Well, there was a cancellation so Trevor will finally have his intake appt at the TEACCH center tomorrow. When I spoke with the Clinical supervisor a few weeks ago, she said that he scored low for autism based on the forms we sent in (filled out very forthrightly). I seem to remember that the forms asked a lot about how he was as a baby and toddler and we didn't see many issues then. (He was remarkably easygoing.) School is just getting worse every week though, and the school psychologist and a district autism specialist are going to observe Trevor in the next week or so in the classroom. I will bring up all these recent issues tomorrow and see what they have to say. It won't be formal testing but just an initial meeting. I sure hope we can get some answers from the school as to how to make things better there. I just blasted my stereo and sobbed for a while, so now I need to get up and get something done.
Shannon
Hang in there. Sometimes it all seems overbearing and that is hard. Take it day by day. If there is a parent support group in your area, give them a visit. Sometimes its nice to talk to other parents in the same boat.We met with a psychoeducational therapist at TEACCH and explained the problems at school--issues with transitions, some meltdowns, social issues, etc. She saw that Trevor was very involved with us and observed him briefly playing with toys. Even with everything I explained about school, she said he just doesn't seem autistic. She recommended that we have him checked for possible ADD or ADHD as well as anxiety issues. Of course I would be very happy if this is the case, but it just doesn't seem to explain everything. (?) I know that kids with ADD often have social problems but it seems like it is due to impulsivity, etc. Trevor is not impulsive with other kids. He just doesn't seem to 'get' them too well and doesn't have too much interest in joining in with them (in a typical way). He seems so much like many of the kids mentioned on here.
She recommended a behavioral pediatrician (knowledgeable about autism) and we will hopefully be able to get in to see him within two months. The school is going to have an autism specialist come in to observe Trevor in class in a couple of weeks as well, so we will see what comes of that. I guess it is just so confusing now, but I am reading Emotions to Advocacy and trying to get ready for the IEP meeting. Trevor's (young twit) teacher has said twice to me that it's just not working for him in her class--I haven't seen her make any efforts like writing down his routines (as I recommended at the beginning of the year). She just seems like she doesn't want to deal with him. Maybe she is not aware of LRE and thinks he will just be sent to some room somewhere out of her hair. Not a good fit with her...
Thanks again for the encouragement.
Shannon