sleeping through classes | Autism PDD
[QUOTE=Virginia Greys]
I asked today about the other public schools...if there was a chance that the other schools would have a program that would help ds..and their answer was no..they have the same program as the current school. I know that I can fight them (the school) if I have the ammunition...I have to as a mom....but I will tell you...that sometimes I feel that I'm not that strong...and I'm definitely not rich in order to have a lawyer.
[/QUOTE]
Don't take their word for it. Call the other schools, and ask to meet with the Principal, and tour the school. Ask to meet the special ed teacher, and view the special ed class, though it sounds like with the proper support, your son, like mine, should be in a mainstream class with an aide, and possibly accomodations such as visual aides, and an AlphaSmart or laptop.
I know the price tag of a lawyer or advocate is intimidating, but remember, if you hire one and go to mediation, you most likely will be reimbursed for your expenses in a mediation settlement, or Due Process hearing. But here is the key: File for Due Process first, then hire a lawyer. Legal fees are only recoverable after Due Process has been filed. Nobody told me that. I hired a lawyer, and immediately had him attend an IEP with me to let the school and district know how serious I was. After the IEP, he filed the Due Process motion, so I could not recover the money that was spent prepping and attending that IEP
Keep a log of your son's eating and sleeping, particularly the sleeping. Adolescents have different sleep needs than any other age group. You might want to google "adolescent sleep." My husband is a HS Chemistry teacher. He spent a couple of HOURS last night calling parents. It's progress report time and some of the kids are getting very negative reports BECAUSE THEY'RE SLEEPING IN CLASS. Obviously, not that many kids who take HS Chemistry have disabilities. These are NT kids and they are doing exactly what your son is doing. The fact is, adolescents need to sleep later and stay up later (this is the natural body rhythm during the teen years) but they also need as much total sleep as they did as toddlers. Since HS's start early (my husband's first period starts at 7:05), the vast majority of HS'rs DON'T get enough sleep or the right sleep hours. Your son's sleep issues may have to do with comorbid depression or some ASD symptoms, but they also might just be because he's a teen boy. It's going to be hard to tease out what causes what. But it's clear he needs more sleep, so keeping a log will be helpful.
I'd also look into getting the advice of an attorney or an advocate, even if it's just behind the scenes. I'm using an atty for advice right now myself. Our kids have SO few years left in school, we can't waste time spinning our wheels. Here's a list of reputable atty's and advocates in VA. You can find more at Yellow Pages for Kids at Wrightslaw (I forget whether I posted this to you before):
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I would definately look into having him tested for sleep apnia. We were going to have Corbin tested until the insurance nightmare came about. Now that he is on medicaid we are just pulling his tonsils out (they have been severely enlarged for 3 years now and never go down). Even though Corbin isn't sick he has never had strep or a sore throat that I know of his tonsils are chronically enlarged. They are too the point that when he opens up and says ahhhhh they touch his uvula. Which is why the ENT wanted the sleep study done to see if he had sleep apnia. It is worth a shot. Corbin's pediatrician and the ENT doc both said sleep apnia can aggrivate behaviors and make them worse.
Hope you figure out the problem!
I'm back....thanks to the suggestions I got here, I was able to ask for and the school psychologist agreed reluctedly (it seemed) to having him tested for the functional behavioral assessment. She tried to squirm out of the language assessment as well, but then agreed to it. It was almost as if she was surprised that I even knew to ask for it and then agreed because she should have thought of it first? In any event....he'll be getting a pretty thorough evaluation.I am also going to get him tested for a sleeping disorder, and I told them that too.
They are at a loss as to how to help my son at this point. Hopefully some of these tests will come back with better information.
Diane, I don't know anything about the school your son is attending. Is it public, or private? My son has always been in public school, and we went through a similar situation when he was in elementary school. The school had no idea what to do with him, or how to educate him or make a proper behavior plan, but when I requested evaluations, they were always reluctant, or flat out ignored my requests. I started touring the other schools in my area to see if there was one that had a better program, and a staff that was willing to work outside the box to set up an appropriate academic and behaviorial curriculum. I got lucky. Turns out that the public school that is 1 1/2 blocks from my house was a perfect fit, with a Prinicipal and Vice Principal with strong special ed backgrounds, and one of the best special ed teacher in the district, who customized a wonderful learning plan for Connor. Are there any other schools, either public or private, in your area that you can start checking out? A fresh start at an appropriate school can work miracles. Believe me, I know! [QUOTE=tzoya]I haven't had the time to read all of the posts, but I would consult with the physician to see if any of the meds he's on are causing this as a side-effect. Also, if it may be depression. Also, keep close track of his sleep time. Teens need LOTS of it and get less than any other age group. Also, does he eat in school? If he eats less than he needs, he'll not have energy. If he eats too much, it'll make him sleepy. I'd ask for an FBA and that a good BIP be put in place that increases the time he pays attention. BIP's are not just to stop bad behavior but can be used to increase GOOD behavior.[/QUOTE]
We've taken him off all meds...the only thing he's taking...is the melatonin at 9PM to help him go to sleep.
As for meals...my dh has money in the school cafetaria so he can get school meals...doesn't mean that he's eating their food and not trading with someone to get something else instead.
This morning he was due to leave the house at 7:40AM to catch the bus....however because my dh was downstairs...he kept mopping around...he's waiting for my dh to leave the kitchen so he can grab a soda on the way out probably...my drinks keep coming up short. Unfortunately the caffiene isn't enough to keep him awake. Caffiene in soda doesn't keep me awake either. I can drink soda with caffiene at bedtime and go right to sleep...he may have the same effect. However I have on long distance drives where I'm extremely tired ...taken NoDose and it helped to keep me alert and awake.I have a note already with me this morning to ask for a FBA though...so hopefully we'll get somewhere today.
As for locking up stuff in the house. Don't know how many of you all have had to do this...but we have, but when he was on prozac and either concerta or the other adhd med (can't remember what it's called right now) for 3 months....my son went into overdrive on going through our personal possessions and food cabinets. So bad that we had to lock up the pantry and fridge...and only give him allotments of food, for times that we weren't home and he came home from school. He seems to be getting back into the habit though of raiding the fridge and/or pantry again. However .... to many...he's a growing boy....at 205lbs and 5 foot 11 inches..
At one point a few months ago...2 of his doctors and myself were thinking he may need to go into residential treatment, so that he could be monitored 24/7 because of his erratic behavior.
Anyway...I gotta scoot...the meeting is at 8:30AM....and I have to go now.
I haven't had the time to read all of the posts, but I would consult with the physician to see if any of the meds he's on are causing this as a side-effect. Also, if it may be depression. Also, keep close track of his sleep time. Teens need LOTS of it and get less than any other age group. Also, does he eat in school? If he eats less than he needs, he'll not have energy. If he eats too much, it'll make him sleepy. I'd ask for an FBA and that a good BIP be put in place that increases the time he pays attention. BIP's are not just to stop bad behavior but can be used to increase GOOD behavior.As a doc, I think that it would be reasonable to have him see a sleep disorder specialist, just to make sure there is not a treatable medical problem that could resolve the sleeping through class issue...I apologize if you did this already as I only skimmed the previous posts. [QUOTE=AndrewsMommy]As a doc, I think that it would be reasonable to have him see a sleep disorder specialist, just to make sure there is not a treatable medical problem that could resolve the sleeping through class issue...I apologize if you did this already as I only skimmed the previous posts.[/QUOTE]
I'm on the same page. Already made some calls and need to find the right one near us.
Something else I thought worth mentioning here: It is not unheard of for
some kids on the spectrum to experience extreme lethargy and tiredness.
It is basically the opposite of hyperactivity and has much to do with the
same inability to self-regulate. Some ADHD kids display this kind of
behavior at times also, some literally sliding of their chairs at a desk while
doing homework. The inabilty to attend to the tasks at hand combined
with problems regulating energy and mood can lead to SNORES GALORE!
Obviously, I would look into a sleep disorder first. And language
processing definitley is something to look into as . There is much good
advice here ! I just thought this was worth mentioning as it can be
addressed from an educational and OT standpoint. There is something
called The Alert Program which teaches kids to recognize their current
state and learn exercises that can be done to either calm or rev up their
systems to attain an ideal state of alertness to attend to tasks.
An example: My son has a problem with his "engine running too fast" in
the "red zone" and experiences panic and anxiety instead of hyperactivity
when this happens. We have learned a variety of large muscle group,
weight bearing exercises to help his "engine" get back to the "green zone"
Older kids can learn a short helpful routine to do before school, and
during breaks to get their attention and energy back.
www.alertprogram.comI believe most states require eye and hearing "screenings." They are usually done by the nurse, not an audiologist or an optometrist. However, every state is different. [QUOTE=tzoya]I believe most states require eye and hearing "screenings." They are usually done by the nurse, not an audiologist or an optometrist. However, every state is different.[/QUOTE]
My son just had a screening at school...prior to getting into gym class....but like others have said....it's not the same as going to an audiologist or even as close to the one that I went to the other day...where it did show he had some hearing loss.
I'll be making an appointment this week with a audiologist ...just haven't had a moment to look and see who's with our insurance yet...there aren't enough hours in the day....and I have so much to get done around the house too. I wish I could afford a maid/yard person and lots of employees
[QUOTE=IBGECKO]Diane, has he ever been evaluated for a Language Processing Disorder? We went through issues like sleeping in class and saying everything was "boring" as well. Turns out he just plain couldn't understand the curriculum when it was entirely taught with a verbal presentation, because he has language processing deficits.[/quote]
When I was a kid, the only explanation that anyone had for why I was having increasing trouble in class (which did have to do with language processing issues) was boredom. So I was actually accelerated (into increasingly spoken-word-based classes at that) until I couldn't take any more.
A whole lot of giant messes could probably have been avoided had someone realized that there were language processing issues, and what those issues were. Even after they figured out that I was having trouble understanding what people were saying, they viewed this as discrete "episodes" rather than continuous and treated it as unrelated to ongoing levels of overload or ongoing language processing issues. [QUOTE=IBGECKO] LPD is extremely common in people with Asperger's and HFA, and quite often can go undiagnosed because of high intelligence and verbosity, and the ability to "fake" their way through what they don't understand.[/quote]
Additionally, it's often possible for us to repeat the sounds we hear without understanding what the words mean. That's something that I did very frequently, even becoming very adept at combining words into responses that sounded totally plausible, but did not necessarily bear any resemblance to a thing I was thinking.
I was actually tested, as a child, as having far higher expressive than receptive language. That should always be a sign that something like this is up, but in my case they just shrugged and moved on. The fact that this meant that much of my "really high expressive language" was the ability to repeat words I'd heard without necessarily understanding them (and that in fact if expected to actually communicate my thoughts on a regular basis with spoken language, I couldn't do it), went totally unnoticed.
This is really important because, since I had trouble understanding things receptively, it took me a long time to view language as anything other than a thing you're meant to produce regardless of whether it means anything to you or not. Which resulted in some pretty severe misunderstandings. I've been looking at the reports from elementary and middle school (grades, comments and test scores)...especially of the ones that were done when he finally was approved for getting an IEP...and the reports from teachers and from some of the specialists....and even myself of what we were all reporting....many of the reports/comments should have raised red flags...today it would have with the right person that is knowledgable of autism traits....unfortunately...we all miss the signals.
After reading some of the comments written...I had to wipe tears away.I honestly don't know why he's sleeping in class...maybe he's tired...maybe he doesn't understand...maybe he's not hearing or maybe it's a combination of some or all...and even boredom too.
I talked to him last night about goals...short and long term...and he does want to get a diploma and get a job..working with animals....so we're going to move on at this point...get this testing done, so hopefully we'll know exactly where he's having the problems. I'll go on tours of local schools....trying to find one that can help him the best too.
Thanks gtto...I appreciate your insight as well. I do know that he doesn't "get" a lot of things...like jokes and such...and sometimes he just gets by somehow.
GTTO -- Do you know the tests to ask for to pinpoint language processing disorder? Or have any advice as to how to address this? I have a meeting with the sp.ed. lady today at 1PM...I'm going to take the Occupational therapist results to her...as well as the physical that was done in 2000...and show her what I just saw for the first time (another reason that I wished that I knew to get these records long before now and that I'm very angry at myself for not being more proactive..and trusting the school to know what was best).
I'm going to ask that the school do a complete physical (which they suggested this past week was probably not necessary since he's been seeing doctors and just saw teh neurologist which has most of his stats on there...and I agreed...not knowing how it's not just the regular stats that a doctor does, but there's more on the physical form in 2000..then just height/weight, ears and such.
I'm also going to ask if she thinks that we should have an occupational therapist do an assessment as well.
AND I'm going to ask for a complete audiologist exam be added....to determine if he has an hearing problem.
If we can figure what test is used to determine if he has a language processing disorder...before my meeting...I'll add that too. [QUOTE=tzoya]GTTO -- Do you know the tests to ask for to pinpoint language processing disorder? Or have any advice as to how to address this? [/QUOTE]
I'll look up in Connor's educational evaluation the list of tests that were administered to identify all of his learning disabilities
[QUOTE=IBGECKO]
[QUOTE=Virginia Greys]So the tests that were done were:
1-WRAML (wide range assessment of memory and learning)
2-SCAN-C (for Auditory Processing)
3-TAPS-R (Auditory-Perceptual skills)
4-Woodcock Achievement and TOWL-3 (test of written language) to assess specific learning disabilities
[/QUOTE]
Has he had a non-verbal IQ done, like the Leiter-R? That's the key: To compare his intellectual ability against his processing and recall ability. That's how we won our case against one of the biggest school districts in the country (L.A. Unified). When you can show that kind of score deficit (in Connor's case, IQ of 136 and WRAML and TAPS-R scores of 78 and 87), then you take all the air out of the school's arguements against giving your son an appropriate educational plan.
Here's another really important thing you need for your son, and may only be able to get it if you take them to mediation: Your son needs at least a year of individual educational therapy to start "rewiring" his brain, so he can process language more efficiently, and not fall further behind. I've used this analogy several times on this board, but it bears repeating: A child with an untreated language processing disorder, is like a child who only speaks English, attending a school where they only speak French, accept without intervention, he will never be able to become fluent in that language.
*Edited: I see he took the WISC. This cannot accurately gauge his intellect. Connor's WISC score was a 92, compared to his Leiter-R score, which was a 136. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if your son's IQ was at least 120 when given the Leiter-R. Right now you have an incomplete analysis of your son's intellectual ability. As Tzoya has said, most schools do not have the Leiter-R to administer. I had to go to a private evaluator, and I urge you to do what ever it takes to get your son the Leiter-R. The results are akin to throwing a bucket of cold water in the school's face!
Gotcha....I'm going to print this and add it to my notebook ...so when I appeal their assessments and ask for them to pay for outside testing...that I'll know what I'm to ask for.
Oh...we have an audiologist test this coming Wednesday...and I'm going to have them find out if his hearing loss is genetic or from the kid hitting him in the right ear this past Oct. (one kid slapped him on the back of the head on the bus for making snide remark and when my son told him not to do it again...he did it again)...then another student for no apparent reason...just came over and started punching him in the head...mostly on the right side ...hurting his ear and my son said he couldn't hear...then later he said it was ringing). We were told the ear drum was fine...and there were no broken bones on his face, so he was released from the ER. We do have some hearing loss that runs on my side of the family...but we have never thought Greg had a hearing problem...since for so many many years...he could hear our conversations while he was upstairs in bed...and we were sitting downstairs.
It's always something while he's been at this high school....and really....it seems to me that things went down hill after he left elementary school.
[QUOTE=IBGECKO]
[QUOTE=Virginia Greys]So the tests that were done were:
1-WRAML (wide range assessment of memory and learning)
2-SCAN-C (for Auditory Processing)
3-TAPS-R (Auditory-Perceptual skills)
4-Woodcock Achievement and TOWL-3 (test of written language) to assess specific learning disabilities
[/QUOTE]
Has he had a non-verbal IQ done, like the Leiter-R? That's the key: To compare his intellectual ability against his processing and recall ability. That's how we won our case against one of the biggest school districts in the country (L.A. Unified). When you can show that kind of score deficit (in Connor's case, IQ of 136 and WRAML and TAPS-R scores of 78 and 87), then you take all the air out of the school's arguements against giving your son an appropriate educational plan.
Here's another really important thing you need for your son, and may only be able to get it if you take them to mediation: Your son needs at least a year of individual educational therapy to start "rewiring" his brain, so he can process language more efficiently, and not fall further behind. I've used this analogy several times on this board, but it bears repeating: A child with an untreated language processing disorder, is like a child who only speaks English, attending a school where they only speak French, accept without intervention, he will never be able to become fluent in that language.
[/QUOTE]I was quoting and putting the tests that you had done in order ...so I understood exactly what you had done.
That way I can look and see if any of them were done....but I have a feeling they weren't.
Has he had a non-verbal IQ done, like the Leiter-R? That's the key: To compare his intellectual ability against his processing and recall ability. That's how we won our case against one of the biggest school districts in the country (L.A. Unified). When you can show that kind of score deficit (in Connor's case, IQ of 136 and WRAML and TAPS-R scores of 78 and 87), then you take all the air out of the school's arguements against giving your son an appropriate educational plan.
Here's another really important thing you need for your son, and may only be able to get it if you take them to mediation: Your son needs at least a year of individual educational therapy to start "rewiring" his brain, so he can process language more efficiently, and not fall further behind. I've used this analogy several times on this board, but it bears repeating: A child with an untreated language processing disorder, is like a child who only speaks English, attending a school where they only speak French, accept without intervention, he will never be able to become fluent in that language.
*Edited: I see he took the WISC. This cannot accurately gauge his intellect. Connor's WISC score was a 92, compared to his Leiter-R score, which was a 136. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if your son's IQ was at least 120 when given the Leiter-R. Right now you have an incomplete analysis of your son's intellectual ability. As Tzoya has said, most schools do not have the Leiter-R to administer. I had to go to a private evaluator, and I urge you to do what ever it takes to get your son the Leiter-R. The results are akin to throwing a bucket of cold water in the school's face!
Leiter-R - a non-verbal IQ test to gauge intellect
WRAML -Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning - this is a biggy. It includes verbally reading a story to the subject, and asking them to recall various aspects of the story. It also presents a visual story for the subject to take in, and then recall. Connor scored a 136 (think IQ scores) on the visual test, and a 78 on the verbal portion. Bottom line: His ability to process the language of a verbally presented story is in the MR range, and his ability to visually process is in the gifted range.
SCAN-C for Auditory Processing and TAPS-R for Auditory-Perceptual skills. The SCAN-C deals with distinguising individual sounds. Connor passed with flying colors. The TAPS-R deals with verbal language processing and recall. Connors overall score was an 87, shockingly low when you compare it to his overall intelligence score (Leiter-R) of 136. Ding, ding, ding...Language Processing Disorder!
Woodcock Achievement and TOWL-3 (Test of Written Language) to assess specific learning disabilites. 5 specific learning disabilites were identified.
Hope this list helps.
So the tests that were done were:
1-WRAML (wide range assessment of memory and learning)
2-SCAN-C (for Auditory Processing)
3-TAPS-R (Auditory-Perceptual skills)
4-Woodcock Achievement and TOWL-3 (test of written language) to assess specific learning disabilities
What did the school say about your son being hit so hard in the head that his ear was ringing? This is assault, and I would demand to know what kind of a policy the school has about bullying. Bring your receipts from the ER. I'd make a HUGE stink if my son was injured by another student seriously enough that he required emergancy medical attention. I'm sure Tzoya can chime in on your rights as they pertain to bullying.
If I were you, and believe me, I know your head is spinning and you have a lot on your plate right now, I would be aggressively looking into other schools in your area. Be proactive in finding an alternative placement for him where he can get a fresh start. If the school is within your district, then obviously, that would be the path of least resistance, but don't limit yourself if you don't have to. Spend this time trying to get all your ducks in a row for the new school year in the fall. I'd even consider repeating the school year in his new environment, to really give him a fresh start, depending on how his grades currently are. If he is academically on track, then the school will probably discourage you from holding him back. Otherwise, repeating the school year at a more appropriate school could be a huge boost to his self-esteem if he is able to access the curriculum. Right now his self-esteem is probably taking a huge hit, because he feels stupid for not being able to "get it". Been there, done that. The only thing I could tell my son was that he wasn't failing, it was the school that was failing to teach him properly. You are being denied a FAPE, appropriate being the key word. Fight on. And if you hire an attoney, it will take a lot of the stress and honess off of you. They know what you are entitled to, and a good attorney will make things happen!
Oh....and I bought some sugarless gum for my son...gave him the package of 12...and told him to make it last the rest of the week...3 pieces per day....trying to see if chewing gum in class will help him stay awake. I asked him how it went today and he said he stayed awake...but I'll have to wait till I hear it from the teachers...since he may just be saying it to get more gum.
But I thought it was worth a shot ...I know that sometimes I need something to munch on to stay awake and eating food wouldn't be allowed, but gum would.[QUOTE=IBGECKO]
[QUOTE=Virginia Greys]
I asked today about the other public schools...if there was a chance that the other schools would have a program that would help ds..and their answer was no..they have the same program as the current school. I know that I can fight them (the school) if I have the ammunition...I have to as a mom....but I will tell you...that sometimes I feel that I'm not that strong...and I'm definitely not rich in order to have a lawyer.
[/QUOTE]
Don't take their word for it. Call the other schools, and ask to meet with the Principal, and tour the school. Ask to meet the special ed teacher, and view the special ed class, though it sounds like with the proper support, your son, like mine, should be in a mainstream class with an aide, and possibly accomodations such as visual aides, and an AlphaSmart or laptop.
I know the price tag of a lawyer or advocate is intimidating, but remember, if you hire one and go to mediation, you most likely will be reimbursed for your expenses in a mediation settlement, or Due Process hearing. But here is the key: File for Due Process first, then hire a lawyer. Legal fees are only recoverable after Due Process has been filed. Nobody told me that. I hired a lawyer, and immediately had him attend an IEP with me to let the school and district know how serious I was. After the IEP, he filed the Due Process motion, so I could not recover the money that was spent prepping and attending that IEP But I was still able to recover thousands of dollars in legal fees and speech therapy expenses, as well as obtaining a full year of private educational therapy at the districts expense to help him catch up, and start rewiring his brain to learn more effectively. A lawyer is sooooooo worth it. We had to dip into a line of credit to pay for the retainer, but I don't regret it for one second. If it wasn't for that lawsuit, I have no idea where my son would be now. It still have the Due Process letter that my attorney filed. I would be more than happy to post it or PM it for you so you can use it as a template to file on your own.
Karen...I would love to have the due process letter pm'd to me or posted....or I could pm my email address to you. I'll print it and have it put in with my other paperwork concerning my son. Thanks!
I have a feeling that I may have to appeal what the school comes back with, but we'll see.
I just went for a hearing test for myself and found I have moderate hearing loss. My family (sisters and brother) all have hearing loss....so this is not surprising...especially with me constantly asking if folks can repeat what they told me or not being able to hear in crowded places very well. The lady doing the tests said that she'll do a brief hearing test on my son today...and if he does have a hearing loss..then I'll know so I can take him to his doctor for a full evaluation and hearing test with his insurance. The place I went today only does tests if you're 18 years old or more. ....I thanked her for making this exception...and this way we'll know if a hearing loss is possible. I have problems hearing low frequencies....which she said is unusual...but it was the same in both ears.
I also picked up the copies I requested of my son's records. They called yesterday to say they were ready for pick up. I spoke to his guidance counselor....and submitted paperwork to have him tested for vocational classes. Some of the classes that we're looking at that they have....are vet tech, barber school and carpentry I. One step at a time though....right now I just don't want to rush him into the GED program.
If after we have tried everything...including private school, smaller classes, one-on-one...then we may try the GED program....but we still have time to get him the best education we can.[QUOTE=tzoya]
Virginia -- go IMMEDIATELY to www.wrightslaw.com and search 10-day letter. There are examples on the site, but I can't emphasize enough how valuable the book From Emotions to Advocacy is. I've been in the "system" 14 years and I STILL learn something from this book every single day. There are excellent examples of EVERY sort of letter there. You can try searching "letter" on the Wrightslaw site. It might come up with lots of examples that suit lots of situations.
My son has hearing loss. Find out from your insurance company about a pediatric audiologist in your area. Doctors don't perform hearing tests. Unless your insurance company says you need authorization, you can make an appt. directly with an audiologist. Don't depend on some lady from the school to test your son's hearing. How is your own hearing loss being addressed? Hearing aids? It's difficult for people who grew up without hearing aids to learn to use them. Also, I'd ask the audiologist for a Central Auditory Processing Test. Not all audiologists are certified to do this, but you can get a referral to one who can. This tests whether, even in the presence of "normal" hearing, a person is not hearing correctly because the sound doesn't PROCESS properly. I think of it as "dyslexia of the ears." In the presence of actual hearing loss, there is always auditory processing difficulties, by definition. But there can be auditory processing difficulties even in those with no actual hearing loss. This can be addressed in school using an auditory trainer. If there is hearing loss in the family, this could VERY WELL be the reason your son is not paying attention. Please get back to us with what's happening.
[/QUOTE]As usual, all excellent advice. Let me also add, that there is a difference between an Auditory Processing Disorder and a Language Processing disorder. With CAPD, a person can not differentiate certain sounds that they hear, while with LPD, it is difficult to make sense of the actual words they are hearing, even if they are hearing the sounds correctly. My son passed several CAPD evaluations with flying colors, but miserably failed both evaluations for LPD, one done by a neuropsych, and one by a speech and language pathologist during an educational evaluation. LPD is extremely common in people with Asperger's and HFA, and quite often can go undiagnosed because of high intelligence and verbosity, and the ability to "fake" their way through what they don't understand.
Also, my pediatrician does do a hearing test every year during my children's physicals. It may not be as thorough as one done by an audiologist, but it is enough to know if there is cause for concern to seek the opinion of one. They sit with the headphones and identify the beeping sounds. My son has also taken this test, administered by an audiologist, at school as well. Perhaps California law is different, and this is required by the schools? At any rate, it's worth asking the school to perform an audiology test on your son.
Diane, I'll post the letter, so that it is available for everyone to see and use, on Monday, since I have it in my "Connor Binder" at my office, and I won't be back there until then. [QUOTE=IBGECKO]Diane, I'll post the letter, so that it is available for everyone to see and use, on Monday, since I have it in my "Connor Binder" at my office, and I won't be back there until then. [/QUOTE]
that will work too.
Virginia -- go IMMEDIATELY to www.wrightslaw.com and search 10-day letter. There are examples on the site, but I can't emphasize enough how valuable the book From Emotions to Advocacy is. I've been in the "system" 14 years and I STILL learn something from this book every single day. There are excellent examples of EVERY sort of letter there. You can try searching "letter" on the Wrightslaw site. It might come up with lots of examples that suit lots of situations.
My son has hearing loss. Find out from your insurance company about a pediatric audiologist in your area. Doctors don't perform hearing tests. Unless your insurance company says you need authorization, you can make an appt. directly with an audiologist. Don't depend on some lady from the school to test your son's hearing. How is your own hearing loss being addressed? Hearing aids? It's difficult for people who grew up without hearing aids to learn to use them. Also, I'd ask the audiologist for a Central Auditory Processing Test. Not all audiologists are certified to do this, but you can get a referral to one who can. This tests whether, even in the presence of "normal" hearing, a person is not hearing correctly because the sound doesn't PROCESS properly. I think of it as "dyslexia of the ears." In the presence of actual hearing loss, there is always auditory processing difficulties, by definition. But there can be auditory processing difficulties even in those with no actual hearing loss. This can be addressed in school using an auditory trainer. If there is hearing loss in the family, this could VERY WELL be the reason your son is not paying attention. Please get back to us with what's happening.
[QUOTE=IBGECKO][QUOTE=Virginia Greys]I was hoping his school would have copied all his records by now...but they haven't..and she's asking for a few more days due to being out sick.
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I believe there is a time limit from the time you make a written request to the time they turn over the records to you. I think it is 5 business days, but I coud be wrong. It's been four years since I went to war with the school district Tzoya should be able to shed some light on your rights as far as obtaining your child's school records, and how much time the school has to respond. I remember Connor's school really dragging their feet on this issue, and it took my lawyer sending a letter to them to finally get them to give me something, which of course was incomplete Then it took me several more weeks to get the remainder of the records. All just fuel for the fire when you go into mediation.
I know the receptionist that's copying, and she said that it's almost done now...but she's playing catch up from being out sick...I'll give her till Thursday...which will be 5 days...since I called last Thursday. Usually verbal is all I've had to do.
Today I did get his IEP wording changed some. The sp ed teacher had written in the IEP that "behavior checklist to be monitored by teacher(s)" and it didn't say how often...except to say weekly on the actual behavior sheet. I asked her to change it to say "weekly checklist monitored by teacher(s)". We've been having the most difficult time getting his teachers to fill out the behavior checklist weekly or at all. To me this is the most frustrating, and because it wasn't in the IEP correctly I was afraid that if I really got a lawyer and made a fuss about the weekly progress reports not coming to me, that their lawyer would come back and say "but it doesn't say "weekly" in the IEP"...which was true. Even though his roster teacher, the head of sp. ed. and I all agreed to having the teachers send them weekly at the last IEP meeting and she added the behavior checklist to his IEP...the IEP still wasn't clear legally I felt...a damn loophole for them to use later.
I think the biggest problem is that the IEP format in the school's computer doesn't allow much room for adjustments...not excusing her, but seems their system needs an overhaul since it's template doesn't allow but for so many changes??
I also had her change how often he's allowed to use a computer. It originally said "use of the classroom computer for extensive writing assignments". I felt with it worded that way, the teacher may tell him that he couldn't use it when he really needed it. I still don't like the way it's set up. It reads now "use of the classroom computer for writing assignments that require extended time 50% over the scheduled amount of time given for the assignment." The purpose of using the computer to type is so that if he's given an assignment ...an actual writing assignment (not copying of notes) ...that he be given use of the computer. Does it sound like the revised sentence allows this?
I have his child study meeting tomorrow morning (I've asked the principal to re-evaluate my son for elgibility, now that he's been dx with mild autism as well)...and I am going in there with an agenda of tests that I want to see if they plan on testing him on. I'll ask, but I know that more than likely they may come up with some excuse as to why they don't feel it's necessary. Of course..they may surprise me. Either way....when they have finished testing him...I will probably be asking for an outside source to retest him. I'm in this for the long haul. I don't trust them (the school) anymore. I feel that they really don't know what the heck they are doing.
I did sign up for the class on Saturday for wrightslaw. I'm taking "Special Education Law and Advocacy". I'm taking all my paperwork too...just in case there's anyone there that I can get to speak to about my son's case in particular. You never know!
[QUOTE=Virginia Greys]I was hoping his school would have copied all his records by now...but they haven't..and she's asking for a few more days due to being out sick.
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I believe there is a time limit from the time you make a written request to the time they turn over the records to you. I think it is 5 business days, but I coud be wrong. It's been four years since I went to war with the school districtCould he possibly be depressed? My oldest is 15 and is dx'ed with ADHD/ODD/Unipolar Disorder and an SLD. He has the big eval next week to determine whether he is actually just ASD. Either way though, he is suffering from a serious depression (it manifests itself differently in children and teens) and spends a lot of his time in class with his head on his desk. Right now he is in mainstream classes and we are currently looking into putting him in some EH classes where he would have more individualized attention and someone available to prompt him constantly to work. He does awesome work when he is walked through it. It's just getting him to do it that's the problem..... if no one is standing over him then he can't stay focused and ends up sleeping his way through class. Also, like your boy, he gets plenty of sleep so that is not the problem.Maybe the class isn't challenging enough for him. I was placed in AP/Gifted programs when I started doing that b/c I was bored.
One doctor said he was depressed...but she's also the school psychologist that dismissed me when I suggested Aspergers last year..and came back with dx of possible adhd and depression.
We tried him on prozac though...with no luck....he still slept in class.
my son is already on melatonin at night....we started back up with that once he was taken off the other meds. He does have visual motor processing intergration problems.
I'll have to check with the doctors/teachers tomorrow to see if they have tested him for LPD.
I was hoping his school would have copied all his records by now...but they haven't..and she's asking for a few more days due to being out sick.
Diane, has he ever been evaluated for a Language Processing Disorder? We went through issues like sleeping in class and saying everything was "boring" as well. Turns out he just plain couldn't understand the curriculum when it was entirely taught with a verbal presentation, because he has language processing deficits. This is not to be confused with Auditory Processing Disorder, where a child has difficulty distinguishing sounds. With a language processing deficit, a person has difficulty quickly processing the words they are hearing and making proper sense of them. Generally, when I hear that a child is shutting down in the classroom, but not at home, I think that depression is the wrong path to be persuing. I am not a professional, but rather an experienced mother, and from what I've seen, this kind of behavior is a red flag for a learning disability. Also, sleep issues are an extremely common problem for kids and adults on the spectrum. Have you tried melatonin? If not, I'd definitely give that a try before going with a perscribed sleep medication. Discuss it with your doctor and see what he says about the melatonin.Went to another meeting with my son's teachers....mostly what they believe is his problem...is he is sleeping through the class. I asked him why he sleeps in class...and his answer is that it's boring and he's tired. I think that he doesn't want to do the work...thus sleeping is the best way to get through the class faster??
He's going to bed at 9:00 PM or 9:30 PM...I even bought the white noise machine...and he's sleeping for sure compared to before...where he would sit up for hours playing or trying to sleep....so I'm at a loss of what to do.
One doctor prescribed trazadone...but as a last resort for helping him get a good night's sleep...the script is sitting here on my desk....my other thought is to let him have caffiene in the AM...to help him...but what about addiction to that too?
I'm thinking of having him see a sleep disorder doctor....
Can anyone think of something that I haven't thought of??
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