Anybody else dreading the start of school?

[missypie]

School starts here in one week. DS14, with mild Asperger's and extreme ADD, starts HIGH SCHOOL! This time, the grades count! The school is very competitive...they grade on a 5.0 scale and last year the bottom of the top 10% had a GPA of 5.05.

Also, we haven't found any of his few friends that he has any classes with...there may be a time of him eating lunch alone.

The special ed lady who promised us last spring that she would look over his schedule and make sure he has the "right" teachers hasn't surfaced yet, despite repeated calls and e-mails to her.

Anybody else dreading the start of school?

[SueM in MN]

Group hugs to everyone who is not looking forward to school.
hope it turns out better than you expect.
:grouphug:

[robin09]

School starts here in one week. DS14, with mild Asperger's and extreme ADD, starts HIGH SCHOOL!

Also, we haven't found any of his few friends that he has any classes with...there may be a time of him eating lunch alone.

The special ed lady who promised us last spring that she would look over his schedule and make sure he has the "right" teachers hasn't surfaced yet, despite repeated calls and e-mails to her.

Anybody else dreading the start of school?

I am also drreading the schoolyear. Granted DD6 is only going into 1st grade, but I can hear the complaints already. Just the stress of getting her up on time, dressed and fed is enough to stress me out. DD has adhd, aspergers, ocd and bad reactions to food with color dyes. She is an energized bunny on speed with out any control of her mouth. She is reading well, but fine motor skills are sadly lacking. HEr social skills are horrible, no matter how hard we try to teach her with social stories. Luckily she never notices how people (kids) back away from her. I feel so badly for her.

So in answer to your question I AM DREADING SCHOOL! :guilty:

[mbb]

missypie and Robin:hug:

...and gotta say, nope, not really looking forward to it here, either...but ssshhh, don't let my kids hear me say that!;) LOL!

I agree, it's hard to get them up, and at least "happy" with going to a place that just overwhelms them:(

Then the social pressures...the meetings with teachers and support staff...and explaining it all over again...it overwhelms me too...

Which is why, halfway through the year, we take a break, head to WDW, recharge, and we're ready to go at it again for the home stretch...

It's good to know we're not the only ones feeling the "summer's coming to an end" blues...

:sunny:

[SandrainNC]

This year, I'm not dreading it. But next year my baby starts kindergarten and I am already stressed out about it!

Sandra

[riu girl]

robin: I thought I was the only mom to have an "energizer bunny on speed" little girl :goodvibes DD8 (ADHD/LD) is starting Grade 3 and this will be her first year without an in school support person ( we call them an EA : Education assistant here in Canada). So due to this, I am worried. I never worried in the past since I knew she had her EA with her. But due to behavioural/academic gains over the last couple of years, no EA this year. I am okay about the whole thing but like your child, she has VERY WEAK social skills and just doesn't have any idea about appriopriate peer interaction.
But ont he other hand, she will have the same teacher as this year and this teacher was incredible . So I think things will be ok.

[Michigan]

Oh no, they must go back to school and soon. Megan is babysitting Michaela this summer for the first time. Last months electric bill $154 this month $145. I think they have every light and all the TV's on in the house all day long.

[Lives4Disney]

Missypie - I am SO with you. I also have a 14 yr old starting High School. He has ADD and is a horrible student. The whole school year is painful for all of us in our family. People laugh at me and tell me I am the only mom they know that isn't looking forward to their kids going back to school. I DREAD it. It is the most stressful part of our life here. We have a terrific family & life all except for school. :guilty:

I have the same worries about my son starting HS that you do. His ONE friend is moving right before school starts. That knowledge hit me like a brick. I felt sick to my stomach all week when I found out he wouldn't be there with my son.

We have had nasty, unreasonable teachers & hours of homework that my son either loses or forgets to turn in!! Ya, I am scared of high school where grades count, too. :rolleyes:

My baby starts kindergarden this year, too. :guilty: My older daughter will be in fourth grade. She gets Braille lessons & cane training n school due to her vision impairment, but she is my FANTASTIC student and loves school. I will miss them so much when they are in school. :sad:

Good luck to you all & your kids. Maybe it will be a great school year...... :grouphug:

Lives4Disney :earsgirl:

[JenJen]

My DD who is 10 has ADHD and SID but does wonderful in school. Always has a 4.0 but I think that is because she is a bit OCD and obsesses about her grades.
Son 13 who is aspie, ADD, and possible fragil X (Having test done now) just can not get into the swing of school. I feel so bad because he has to hear about his little sister getting all A's and he struggles just to get a D in some classes. He is in summer school and failed his socail studies class in summer school. I am thinking it may be time for a PA for him in the classroom. I just don't want him to feel as if he needs to keep up with his sister. I tell him just try your best that is all you can do. He has finaly made some friends at this school and if his grades continue this way they will kick him out . It is a private school so there is no special classes.

Good luck to all you mom's and Dad's sending off you precious packages to the school district. Hopefully this year will be a good one!!!
JenJen

[lewdyan1]

We started on Monday, so far not too bad. Most teachers in the school are familiar with my DS IEP and are making the transition into 5th grade great. We are just starting the process for my DD. She qualified for an IEP due to an LD. I called for a CST (child study team) to start the process, but was told they won't call the meeting until September. :(
I hope everyone has a smooth transition! :wizard:

[minkydog]

I just realized why I am glad that school started--because my DS19 finally graduated! He had a perfectly miserable High School experience. His so-called special ed services were laughable--their idea of "helping" when he was failing was to advise him to quit school & get a job. :earseek: Thankfully, it's behind us now; he did graduate(from a home program) and plans to go to college this fall.

On the other hand, DS10 is sooo so happy to be in school and I am soooo so happy for him to be there. He is severely mentally handicapped and summers are difficult. I wish he could go to school year-round. I love him dearly,but he is a lot of work. He has the body of a 10yr with a mind of a toddler--that means getting into stuff, running away, being head-strong & destructive when he is not properly channeled. It's exhausting; it certainly takes a village to raise this child!

Let's hope everybody gets off on the right foot this year. Wishing your kids some fine friends and a wonderful teacher!

[missypie]

Missypie - I am SO with you. I also have a 14 yr old starting High School. He has ADD and is a horrible student. The whole school year is painful for all of us in our family. People laugh at me and tell me I am the only mom they know that isn't looking forward to their kids going back to school. I DREAD it. It is the most stressful part of our life here. We have a terrific family & life all except for school. :guilty:

We have had nasty, unreasonable teachers & hours of homework that my son either loses or forgets to turn in!! Ya, I am scared of high school where grades count, too. :rolleyes:


Good luck to you all & your kids. Maybe it will be a great school year...... :grouphug:

Lives4Disney :earsgirl:

My DS is a horrible student, too. Terrible study skills. I hate that during the school year, he gets so much negativism (is that a word?) thrown at him, including by me. I'm more patient than DH, but I'm no saint. I admit to having blown up at him, like when we find out about a "six week project" that he hasn't done and it's due in 3 days, or that he can't study his English notes for finals because he hasn't actually taken any all semester.

Because he gets decent grades (due to lots of family blood, sweat and tears), the school always wants him to get less and less assistance. Their argument - EVEN AS EARLY AS 7TH GRADE - is always, "He won't have any special help in college." Well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I always ask when they take the deaf kids' sign language interpreters away from them - that's when I'll agree to taking away special services for DS.

Here I'm getting myself all riled up, and school hasn't even started. :rolleyes:

[missypie]

I just realized why I am glad that school started--because my DS19 finally graduated! He had a perfectly miserable High School experience. His so-called special ed services were laughable--their idea of "helping" when he was failing was to advise him to quit school & get a job. :earseek: Thankfully, it's behind us now; he did graduate(from a home program) and plans to go to college this fall.

On the other hand, DS10 is sooo so happy to be in school and I am soooo so happy for him to be there. He is severely mentally handicapped and summers are difficult. I wish he could go to school year-round. I love him dearly,but he is a lot of work. He has the body of a 10yr with a mind of a toddler--that means getting into stuff, running away, being head-strong & destructive when he is not properly channeled. It's exhausting; it certainly takes a village to raise this child!

Let's hope everybody gets off on the right foot this year. Wishing your kids some fine friends and a wonderful teacher!

Minkydog, what do you think your 19 year old is going to do "when he grows up?" Has he received any decent career counseling?

[MommytoMJM]

Errrr, I am dreading MJ starting school so much that I have decided to homeschool her.....

[Lives4Disney]

Missypie - I think we are living parallel (sp?) lives!! Or our kids are! :guilty:

I got riled up just reading your post. We used to spend HOURS every night handholding and helping my son get the work done. His grades are terrible, though as he loses & forgets to turn the work in. THAT really ticks us off. I totally understand the negativity. We get so aggravated here, too. It is just so frustrating.

My daughter that is entering Kgarden is pretty much unprepared as ALL our effort went into my son's schooling and she basically got jipped of a lot of my attention when she was young. She was excellent at amusing herself and played very nicely alone when we were helping her brother, but now she isn't as ready as my other kids were at her age. When you have a kid struggling in school, the whole family suffers.

Now that my son is starting high school - we go register him today :eek:- I am just so afraid of the unknown. Everyone says this could be just what he needs - we can always hope. He has only a 504 plan as the school insists he tests too high for an IEP. What a joke. His "accomodations" consist of front of the classroom placement, he can record the class,(woohoo then he'll have to deal with another hour at home listening to it again and trying to take notes), textbooks at home, etc other useless help. ADD is tricky as far as getting an IEP. Anyone with any tips??

GOOD LUCK to everyone this year!! :cheer2:

Lives4Disney :earsgirl:

[minkydog]

Minkydog, what do you think your 19 year old is going to do "when he grows up?" Has he received any decent career counseling?


Career counseling? Haha. His dad & I have counseled him :"Cut your hair!Get a job!" I fully expect him to call me some day from LA to say he's living on the beach and acting in commercials & selling hot dogs. I have no idea what he's gonna do when he grows up. He wants to be in theater; its the only thing that ever really sparked him. So we'll see what happens in college. Lots of kids have started off in one major, only to find something better along the way.

[Lives4Disney]

Career counseling?? What is that??

My son wants to be a Blackjack dealer in Vegas. :guilty:

I am afraid he will be living in a cardboard box in the desert, hitchhiking into town everyday to work.

Lives4Disney :earsgirl:

[Katerbug]

My 9yr old son w/autism just loves school but his is not in a "normal" school. His school is strictly for kids with special needs so we don't have to worry about the teasing and homework but we really worry about the future. The school concentrates more on self help skills than academics so we work on those ourselves at home. He will not sit still long enough to be in a regular classroom. We just do our best and hope for the best. :flower:
We also have a 7yr old daughter and I also worry as mentioned by a previous post that she does not get enough attention since we need to spend so much time with her brother, but now that she knows more than he does she has been a real help trying to teach him things. She is so sweet with him it make me tear up just thinking about it. :love:
Goodluck to everyone and their kids this school year, hopefully things will turn out better than expected. :grouphug:

[atatamanukaH]

I have noticed a couple of posts involving children with ADD. I was curious if any of you with ADD children have had your child tested for Sleep Apnea. Most symptoms of ADD are symptoms of Sleep Apnea as well, and it is easily corrected in younger children with the snipping of tonsils and/or adnoids. Just a little info that I found out when going through the Sleep Apnea testing for myself...... :earsboy:

[lovethattink]

School starts Monday for us and I'm not looking forward to it. DS(11) is easily frustrated and either lashes out in anger or completely withdrawals. Homework is a constant battle that I do not look forward to. He accels in math, but really stinks in anything else. He's going to a new school where he doesn't have any friends...yet. He is stressing and I'm trying to keep him positive. On the other hand, he has a life threatening allergy and this new school has really worked with me to keep him safe.

[JenJen]

I have noticed a couple of posts involving children with ADD. I was curious if any of you with ADD children have had your child tested for Sleep Apnea. Most symptoms of ADD are symptoms of Sleep Apnea as well, and it is easily corrected in younger children with the snipping of tonsils and/or adnoids. Just a little info that I found out when going through the Sleep Apnea testing for myself...... :earsboy:

Both of my kids have not been tested for apnea but they both do not snore at all.
I know a lot about apnea because I have it and there are two types obstructional and Nuerological. Although it can cause some attention problems it is not even near the amount of problems a child with ASD has. I wish I could stick a CPAP machine on my DS and DD and all of there problems would disapear but it just is not a realistic expectation. Altough I thankyou for your intrest in helping those with ASD it is not so simple. (I wish it was)
JenJen

[spoon full of sugar]

Reading through this thread, I have noticed alot of the same behavioral issues with school that my son has, takes forever to do homework, forgets to turn it in :earseek: ,even though he has it, just has alot of trouble focusing on things he 's not into. Although he can spend hours taking electronics apart and building new machines :confused3 ? I have never had a teacher suggest he may have ADD or anything like that though, they just say your DS piddles, he doesn't focus etc. Though the way our school system works, they put all the magnet schools in the worst neihborhoods, so, even with his problems he is still one of the better students, and of course the teachers don't have any extra time for him,since they are dealing with the children of drug addicts and such, NO kidding. Any way since you all are obviously experienced with these types of problems do you have any advice? I don't know if I can deal with another year of this, he's going into middle school this year at the advanced and gifted school. They call it COLLEGE PREPORATORY MIDDLE SCHOOL :rolleyes: , no thats not pretencious, :rotfl2: someone help me!

[Lives4Disney]

Spoon Full of Sugar - I am sorry I can't be of any real help. I am in the same boat with my son on a 504 plan for ADD, but it isn't REALLY helping him too much. He barely scraped by in middle school and is now starting HS in about a week. Our family suffers during the school year.

I just had to reply because your son sure sounds a lot like mine! My son is the same way with the electronics and is very mechanical & computer oriented. In 6th grade, they had these complicated graphing type calculators and he got up and explained to the whole class how to use them! Even the "teachers pet" kids didn't understand them until my son showed them. He is awesome at computer games & other things like that, too.

We had my son tested by the school in 1st grade as they were the ones that said there were issues for them. Teachers didn't have the patience to deal with him and the time to keep him on track. I went for a little conference and was shocked at his 1st grade teacher's animosity and anger toward him. She told me (and I still remember her righteous confidence in how she handled him)he was building a log cabin with his crayons and went over to his desk, knocked it over & yelled at him "time out in the corner!" She admitted to yelling at him. She was proud of herself! There was so much more, I went home and felt like I was going to throw up. I didnt' realize how drastically "off" his behavior was in a class situation. His kindergarden teacher was so sweet & accepting and just kind of shrugged & laughed it all off. I felt bad that he was having to deal with this nasty first grade teacher at such a young age!

Through the school testing, he was found eligible for help,(with our arguing and fighting for the help) thus the 504 plan, but tested too high for an IEP. Our Dr. at that time insisted the school was the one with the issues, he "knew" my son and did not think he had ADD. I had to take him to a neurologist and psychiatrist for the diagnosis and have since moved on to another pediatrician. I KNOW there is something up with my son. He absolutely has ADD, but to see him on a one on one, he seems like a normal kid. It is in the group situations he cannot stay focused at all, loses everything (including his new IPOD!), messy, disorganized, can't follow directions....

We live in an upper class area and have terrific schools. My daughter is vision impaired and there was no question for her, she has an IEP and gets EVERYTHING. ADD is just so tricky. We hear often "He doesn't try....He does't care" from the teachers.....We also have a doctor's diagnosis of ADD. You may start with your pediatrician or family dr. Explain the situation. Be VERY careful of the meds. We have tried almost everything available with very poor results, unfortunately. My son had so many horrid side effects including personality changes and wound up in a hospital at one point. Don't let the school pressure you into starting any meds. If you do, go with your gut and if you see any negative changes, be wary. After his 6th grade year, his personality was so nasty (MEAN and ORNERY - which is so unlike him) I weaned him off the meds with the psychiatrist's help.

He is not on any medications and will not be. I am just crossing my fingers that he either can pull it together in HS, or actually bomb out so badly that the issue of the IEP can actually be brought up again. (I feel bad hoping for that, but I don't know what else to do if he doesn't succeed in HS)

Good luck - Hope you find the help that you need! :grouphug:

Lives4Disney :earsgirl:

[atatamanukaH]

Both of my kids have not been tested for apnea but they both do not snore at all.
I know a lot about apnea because I have it and there are two types obstructional and Nuerological. Although it can cause some attention problems it is not even near the amount of problems a child with ASD has. I wish I could stick a CPAP machine on my DS and DD and all of there problems would disapear but it just is not a realistic expectation. Altough I thankyou for your intrest in helping those with ASD it is not so simple. (I wish it was)
JenJen

You do not have to snore to have sleep apnea. It is a sign, but only a sign. There are many sleep disorders out there, not just sleep apnea, but can have the bottom line same effect. If you deprive your body of oxygen while you sleep, you get no benefite from sleep, and the result can be the same symptoms as ADD, or whatever variation you may be involved with.

I was simply relaying information that a licensed physician gave me, so take it for what its worth. Believe me....I think I would have my child sleep tested before putting them on a variaty of medications that could end up doing more harm than good, but again, thats just me......

[cathyz]

I can't imagine sending my DS13 (Aspergers and ADD) back this year. He's supposed to start 7th grade; oour Middle School is 5-8. I decided to homeschool him this year. It was a really tough decision and I really hope it's the right one! I can totally understand where you're coming from, though. Kids are mean enough,as it is. But, with an 'Aspie' child it's so tough to watch!

[minkydog]

I can't imagine sending my DS13 (Aspergers and ADD) back this year. He's supposed to start 7th grade; oour Middle School is 5-8. I decided to homeschool him this year. It was a really tough decision and I really hope it's the right one! I can totally understand where you're coming from, though. Kids are mean enough,as it is. But, with an 'Aspie' child it's so tough to watch!

You know, this is exactly why we homeschooled my DS through the middle school years. And it was a very tough decision, because he was begging to go to school. But I knew in my heart that he needed more protection than they could give him. He has severe ADD and learning disabilities, so school is hard wherever it is. But at least at home nobody makes fun of you or puts you down.

BTW--he eventually transitioned successfully into high school, where he did well socially, but failed academically. He recently graduated from a home school program, American School.

[missypie]

You know, this is exactly why we homeschooled my DS through the middle school years. And it was a very tough decision, because he was begging to go to school. But I knew in my heart that he needed more protection than they could give him. He has severe ADD and learning disabilities, so school is hard wherever it is. But at least at home nobody makes fun of you or puts you down.

BTW--he eventually transitioned successfully into high school, where he did well socially, but failed academically. He recently graduated from a home school program, American School.

What's he doing now?

I am so interested in what happens to these kids after high school, but I can find so little info. on the degree of college success vs. failure, the employment outlook, etc. I'm so afraid of my DS living an adult life of boredom, poverty and drudgery due to "underemployment." He's so bright, but such a poor student.

[kathyk2]

I would strongly encourage parents who are worried about their child's job prospects to become familiar with the vocational rehabilitation agency in your state. They can assist your child with things like interest testing, job coaching and possibly help with college expenses. If your child has an IEP transition planning should start at 14.

[minkydog]

What's he doing now?

I am so interested in what happens to these kids after high school, but I can find so little info. on the degree of college success vs. failure, the employment outlook, etc. I'm so afraid of my DS living an adult life of boredom, poverty and drudgery due to "underemployment." He's so bright, but such a poor student.

At the moment he is waiting for college to start and half-heartedly looking for a job.John is a bright kid who sometimes needs a "swift kick in the pants" to get motivated. Most recently he has talked about going out West to live with my sister in Seattle, maybe go to school out there, but for the moment he is planning to live at home and go to a community college. We have cut way back on his "free ride" forcing him to do yard work & odd jobs for extra cash until he lands a job. (poor baby, haha)

Interestingly, his friends are either college or military-bound, all good students with good character. John has never done drugs or had run-ins with the law,even though he has battled severe depression for the last 5 years(which makes him unfit for military, sadly). He has been doing well, although on an unusual track, for the last 9 months and I expect he will find his flow.

[missypie]

Okay...so school started yesterday. It was so sad. DS managed to actually make friends in middle school...there was a group of kids in his gifted class that were just about as quirky as he is. NONE of those kids are in his classes. I keep reminding him that he didn't know any of his middle school friends when he started middle school, but he has such a hard time making friends that we're all disappointed.

Second issue: It was always in his IEP to have a home set of books, because he has such a hard time remembering which books to bring home at night. At his ARD in the spring, the rep. from the high school said we didn't need to put that in, because it would be easy to get extra books. Why did I listen to her? Now we can't get the books and it's not in his IEP. I WILL call a meeting just for that issue if I need to.

Oh, I hate shifting into this "lioness mommy" mode.

[Selket]

I'm dreading the start of school too (starts next Monday for us). My older son (age 7) is starting 3rd grade and had a lot of trouble last year paying attention in class - so much so that he was evaluated for ADD. The school determined he didn't have it - and I'm not sure he does - but he does seem to have some of the issues associated it with and reading some of the posts here (about forgetting to turn in work, not paying attention at school, not following directions) it rings a bell. He isn't nearly as bad at home with all this than at school however....and he is only 7 so perhaps we have more control than one does over an older kid.

Just about all of the parents with boys in his 2nd grade class last year had a problem with this particular teacher (she apparently favored girls over boys - NONE of the parents with boys liked her at all and all the boys struggled). I'm hoping this year for better things.

Anyway I'm just wondering at what point you knew that your child was ADD? He plays well with others and socializes well, etc. He plays on sports teams and so forth and seems really typical until it comes to school. I can't tell if we hit a bump in the road with the teacher or ? My younger son (age 3) was dx'd with type 1 diabetes last year and is also highly allergic to peanuts so he has been an extra handful. I'm wondering if all the attention we've had to focus on those issues has caused this.

Hope we all have a good year at school.

[3kidsmommy]

On the other hand, DS10 is sooo so happy to be in school and I am soooo so happy for him to be there. He is severely mentally handicapped and summers are difficult. I wish he could go to school year-round. I love him dearly,but he is a lot of work. He has the body of a 10yr with a mind of a toddler--that means getting into stuff, running away, being head-strong & destructive when he is not properly channeled. It's exhausting; it certainly takes a village to raise this child!

This sounds so much like my 7 year old ds! Chandler is in a mainstreamed P1/P2 classroom this year, the same one as last year, with a one on one aide and resource pull out for 2 1/2 hours a day. He has autism, mental retardation, SID, and ADHD. Although he is 7, he sees the world through the eyes of a much younger child--between 2 and 5 depending on the certain skill.
Anyway, we started school on August 15 and the first week was HORRID!!! I have already called an ARC meeting and have not been a very nice person to the staff who refuse to follow his IEP. UGH...our school has a new prinicipal and she has no clue. I am struggling with the decision to keep him in his current placement (at the P2 level this year and he can't read nor write, doesn't understand one to one coorespondance so no math skills can be taught--yet he is verbal and his reading comprehension is awesome--when he is read to, obviously) or place him in the FMD room...I hate the school year. My younger son, 6, is loving P1 and my dd, 10, is top dog in 5th grade and thus far loving it. So, my worries are all about Chandler.

[missypie]

I'm dreading the start of school too (starts next Monday for us). My older son (age 7) is starting 3rd grade and had a lot of trouble last year paying attention in class - so much so that he was evaluated for ADD. The school determined he didn't have it - and I'm not sure he does - but he does seem to have some of the issues associated it with and reading some of the posts here (about forgetting to turn in work, not paying attention at school, not following directions) it rings a bell. He isn't nearly as bad at home with all this than at school however....and he is only 7 so perhaps we have more control than one does over an older kid.

Just about all of the parents with boys in his 2nd grade class last year had a problem with this particular teacher (she apparently favored girls over boys - NONE of the parents with boys liked her at all and all the boys struggled). I'm hoping this year for better things.

Anyway I'm just wondering at what point you knew that your child was ADD? He plays well with others and socializes well, etc. He plays on sports teams and so forth and seems really typical until it comes to school. I can't tell if we hit a bump in the road with the teacher or ? My younger son (age 3) was dx'd with type 1 diabetes last year and is also highly allergic to peanuts so he has been an extra handful. I'm wondering if all the attention we've had to focus on those issues has caused this.

Hope we all have a good year at school.

Our son is extraordinarly distractable. He's never had the "H" part of ADHD. He just gets distracted by ANYTHING. Last year he had Algebra 1st period. We figured out that he needed to take his Concerta earlier in the morning when he told us that his teacher had pictues on her wall and he couldn't look away from them and that the pictures moved! Kinda hard to learn Algebra when there's a movie going on right in front of you!

Pretty early on, DS was able to tell us that his thoughts were "jittery."

[Earstou]

Four days into the school year and already I get a call!! Aaaghhh! My ds was "inappropriate". Duh! He won't talk to the teacher. Duh. I explained that being ASD that this was pretty normal. The teacher than went on a rant about how she knows he did it on purpose because he was mad (about being in study hall). I almost told her to stop and take a deep breath, but decided that might really start the year off bad!
She is his study hall teacher. The reason he is in study hall is to try to keep him on track (assignments in on time) since this is his first year in middle school. This was the schools suggestion. She was questioning ME why he was in study hall. So I have a feeling she will be no help to him at all.
So, when my son arrived home, I talked to him. The teacher had made him do work on the computer when he was done with his homework. He says it is 1+1 type of problems. This is middle school and ds is in the gifted program. The "inappropriate" thing he did was type "this is stupid".

Now, I agree he shouldn't have typed "this is stupid", but I don't think it warranted a call home. But on the other hand, I now know what kind of teacher he has and I will be in school tomorrow to try to get him out of the study hall or get the situation corrected!!!

[SueM in MN]

So, when my son arrived home, I talked to him. The teacher had made him do work on the computer when he was done with his homework. He says it is 1+1 type of problems. This is middle school and ds is in the gifted program. The "inappropriate" thing he did was type "this is stupid".

Now, I agree he shouldn't have typed "this is stupid", but I don't think it warranted a call home. But on the other hand, I now know what kind of teacher he has and I will be in school tomorrow to try to get him out of the study hall or get the situation corrected!!!
This sounds like something I did in 9th grade. I won't go into the boring description of what we did in Social Studies on other days, but Tues and Wed were devoted to looking up long lists of words in a dictioninary, writing out the definitions and then using each definition of the word correctly in sentence. This was meant to "increase our vocabulary". My best friend and I found it an incredible waste of our time, especially considering that both of us were in advanced classes (the advanced SS class was full) and had been reading books from the adult section of the library since 3rd grade. (We were such geeks that we read the encyclopedia for fun in 3rd grade! Perfect friends!).
We wrote a few sentences that mirrored our frustration. We figured the teacher could not possibly read all the sentences from all the students, so we increased the number of things we wrote until it was pretty obvious we were bored.
My mom got called into the Assistant Principal's office with me. They didn't quite know what to do with my friend and me. We were quietly doing our work, were completing it to the "T", the only thing that was negative about it was the [i]content[i] of what we were writing. (In fact, as my mother pointed out as she read some of the sentences, they were well constructed and used the given words effectively.) We never wrote anything threatening or anything that was un-true, more things like:
Retirement: "Mr. X's retirement would be a cause for jubilation."
Effective: "Writing definitions and sentences is an effective means to induce boredom in a large number of students." or "Effective education involves actively teaching the students, rather than relying on inappropriate levels of repetition."
My mother stood up for me and said that it was not fair to punish me as long as I was doing the work (to the "nth degree"), not sharing my perceptions and not disrupting the class. All I was doing was quietly expressing my opinion. It was decided that the 2 friends needed to be separated. My friend was "sprung" and got into a better class. I had to stay in the old class and I wrote fewer negative sentences (but I'm sure the teacher did not understand some of them because I increased the complexity of the language).
Anyway, hugs to you and your son. If the study hall is anything like the ones I am familiar with, not much studying gets done there anyway.
Do they have any kind of "resource room?" If they do, that might be more helpful.

[missypie]

Four days into the school year and already I get a call!! Aaaghhh! My ds was "inappropriate". Duh! He won't talk to the teacher. Duh. I explained that being ASD that this was pretty normal. The teacher than went on a rant about how she knows he did it on purpose because he was mad (about being in study hall). I almost told her to stop and take a deep breath, but decided that might really start the year off bad!
She is his study hall teacher. The reason he is in study hall is to try to keep him on track (assignments in on time) since this is his first year in middle school. This was the schools suggestion. She was questioning ME why he was in study hall. So I have a feeling she will be no help to him at all.
So, when my son arrived home, I talked to him. The teacher had made him do work on the computer when he was done with his homework. He says it is 1+1 type of problems. This is middle school and ds is in the gifted program. The "inappropriate" thing he did was type "this is stupid".

Now, I agree he shouldn't have typed "this is stupid", but I don't think it warranted a call home. But on the other hand, I now know what kind of teacher he has and I will be in school tomorrow to try to get him out of the study hall or get the situation corrected!!!

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: They mainstream our kids -as they should be - but then the teachers don't know that what they consider "misbehavior" IS our kids' normal behavoir.

Our DS has mild Asperger's but there is another boy in his grade with quite severe Asperger's. They were in the same 5th grade class. The other boy kept being disciplined for behaving the way a kid with severe Asperger's behaves. :earseek:

What is wild is that we found out at the high school that the school has a POLICY of NOT SHARING a child's diagnosis unless or until a teacher questions the office (as in "What's up with that kid?") So when an autistic child is behaving as an autistic child does, the teacher is in the dark...unless the parents fill the teacher in, which we have.

[Earstou]

What is wild is that we found out at the high school that the school has a POLICY of NOT SHARING a child's diagnosis unless or until a teacher questions the office (as in "What's up with that kid?") So when an autistic child is behaving as an autistic child does, the teacher is in the dark...unless the parents fill the teacher in, which we have.

His study hall teacher attended his IEP meeting at the elementary school last spring, so one would expect her, of all people, to have some understanding here!!!!!
I just have the feeling she will not be helpful at all, that she's one of those teachers who have heard all the info, but choose to believe there's no such thing as Aspergers.

[missypie]

His study hall teacher attended his IEP meeting at the elementary school last spring, so one would expect her, of all people, to have some understanding here!!!!!
I just have the feeling she will not be helpful at all, that she's one of those teachers who have heard all the info, but choose to believe there's no such thing as Aspergers.

I hear ya. Last year at DS's meeting, it was the do-nothing inclusion teacher --the only Special Ed. teacher DS saw -- who lobbied to remove DS from all special services. I wanted to slug her. (Of course, since she did next to nothing with/for DS, having her was LIKE having no special help.)

[JenJen]

I was simply relaying information that a licensed physician gave me, so take it for what its worth. Believe me....I think I would have my child sleep tested before putting them on a variaty of medications that could end up doing more harm than good, but again, thats just me......

I just wanted to point out that none of my kids are on any medications. We manage there symptoms with diet and Vitamin supplements. Medication is a last resort and considering they are 10 and 13 I doubt they will ever be on it. I have a type of apnea where I just stop breathing (nuero) no obstruction so I do not snore at all I am aware of apnea. Just to tickle my fancy I stuck my pulse OX on my son the other night to see if his oxygen level went down at anytime during the night. The lowest it got was 98 for 2 seconds so I don't think it is the problem. But thankyou for your suggestion. I might do it with daughter tonight if I can keep her connected.
JenJen

[Gillian]

I am worried about DS starting kindergarten in a few weeks. For the past few months he's really been acting up in camp. It's run by his preschool, so they know him. He doesn't listen at all.

We've (esp DH) been lax with his bedtime, and he may not be getting enough sleep, but it doesn't seem like that could be the whole problem.

The other day I went to a "graduation" program for a PAL safety thing and he was the only one not paying attention & participating in the singing/poems etc. It made me sick to watch. He was so distracted. I got it on video, but haven't shown DH yet.

Anyway, wish us luck! I expect to hear from his teacher soon.

[*Fantasia*]

I only read the OP's post. ME ME ME!! I am anxious about their school starting and it starts tomorrow!! I have butterflies in my stomach! I am so nervous. And I am going to miss my children! :sad:

[riu girl]

JenJen (or anyone else): I know that this is way off topic, but would you mind sharing a bit about vitamin supplements / diet. DD8 was diagnosed with severe/profound ADHD at 3 and has never been medicated. NOT that it wasn't suggested to us time and time again, we just prefer not to medicate her. She was reassessed last month and the ADHD has gone done to mild. Each year seems easier and easier for her (and for us).

Right now, we don't give her preservatives, dyes, sugar (except natural type found in fruit etc). and thats about it. We also do yoga a lot. Her daily kids vitamin is made by Quest and has extra calcium/magnisium in it (it is supposed to calm her). We also have a HUGE veggie garden and she eats a ton of fresh veggies. But other then that thats about it. I can't imagine not giving her bread (always whoe grains) or milk but I have read that this is something we should consider.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.
I hope I am not offending anyone by stating DD8 is not medicated. I think it is a very personal decision and I respect those that medicate or don't medicate their children.

[JenJen]

JenJen (or anyone else): I know that this is way off topic, but would you mind sharing a bit about vitamin supplements / diet. DD8 was diagnosed with severe/profound ADHD at 3 and has never been medicated. NOT that it wasn't suggested to us time and time again, we just prefer not to medicate her. She was reassessed last month and the ADHD has gone done to mild. Each year seems easier and easier for her (and for us).

Right now, we don't give her preservatives, dyes, sugar (except natural type found in fruit etc). and thats about it. We also do yoga a lot. Her daily kids vitamin is made by Quest and has extra calcium/magnisium in it (it is supposed to calm her). We also have a HUGE veggie garden and she eats a ton of fresh veggies. But other then that thats about it. I can't imagine not giving her bread (always whoe grains) or milk but I have read that this is something we should consider.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.
I hope I am not offending anyone by stating DD8 is not medicated. I think it is a very personal decision and I respect those that medicate or don't medicate their children.

Right now they are at there dads and the supliments are with him. I know one of the things he take is flax seed oil oh and Iron because he was anemic. I know he takes two of something in the morning and two at night. I will get you the information soon.

Diet- Stay away from all sugar and increase the amount of meat or protien in there diet Fish is great if you can get them to eat it. The call it the brain food! I will talk to you soon! and WATER WATER WATER!!!!! I can't say it enough!!!

[missypie]

School year after school year and things don't change. DS is just SO ADD!!!! Last night it took him 5 hours to do about 1 hour of homework. It would go quicker if I could stand over him, but there was a choir parents' meeting to attend, another daughter to pick up from gymnastics, the two girls to feed after gymnastics and dance, their homework and forms to sign, etc., etc. Once the drugs wear off, DS's homework takes so long! Today I had him take his pills 45 minutes later.

[dismom9761]

WOW.I clicked on this thread on accident.It is opening my eyes a little.My DS9 was tested for ADHD when he was 5 yrs old.I was told he was slightly hyper but just immature.He no longer shows signs of being hyper but every school year gets harder and harder.It takes him 3-4 hours to complete his hw this year.IF he remembers to bring home what he needs to do it.he also would get done faster if I could stay right beside him but I have three other children.He is in the gifted program and I am dreading when he gets his extra work for that class.I don't see how he can keep doing his sports if this continues but I hate to punish him when I don't know if this is his fault.He does seem to be trying.
PS-they keep telling me he is immature but he is one of the oldest in his class.

[JenJen]

I just want to send out a word of encouragement to all the parents with these special kids. I know it is a lot of work and fustrating but i believe God only gives these wonderful kids to the most strong parents that he knows can handle it. The main thing is to just shower them in love!!!!! These kids are BRIGHT more so then the average person. They jsut don't know how to turn off their brain. They keep going and going and going!!!!!!
JenJen

[missypie]

I just want to send out a word of encouragement to all the parents with these special kids. I know it is a lot of work and fustrating but i believe God only gives these wonderful kids to the most strong parents that he knows can handle it. The main thing is to just shower them in love!!!!! These kids are BRIGHT more so then the average person. They jsut don't know how to turn off their brain. They keep going and going and going!!!!!!
JenJen

I just wish DH was more of a help. When it's time for DS to do homework, all DH ever does is yell at him to do it. He never sits down and helps him organize, figure out what is most pressing, what he should do first, etc. DH throws so much negativity his way that I sometimes feel that I over compensate. That is why I love the summers so much...we can enjoy DS for the terrific boy that he is, without constant nagging about homework.

[Gillian]

missypie, I hope this school year goes smoothly for you!

JenJen, thanks for the reminder to love our kids. DS has not been diagnosed with anything, and I guess that's what I'm worried about, but whatever happens, it won't change who he is. This is his next to last week at home before he starts real school and I'm just going to appreciate him. :) And make sure he gets to bed early. ;)