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Questions
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| Asked By: |
| Mary Minshall |
Hello Mary,
I would like to think that we have met or talked, but not that I recall. Many girls are seriously into horses and horseback riding and racing - most when they are young, but many who carry it through into their adult years. I've talked to many girls with AS who have said the same thing, so you have a connection to many out there. Enjoy it; horses are a wonderful avenue to meet people, to relax, to bond with an animal, and to learn responsibility and maturity. They are God's gift to all of us.
I do not know if your name will be posted or not, since you put it into your email to me, and I do not have control over the software program. I sincerely hope that it isn't, but suspect that it will be, since you have written it in. Please contact Autism Today directly, to see if they can take it out. The Tech support person should be able to do that for you.
Sheila Wagner
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| Angela Morgan |
Hello Angela,
The value in having a diagnosis at this stage of life would be to offer your husband answers to questions that he has probably posed over the years. Many adults search for long years trying to find out why they are “different” from others and gain relief from knowing the reasons behind it. So although it might not mean much in the way of funding, it might mean a great deal for his peace of mind and a better understanding of himself. It might also help others in the family (and with friends) to know the reasons behind his difficulties.
The other value to having a diagnosis, is that it might open doors to social opportunities. Here at our Center (at Emory University), we have numerous social activities for adult individuals with autism and Asperger’s syndrome. The participants thoroughly enjoy coming to these events and meeting others like themselves. It can be a great comfort to talk to others that are going through the same things that he is. It can help to build a network of friends, and can also increase self-esteem. So you might want to discuss a diagnosis with him and gauge his response. I wouldn’t push it with him if he is uncomfortable or denies that there is anything “different” about himself, but if he is at the acceptance stage, a medical diagnosis might be of great benefit to his peace of mind and happiness.
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| Sam Goldstein |
Will do! |
| Asked By: |
| P Cignoli |
Hello Ms. Cignoli,
Although I know of no research that states a boarding school or specialty school is preferable to homeschooling, there is much research and knowledge stating that early intervention and the effects of having an appropriate education are extremely important to a child with autism spectrum disorders (Risley; Strain; McGee; Schriebman; amongst numerous others). Boarding school MAY be beneficial if all the components are in place that can assist this child’s progress – notably: trained teachers, appropriate supports and IEP goals (including academic modifications), a philosophy and belief that the child can learn, strong parental collaboration, methods to eliminate teasing and bullying, positive behavioral supports, social skills training and peer programming. Some specialty schools do this very nicely; others just provide lipi-service. You will need to investigate each one very carefully and talk to parents of previous students, to get a balanced opinion of the individual school.
In a homeschooling situation, you will only get a few of these components listed above. To be honest, I am not a strong supporter of homeschooling for someone with this disorder, since I believe firmly in access to strong social, language and behavior models, as much as feasibly possible. I have to admit, I have recommended homeschooling on a few occasions when the school program was totally hopeless with little to no hope of it ever changing. I do see many parents homeschooling during the middle school years (which are so tough on our students) and then re-enter their child back into a school system during their high school years. This can work well, but it can also be a disaster, since the student then knows no one and has no friends to sustain them during these final years. Much work needs to be done to make that a scenario a success.
Good luck with this. I know that it is a difficult situation and many factors will influence the success of it. Good, solid leg-work should help to establish a wonderful program for your son wherever you decide to place him. It is to your husband’s credit that he works for such a great company –one that will help with this situation. Not many would. This may be too good an opportunity to by-pass; but please, investigate everything very carefully, so that you can look back at all the progress your son has made because of your decision.
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| Dawn Shelton |
Hello Dawn,
I do not recommend one school over another, since so many changes happen from one year to the next - principals leave, teachers get pregnant, and school systems change the way they deliver services to their students. But I would be happy to talk to you further about this, and explore why your daughter is not progressing. Perhaps the situation can be turned around? Please feel free to contact me at our Center - (404)727-8350. I travel and am in schools much of the time, so don't worry if it takes me a few days to get back.
Sheila Wagner
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| Sol n/a |
I have indeed, contacted the website to make sure that this doesn't happen again. I, too, do not want confidential information on the open net and am only a resource to the website and do not have any control over what is placed on it by others.
SW |
| Asked By: |
| david clarke |
Hello David - No, I do not know them. Why? Are some of their members coming to the U.S. for a visit? Or do they need assistance of some kind that I could help with?
Sheila Wagner |
| Asked By: |
| Tanya Bunsold |
Hello Tanya,
If I were you, I would subscribe to the Schaffer Report at SAReport@envirolink.org
They always publish the latest on research in the area of autism. Other websites to check out would be http://www.wrightslaw.com/ , http://www.asperger.org/ and then do a Google search for the keywords “Asperger’s and law enforcement”. You can also go to Dennis Debbaudt’s website at http://www.autismriskmanagement.com/ to get information on the legal implications when someone with this disability comes into contact with law enforcement. Much of what you will find will be on Autism Spectrum, rather than just Asperger’s though.
Good luck and send me a copy of your final report. I’d love to see it!
Sheila Wagner, M.Ed.
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| Asked By: |
| joann dunk |
Hello Joann – My high school book is about 2/3rd’s finished since I rarely get time away from my job to finish it! Thanks for asking. Our summer workshop this year is in Columbus, Ga on July 19th & 20th. You can get information regarding that by going to our website for the school-age programs where you can download a brochure. Information on upcoming events is in the Inclusion Corner, our newsletter. Both can be found at:
http://www.psychiatry.emory.edu/PROGRAMS/autism/MNewsletters.htm
Good luck with the transition phase into high school and I will try to get my book out soon!
Sheila Wagner
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| Asked By: |
| Joan Steinmann |
Hello Joan!
This is a problem that we often see with various curricula that place high emphasis on executive functioning aspects of thinking. Unfortunately, this situation will not get easier over the course of the years, but further challenge your son as he ages through education. The fact that this curriculum is trying to connect the problems to real-world situations is a plus, but how it is presented can sabotage the learning of the content by how it is presented. I would recommend that you quickly sit down with your IEP team and discuss the situation with the team members to discuss alternative strategies that can be implemented to help make this material more concrete. Perhaps he would be able to have the major points identified for him for each of the lessons; problems could be presented more visually through the use of graphic organizers; he could have teacher or student notes from the lesson; he could have supplementary materials brought in to use in conjunction with the standard curriculum (some curricula have textbooks designed for students with disabilities, such as LD; perhaps the teacher could identify the main tasks for the day’s lessons and write them on the board for all students to see (this would be extremely helpful for all students, not just your son). Pre-teaching a lesson is often more effective than the review being conducted post-lesson (homework). Ask to get the teacher’s lesson plan for the next day, and review it at home the night before. You would then be able to help him identify the tasks associated with the lesson and, as an added benefit, he would be more comfortable with contributing in class since he would have prior-knowledge of what will be covered.
The alternative is to have him receive more attention from a co-taught teacher or resource teacher that can work more intensively with this area for your son. As you have stated the situation, the problem will be in that it will require the help of “someone” to do this – notably an inclusion teacher or resource teacher, as he will have difficulty sorting out all the relevant solutions by himself without direct instruction in how to accomplish it.. Is he currently in co-taught classes now? If not, you might want to investigate them, since co-taught classes have meant the difference between success and failure for our students who are included. This teacher could assist his learning by pre-teaching the content or at least making it more concrete for him by providing notations during class on relevant cues.
As an added thought, you might want to investigate special tutoring for him – by one of the teachers after-school, or privately through a community agency. Many of our students with ASD who are included benefit greatly by having supplementary sessions on the academics. They can have great potential for learning the content, but struggle in the acquisition due to their inherent problems with abstract learning. The only way to get around this, is to have some assistance and instruction in pulling the lesson apart and presenting it in a format that is much more concrete and literal. Good luck!
Sheila Wagner
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