hmmm, thats a very difficult question. However, I beleive that, and as hard as it may be (i dont know your kids situation, and if it even in the slighest compairs to mine) but I sincerely beleive that it is best that they learn the same as all the other kids do. The perpose of public school is not only to learn these cour subjects like history, math english science. But also to learn how to deal with others. This is a lesson most take for granted, but kids like us (me back then) this was 1 of the top learning experiences, just learning how to function in a group, how to communicate, socialize, work together, and even learn consiquenses.
I know as a kid (heh, ironicly, just a few days ago I was talking to my second grade teacher VIA e-mail, i do this to update them on how life has been going, this is the first time i have communicated with her in 17 years) things looked very rough for me. Im soooo happy that both my parents and some of these great teachers did not give up on me, or stop treating me as normal as possible, im so fortunate, had that occured i never would be where I am today, and count my blessings, thank God that towards the end of my school career, as I was unbenounced to be throwing it all away, in the end, as difficult my journey, as much as I screwed up, as hard I was to deal with conseerning peers, students, teachers and my parents, I exceeded their expectations and even found more success in life then most my age.
The younger one is, it seems the more pronounced the ASD symptoms... as we get older, we learn more, maby realize how our behavior effects others, maby pick up on some of lifes lessons, and build from their.
it looks grim now, but i think, if your kid ages a little, he will get a little better, he may surprise ya, itll be hard work, but try and give him as normal a life as possible, he may surprise ya on what hell learn.
Hello, I am struggling to understand what is the best education for kids on the spectrum. What is it that is really desired for our kids? Do we need to have them learn about the civil war? Do they need to learn to count to 100 by fives? Do they need to use correct punctuation when writing? This is an issue of individualized education I guess. But what do we really want our kids to walk away from school with when all is said and done? Just struggling with IEP issues and individualized plans. What are the ultimate goals? My kids will not be able to attend higher education. They will not be able to manage their own money. There is lots they can do though and how is that addressed in asking for an individualized education plan? Schools are so geared towards the standard educational programs, and I am not satisfied with that.
I have been researching Autism in the past few years, and I have it myself. It's good to place an IEP plan in place in case if something doesn't work out. The majority of the high-funtioning children happen to get a life as soon as they're fully matured. It's hard to tell what will happen. As a young child I was between Asperger's and ASD. Believe it or not their symptoms can actually get worse or better. Whatever you do, don't let anyone blame your children's problems on the label on their head. They can do whatever they set their mind to, especially if they are high-functioining. They need to know them first before doing any such thing. Of course the majority of Autistic children may not function right, that not necessarily should be put on your child.EVERY child is individual, hence INDIVIDUAL education plan (IEP). And every family is individual in its goals for any of its children. NCLB makes all kids meet all ed standards, where feasible, but that is not always desirable for our kids. However, as long as your child's basic autism issues are being addressed and his own goals are being met, learning about the Civil War, etc., can't hurt. HOwever, getting HIS needs me has to be paramount. And that is different for every ASD child.Not every child with autism is higher functioning. And statistics show that the VAST majority of higher functioning people with autism are unemployed or underemployed. The impediment is not academic knowledge or actual skills, but it is the inability to interact with bosses and coworkers in a way they find acceptable. That means that learning HOW to act on the job is more important than actually learning the job for people with ASD. NT people know this instinctively, so they reject coworkers who don't understand the unwritten rules. That means it's imperative to get excellent Transition to Adulthood plans written into IEPs. This is required by law by age 16 (younger in some states).
My own son is 16. He will never be fully independent. However, I expect him to have some kind of job to go to every day. I expect him to get to that job using public transportation. I expect him to be able to go out into the community, order a restaurant meal, pay for his groceries, cook simple meals, tend to his own needs. I dream that someday he will fall in love. So that means he's going to have to know about sex and birth control. He'll have to know ALL the practical skills we all know. Like managing money and the other practical details of life. I expect he's going to need some ongoing help with this, which he will get by qualifying for adult services at age 18. He will be in school until age 22, so that will give a 4-year overlap with school to prep him for adult life.
When my son was in 8th grade, it became clear that meeting the requirements of No Child Left Behind would mean that he would be wasting time studying things that would not help him in the life HE was going to lead. He was required to read literature but he was never exposed to a newspaper, for example. My son is capable of actually reading the material, but it would have had NO impact on the life HE will lead. So I got him accepted for alternate assessment. In New York, that is the ONLY way he could avoid taking lots of classes that are really meant for kids who are going to college. Biology is an example. My son needs help with practical things like personal health needs, not understanding the structure of DNA.
I think you are on the right track in trying to imagine the life YOUR kids are likely to lead when you are trying to determine the education they must get NOW. That is always going to be individual, kid to kid. Some ASD kids WILL go to college. Some will hold entry level jobs all their lives. Some will spend their days in day hab centers. This is no different from the range of outcomes for NT kids. Some are dropouts, some are PHd"s. It's just that the range for ASD kids also include much more supported outcomes in some cases, too. I don't think this is "underestimating" our kids or "giving up." I think it's about INDIVIDUALIZING our kids' education in the truest sense.
it is highly individualized each child having their own strengths and weaknesses. when i look back though i wish i had of pushed for more of a life skills training. my son on the more of low functioning side. like you i don't feel like he needs to know about civil war etc. he would not be motivated to do any of the school work they pushed so much when younger and we worked so hard on motivation when we should have worked on what he needed most life training.