Got my son's report card!

[Luv Bunnies]

My 12 year old son has Asperger's. I posted quite a bit in the fall about how terrible his entry into middle school was going. The district didn't honor his IEP, the aide they assigned never showed up, he went a month without one and then he had a string of 8 unqualified aides over the next 2 months. The teachers didn't want to deal with him. They treated Asperger behavior like bad behavior and sent him to the office several times a day because they didn't know what else to do. We finally hired an attorney to negotiate with the district for us. They basically admitted that they were out of compliance on his IEP and offered us a placement in the private school we requested.

My son started the new school right after Thanksgiving. His program is strictly for kids with Asperger's. There are 29 kids right now, split into groups of 7 or 8 based on their ages. His group follows the regular middle school cirriculum. The teachers recognize that these are really smart kids and they totally understand their needs. There's a behavioral program in place that applies to every kid. The rewards and consequences are consistent for everyone so no one feels like they're being singled-out.

In January, we got his first report card. He had 5 Cs and 1 B. We had a conference with his teachers and they said it was mostly because he wasn't finishing all of his classwork. He was still rebelling and negotiating too much. They said the next set of grades would probably be higher since he would be more settled into the program. Well, they were right! His 3rd quarter grades are 4 Bs and 2 Cs! We are so proud of him. This kid was basically failing math in the regular middle school. He just got a B- in math (up from a C+ last quarter). We are so proud of him!

Since starting the new school, we've been able to cut his anxiety medication by 2/3. We also had our last visit to the psychologist last week. We had been going weekly before he changed schools. He had tons of anxiety, felt like no one liked or understood him. We started cutting down the visits several months ago and now we hardly have anything to talk about with the psych. All of his current behaviors can be attributed to his Asperger's or just good, old puberty. He still complains about going to bed, showers, getting up early, etc. But it's nothing out of the ordinary and nothing we can't handle.

Thanks for letting me share. I hope my son's story gives hope to others who are struggling. The right school and the right set of support people have made all the difference for us!

 

[jacobsmom]

That's so great to hear! I wish more parents were paying attention like you are and fought for their children's futures! Way to go and congratulations to your DS on his progress!

 

[KirstenB]

I remember when you posted about hoping your son could go to the private school etc. I was surprised at how quickly everything happened and was really pulling for you guys!! What an amazing transformation for him. It sounds like this was exactly where he needs to be.

 

[bookwormde]

Good job getting the private school, just curios, how many hours a week of social skills direct or small group instruction does he get. How are they handling the generalization of the skills and maintenance? What are the components of the social skills curriculum (social skills, theory of mind, EF etc). Are they modifying the curriculum to be more suited for visual learners? Yea I know a lot of questions but an always interested in what is happening in areas outside my own area.

I saw you mentioned a behavioral program (most are really poor for AS kids due to the differentials in motivators) they are usually just for the teacher’s benefit (control) not to effectively teach skills. I am actually in the process of taking Jim Ball’s skills streaming program, which seems to be one of the most adaptable “behavioral programs” to Aspergers. (I am not a big “behaviorist” fan because most fail to differentiate between manifestations and behavior), sorry I will get of my soapbox.

I cannot believe the teacher mentioned that he was questioning them (part of our non-discriminatory nature), that sort of goes with the territory. The trick is to keep the discussions productive and non-argumentative.

bookwormde

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Good job getting the private school, just curios, how many hours a week of social skills direct or small group instruction does he get. How are they handling the generalization of the skills and maintenance? What are the components of the social skills curriculum (social skills, theory of mind, EF etc). Are they modifying the curriculum to be more suited for visual learners? Yea I know a lot of questions but an always interested in what is happening in areas outside my own area.

I saw you mentioned a behavioral program (most are really poor for AS kids due to the differentials in motivators) they are usually just for the teacher’s benefit (control) not to effectively teach skills. I am actually in the process of taking Jim Ball’s skills streaming program, which seems to be one of the most adaptable “behavioral programs” to Aspergers. (I am not a big “behaviorist” fan because most fail to differentiate between manifestations and behavior), sorry I will get of my soapbox.

I cannot believe the teacher mentioned that he was questioning them (part of our non-discriminatory nature), that sort of goes with the territory. The trick is to keep the discussions productive and non-argumentative.

bookwormde

Let's see if I can answer these questions:

Part of the cirriculum is a class called Social Thinking. My son's group has the class everyday for 45-55 minutes (depending on the day of the week - Wed and Fri are minimum days). The teacher sends home a note on Mondays explaining what they'll be working on that week. Topics have included being a productive member of a family, personal hygiene, relating to peers, etc. They use lectures, videos, pencil and paper packets and role play to teach the concepts. Parents are asked to reinforce certain concepts at home which we are glad to do! They also take twice monthly field trips into the community - usually to a restaurant - to practice their skills. The kids have to order their own food, pay, count their change and basically act appropriately.

The behaviorial program is based on a points system. The kids can earn points in each of their classes for good behavior, completing work, acting appropriately with peers, etc. They can also lose points. At the end of the week, they can shop for prizes. Major offenses will result in a behavioral contract. It can several weeks worth of points to work off a contract so they are a major deterrent. They also have a system for values. They get different colored beads that they put on a string for displaying good values (empathy, leadership, being helpful, etc.). Kids can award beads to each other and are encouraged to recognize when others exhibit good values. Beads can also be used to purchase prizes in the store.

I'm probably missing something but those are the basics of the program. The behavioral plan was developed by a consultant who has Asperger's himself. He relates really well to the kids and they all look up to him. One of the aides also has Asperger's and has earned an MS in Psychology. I'm sure the program isn't perfect, but it's a far cry from the way my son was being treated in public school. We are thrilled with the results so far.