What I want from Henry's school--
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| Wed, 10-25-2006 - 11:30am |
After reading everyone else's stories, I'm wondering just what I'm getting myself into.
Anyway, I've started the ball rolling to get Henry tested through his school. The sped lady sent home a form for his pediatrician to complete. I just got home from taking that to the office. I included a note with the form to tell Doc M what it was and what I was hoping to get through the school.
We just got Henry's first report card for 1st grade, and he is doing fine academically and fine conduct-wise so I don't think he needs much *right now*.
What I want from the school, aside from the available testing is:
1. social skills help from the guidance counselor--either individually or in a small group
2. special consideration when placing him with a teacher each year
That's all for now.
I think that is more than reasonable.
What do you all think?

Way more than reasonable and you wouldn't even need and IEP for that. In fact they won't likely give you an IEP for that. To have an IEP he has to meet the criteria AND require special education and related services.
However, here are some other things you may want to consider.
1- Social language with a speech pathologist who gets HFA/AS kids. Check out Michelle Garcia Winners website on social thinking. I think it is socialthinking dot com.
2- Occupational therapy for sensory integrate difficulties. You will at least want this evaluated.
3- I would wait in getting all his testing in before making a definite decision on what services he may need. It is going to take them a good 2 months to do all the testing and you will get a better understanding by then on how he is doing particularly socially/emotionally.
Renee
Hmm, I doubt that my ped will say that Henry is "normal" because he's the one who referred me to the psych doc at the Ped. Adolescent Center in the first place.
And my ped is wonderful!! *And* I included a note with the form of the basics of what I was looking to get through the school.
I guess we'll see.
Also, I got a note home from Henry's school yesterday asking for permission to observe him and get his hearing and vision tested.
So the school is doing *something*.
I mean, you'll get the diagnosis from the psych doctor. Pediatricians will refer you to someone else. I actually got referred to two different doctors. It was a third one, who I found on my own, that actually made a diagnosis and my son has significant problems at school.
Re-typing this response as I post on another forum that does not have "Preview", and I keep forgetting to actually his "Post" after I see my preview.
Anyway, I just re-read your post, and I remembered that it was Henry's teacher that suggested the small-group stuff with the guidance counselor during our conference.
I'd like to get that started asap.
Hey there.
For us I got smart after the bad 1st grade teacher to make sure I requested a certain type of teacher for Josh. I got lucky 2x in elementary school. Our 3rd grade teacher wasn't bad but I don't think she totally got Josh (no asperger dx yet but was heading towards ADHD at that time) and her methods didn't work on Josh. Plus my really nasty ex-neighbor(another day another story) I think tried to influence the teacher against my son, in favor of her bully of a child(where the apple didn't fall to far from that tree,
But anyway. I found as Josh got older his needs did change and as we moved closer to our current Dx of Asperger so did what he needed.
Josh has been a early intervention kid from ages 2-4 but nobody thought ASD back then. In 1st grade we felt that OT was a good idea but the teacher was not cooperative with putting in the request. But we got it in 2nd grade. We got Social Skills in 3rd grade but it was not in his IEP but we have since added it in 6th grade offically.
We now have the ffical Dx of Aspergers and he is in 6th grade and is in an Inclusion class.and will stay that way at least through Junior high. We will revisit this need for High School and I may change him to a different enviorment then. We also now got speech and a BiP in place. I figure Josh and ourselves a s a work in progress. Each year brings new changes and each year Josh's needs change too.
just take things one step at a time.
Rina