Scoot over. I'm pulling up a chair.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-31-2003
Scoot over. I'm pulling up a chair.
4
Mon, 10-22-2007 - 10:30pm

What have you guys got?

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-07-2003
Mon, 10-22-2007 - 11:14pm

Sorry, I don't keep up well enough here to remember how old your little guy is. My 9yo ds and 12yo dd were diagnosed at the beginning of the year with mild AS. I wanted a formal eval/dx both for my own knowledge, but esp for 9yo ds schooling.

Although ds does quite well generally academically and behaviorally in school, the older he gets, the more we're encountering stuff that affects ds at school. There are certain types of assignments, particularly on tests, that require inferential thinking that ds simply CAN'T do. Ds could give you every fact about whatever subject is being discussed, but he has a very hard time when questions are set up in a way he doesn't understand. Ds still gets great grades, so some people act like I should be happy without accommodations, but I'm NOT happy that they continue to set ds up for failure by making him take tests in a format not suited to him. It's not fair, and it's demoralizing to ds.

Ds also has issues with his handwriting. Some days he does okay, but other days it's a real struggle for him. By simply allowing him more time, he is able to do better. That would not be permitted without an official dx and accommodations.

There are a few other small things that ds is supposed to get accommodations for, which would not be available to him without a dx.

On the downside, ds started a new school this year. When the teacher saw the 504 transfer from the other school, I think she saw ds diagnosis, expected a problem child, and became hyper-vigilant with my ds. My ds had a VERY hard first couple of weeks with the teacher constantly trying to re-direct him any time she thought he wasn't paying attention or was fidgety. They've settled in a bit better together now, but I think having a formal dx made us get off to a rougher start than if the teacher had just gotten to know ds without thinking of him as a potential problem.

If you're happy with how ds is doing in school, then you're right, there's no real reason to get a formal dx. On the other hand, if you think some supports at school might be in order (a lot of the supports weren't things I personally thought of but are what were recommended to me either by the doctors who evaluated ds or were offered by the school during our 504 appt), then go for the dx. Or, if you see signs that more things are becoming a struggle for ds at school, then go for the dx. It took us a long time to get the formal dx, wait for the written dx to give the school, then get the 504 that I was glad I didn't wait any longer than we did.

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-22-2003
Mon, 10-22-2007 - 11:40pm

Liz-


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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-31-2003
Tue, 10-23-2007 - 9:43am

Thank you both!! Garrett is 7 and in the beginning of 2nd grade.

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-07-2003
Tue, 10-23-2007 - 3:48pm

I honestly don't think it is a problem to have the formal dx to be put into your DS records. You can sort of start putting up options now. Most kids with AS tend to do well in the younger grades because the work load is easier. Most like with my son Josh tend to start falling apart as they get older and the wok load gets heavier.


Josh has always had issues with getting the concept of reading. He can read but I don't think the stories make sense to him. He took awhile to get the basic concept of math an still struggles with issues of it.