Dani Marks
04-24-2006, 01:23 AM
Hi,
I am the mom of two precious little boys, ages 4 and 6. My oldest, Andrew, was recently diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome and Hyperlexia in January 2006. The developmental pediatrician that diagnosed him basically just said, "Yep! He's got it! I think he will be fine. Good Luck and we will see you back here in about 6 months."
I guess I should start from the beginning... I will try to be brief.
Andrew was reading at age 3 1/2 and it was self taught and he could count to 50 at 2 1/2 and to 100 by age 3. He started spelling words outloud at around age 4. I was completely amazed as was everyone else in the family. We had always known that he was a little different somehow but never could really put our finger on it. As a baby he would look intensly at the pictures on his bottle and was facinated with stop signs. As a matter of fact, STOP was the first word he learned to spell and he had just barely started talking. H didn't really talk much until around age two and then it was only a handful of words that he would say. However, he would call out the letters of the alphabet adn the numbers as we wrote them down. He was and still is facinated with NASCAR. At 3 yrs old and even still now, he could/can tell you who drives what car, thet type of car they drive, the number on the car and who spnsors each car. NASCAR is his main subject of interest.
I never tried to read too much into anything he did or didn't do when he was younger because we were just glad that he was here for us to love. We had lost 2 babies before having him and we we just thankful to have him. I marveled in everything he did and tried not to worry about him being different somehow.
When he was in Pre-k we pushed to have him tested for his IQ, knowing that he was a very bright child, and it took all year but they finally agreed to it at the end of the school year. He was tested by the county BOE last summer. He scored genius levels in reading and math (5th grade level in reading and 3rd grade level in math). He is in Kindergarten this year. On this psychological test they said that he was borderline for Asperger's Syndrome. (I had never heard of this until now). We had a meeting at the beginning of this school year to go over the results of this test and at that time I asked them if I should have him retested for this Asperger's Syndrome. They told me "No, don't do that right now, he is fine!" I didn't agree once I looked it up on the internet and saw exactly what it was. And so, the route to our diagnoses.
I am still very overwhelmed about it all adn very confused. There seem to be so many conflicting opinions and contradictory statements about this disorder. The school doesn't seem to want to do anything for him except give him speech therapy twice a week for 30 minutes each time. They are not challenging him at all, it seems that they just want to hold him back until he levels out with the rest of his peers in academics adn they aren't helping him with his social needs, or his sensory needs, or occupational needs at all either; even thought I get reports from his teacher that he still has some problems with some of his fine motor skills and some of his gross motor skills. His teacher also tell me that "He has GOT to socialize!" But then will also tell me that he will come to her and name 4 or 5 kids and say "I want to run!" and she will tell him, "OK Andrew, just got play then."
I am SO frusterated with these people that I have even thought about pulling him out of school and home schooling him myself; but then that wouldn't help him socially either... so what am I to do? My husband an I are still learning ourselves and I am not sure what to do or how to do it or what route to take.
I have been told by a woman that has a doctorite in teaching Autistic kids that they have to allow him to learn at his level as well as helping him in these other difficult areas or he may become agressive or shut down completely, neither of which I want to happen. But they refuse to give him harder work. They say that he has to do his Kindergarten work.
I just feel lost and I don't know what to do. I have tried to fight the school on these matters and I get nothing but treated badly. I admit that I don't really know what I am doing, I have read some of the laws on NCLB and IDEA and also have taken the school a letter of medical necessity from his developmental ped. and still they do nothing. I have had to quit my job because of all of these pointless meetings and to have the time I need to do research to hopefully be able to continue to fight for my son and hopefully get something accomplished.
Is anyone else in this situation or know what I am going thru. Anyone that can maybe offer some advice or help. Anything at this point would be greatly appreciated! Sorry for venting so much. I really am a pleasent person, I just feel like I am a grouch these days.:confused: :sad: trying to:)
Dani
I am the mom of two precious little boys, ages 4 and 6. My oldest, Andrew, was recently diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome and Hyperlexia in January 2006. The developmental pediatrician that diagnosed him basically just said, "Yep! He's got it! I think he will be fine. Good Luck and we will see you back here in about 6 months."
I guess I should start from the beginning... I will try to be brief.
Andrew was reading at age 3 1/2 and it was self taught and he could count to 50 at 2 1/2 and to 100 by age 3. He started spelling words outloud at around age 4. I was completely amazed as was everyone else in the family. We had always known that he was a little different somehow but never could really put our finger on it. As a baby he would look intensly at the pictures on his bottle and was facinated with stop signs. As a matter of fact, STOP was the first word he learned to spell and he had just barely started talking. H didn't really talk much until around age two and then it was only a handful of words that he would say. However, he would call out the letters of the alphabet adn the numbers as we wrote them down. He was and still is facinated with NASCAR. At 3 yrs old and even still now, he could/can tell you who drives what car, thet type of car they drive, the number on the car and who spnsors each car. NASCAR is his main subject of interest.
I never tried to read too much into anything he did or didn't do when he was younger because we were just glad that he was here for us to love. We had lost 2 babies before having him and we we just thankful to have him. I marveled in everything he did and tried not to worry about him being different somehow.
When he was in Pre-k we pushed to have him tested for his IQ, knowing that he was a very bright child, and it took all year but they finally agreed to it at the end of the school year. He was tested by the county BOE last summer. He scored genius levels in reading and math (5th grade level in reading and 3rd grade level in math). He is in Kindergarten this year. On this psychological test they said that he was borderline for Asperger's Syndrome. (I had never heard of this until now). We had a meeting at the beginning of this school year to go over the results of this test and at that time I asked them if I should have him retested for this Asperger's Syndrome. They told me "No, don't do that right now, he is fine!" I didn't agree once I looked it up on the internet and saw exactly what it was. And so, the route to our diagnoses.
I am still very overwhelmed about it all adn very confused. There seem to be so many conflicting opinions and contradictory statements about this disorder. The school doesn't seem to want to do anything for him except give him speech therapy twice a week for 30 minutes each time. They are not challenging him at all, it seems that they just want to hold him back until he levels out with the rest of his peers in academics adn they aren't helping him with his social needs, or his sensory needs, or occupational needs at all either; even thought I get reports from his teacher that he still has some problems with some of his fine motor skills and some of his gross motor skills. His teacher also tell me that "He has GOT to socialize!" But then will also tell me that he will come to her and name 4 or 5 kids and say "I want to run!" and she will tell him, "OK Andrew, just got play then."
I am SO frusterated with these people that I have even thought about pulling him out of school and home schooling him myself; but then that wouldn't help him socially either... so what am I to do? My husband an I are still learning ourselves and I am not sure what to do or how to do it or what route to take.
I have been told by a woman that has a doctorite in teaching Autistic kids that they have to allow him to learn at his level as well as helping him in these other difficult areas or he may become agressive or shut down completely, neither of which I want to happen. But they refuse to give him harder work. They say that he has to do his Kindergarten work.
I just feel lost and I don't know what to do. I have tried to fight the school on these matters and I get nothing but treated badly. I admit that I don't really know what I am doing, I have read some of the laws on NCLB and IDEA and also have taken the school a letter of medical necessity from his developmental ped. and still they do nothing. I have had to quit my job because of all of these pointless meetings and to have the time I need to do research to hopefully be able to continue to fight for my son and hopefully get something accomplished.
Is anyone else in this situation or know what I am going thru. Anyone that can maybe offer some advice or help. Anything at this point would be greatly appreciated! Sorry for venting so much. I really am a pleasent person, I just feel like I am a grouch these days.:confused: :sad: trying to:)
Dani