means she has seven classes

and she gets to school an hour earlier than most (6:40 a.m.).

What they offered her is one of the following:

1. Do nothing.

2. Social Skills class in her schedule which means she will have to drop one of

her classes (she enjoys all of her classes) and it will rearrange her entire

schedule and new people in all of her classes in order to make it fit.

3. Let her go to Tuesday Lunch Bunch just to hang out with the other kids in

the special ed program.

4. I did ask about her projects at the end of the year and explained that she

is usually overwhelmed with the amount of projects due in a short period of time

and they said that we could ask and receive her assignments earlier and due in

chunks or blocks so not to overwhelm her.

She is getting straight As except for in Spanish III. Apparently there is still

time to level down in a subject so I am going to ask for her to level down to

Spanish II.

If she adds the social skills class, the class will also show up on her

transcript as a Learning Skills class and I am not sure how that will look on

her college applications. I am not sure if it will even matter.

I am thinking that perhaps I could ask if she could perhaps meet with the social

skills teacher once or twice a week during one of her electives or during

spanish II class since she has already taken spanish II.

She seems to get stressed out in class when kids bother her. She wants to

leave.

They said that she goes to the bathroom a lot but rather than come right back to

class she looks for someone that she can talk to.

She tells everyone everything and gets excited about things that her peers would

not get excited about.

Is there any suggestions that you might have for me. I have no idea of what my

options are for her.

I have heard people say " Get an advocate! " Is that something the school

provides or do I have to pay for this? I am a single mother. I do not have the

funds to hire anyone.

Her dad asked in the meeting if there are outside social skills that she could

go to after school and they said, " No " . They said that there are sources within

the community but they do not communicate with the teacher and they are fee

based and the school will not pay for them.

It seems like they put all asperger kids in this particular class and I do not

see the Individuality in this. It is my understanding that the I in IEP is to

meet her individual needs.

What do you recommend or suggest? or what have you found in the high school

level that might work well.

Thank you so much.

A single aspie raising an aspie! (I am sure I have aspergers as well!)