OK, new input sought, please..

[Menolly]

Y'all were so helpful with me choosing to institute a family book club, that I figure I can trust y'all's advice regarding this. All serious input will be considered.

Beorn's IEP (Individual Learning Plan for giftedness and to address his AS) that covers his transition to high school is coming up on May 8th. Here is a list of accomodations I am requesting. He has most of these already, but as I am unfamiliar with the modern high school atmoshere, compared to the one of nearly 30+ years ago that I attended, I am unsure of if there's anything else we need to address.

IEP Accomodations

-Resource study hall every day.
-Resource teacher in some of his classes, as needed.
-Testing accommodations: extended time, use of word processor, quiet room, small group. This includes all standardized tests that he has to take.
-Preferential seating- near teacher but away from busy areas and he has option to remove himself to quiet corner if he wants.
-Segmented assignments with specific due dates for each segment.
-"safe place" for him to go to as he needs when over stimulated or when he just needs down time.
-Group work not required. Beorn can opt out of doing group projects. But teacher is to encourage Beorn to be a part of a small group of 2-3 and to monitor/assist closely.
-Teachers are to have inservice training by the autism specialist
-PE accommodations as needed. Beorn is not to be penalized if he is adamant about not doing an activity. Beorn is not to know this though. The PE teacher and Sped director or social worker will monitor Beorn and if they see he truly isn't coping well then they will change his PE activity.
-Use of word processor. Request an alpha-smart or laptop for all written work.
-Organization of school materials determined by resource teacher and parents.
-Supervision needed in halls and lunchroom
-Extra set of text books to be kept at home.
-Agenda book not required. Resource teacher will do a daily agenda form. IEP goal is that Beorn will eventually use agenda book.
-Individual social skills work weekly in addition to a weekly social skills group.
-Homework/assignments can be changed/adjusted by his resource teacher as needed.
-Written directions given to him along with oral directions.
-Note taker or teacher gives him note outline. IEP goal is that Beorn will eventually take competent notes himself.
-Beorn will leave his school copy text in classroom if needed, plus any folders, spirals that he has to use for specific class is kept in that classroom in a specific location ... to be arranged by resource teacher as needed.
-Beorn will be given the option of using a key lock for his locker, if using a combination lock takes him too long between classes.
-Beorn will be given an early dismissal from each class as needed until he gets to know his schedule or if the crowded hallways stress him out.
-Beorn will be given preferential seating on school bus should problems arise before transferring him to a SPED bus.

Do I need to address anything else?

[Menolly]

I thought of two more to add to the list, considering Beorn is going from a school with a total student body of 130 students to one with over 2000 and his issue of sensory integration dysfunction:

-Beorn will be given the option of not attending student assemblies or pep rallies, if the atmosphere appears to be too intense for him.
-Beorn will be given the option of eating in a prearranged quiet atmosphere, if the school cafeteria overwhelms him.

[Warmark]

I dont really have an opinion, but i thinks its great that a school would do all that for a pupil. i know i definatley couldnt have got a quater of those things at my school.

[Menolly]

You have to qualify for it by having what is classified as a disability or disorder. Trust me, without any of it, Beorn would probably be in a low functioning, 'emotionally disturbed' class. Despite his giftedness.

From what I've read, the UK (I don't know about Scotland) school system deals with aspies very differently than the mainstreaming that goes on in the US. Most aspies I've heard about in the UK are on homebound, because the schools don't know what to do with them in school. They have plenty of specialists to deal with the child at home instead.

But, those are only the ones I've heard about. For all I know, the system could be very similar.

[Elfgirl]

HI Menolly

Don't know how our high schools cater to students with disabilities, but this aspie's support group in Oz might be able to help...

members.ozemail.com.au/~rbmitch/Asperger.htm

[Menolly]

Thanks Elfy!!

The expert on AS, Tony Attwood, is based in Oz. He and I have been in touch as he wants to read the essays Beorn wrote for his Cambridge program application. I am sure with such an expert located there (although he and I appear to disagree on one fundamental aspect of the condition, but he's the trained expert; I'm just a Mom) that the programs there will be quite helpful.

[Wyldewode]

Menolly, those all look very reasonable to me. I didn't realize that Beorn was gifted. How cool!

In my graduate studies (education), I took a course on Gifted/Talented Education. Our main text for the class was Education of the Gifted and Talented. I think it would be well worth your time to read it, as it offers information how to assist your gifted child through the system, and is generally a good resource to help you in utilizing all that is available.

Here is a link: www.amazon.com/Education-Gifted-Talente ... 020527000X

[Menolly]

And again, thanks!

[[Syl]]

I was in the G/T program in my small school. It would have been nice to have more resources. As it was, we saw the advisor, Mr. Barker, once a week for maybe 2 hours. And all we ever talked about was how to apply for colleges and which ones to apply to. I suppose that was great for those who could afford anything more than UNR or those who had parents who would monitor and guide their studies. All it really did for me was give me unreasonable expectations.

I graduated in 1993
I never demonstrated much of my ability
I was a good
boy
But I was much too smart for my own good
Teachers said I was gifted
and quite talented

Do you have an extra quarter?
Got to get to class
tomorrow
All is fair in Ashbury
Beg my way into Berkeley

When I
was seven, I stared into the monitor
I found my best friend, Mr. Commodore
64
Daddy bought me an International Business Machine
And with it I
compromised the national security

Do you have an extra quarter?
Got
to get to class tomorrow
All is fair in Ashbury
Beg my way into
Berkeley
What the hell are you saving for?
I'm gonna start the third
world war

Hanging with the bums in the gutters I have found
Most of
them are gifted and talented as well

Oh brother, could you spare a
dime?
If a quarter you do not have
Been running from the marshal
man
Since I broke into NORAD

But it's working out so well
A
beggar's life is swell

[duchess of malfi]

I have refused to ever let my children be in a gifted/talented program, other than my older son being in the honors college at his university. And even then he has a mixture of honors and regular classes.

How shall I put this?

In the real world you have to deal with all sorts of people at all times and in all of the jobs you will ever have.

They run the spectrum of intelligence and behaviors and attitudes.

To me, a big part of education is to prepare a young person to be an adult and to function in the real world.

One of the most important skills someone can ever learn in this life is to get along with all sorts of people. And the best way to do that is to interact regularly with all sorts of people.

And I have never thought that gifted/talented programs are very good at that. Or the ones in the school districts where we have lived certainly have not been.

[Menolly]

I have refused to ever let my children be in a gifted/talented program, other than my older son being in the honors college at his university. And even then he has a mixture of honors and regular classes.

How shall I put this?

In the real world you have to deal with all sorts of people at all times and in all of the jobs you will ever have.

They run the spectrum of intelligence and behaviors and attitudes.

To me, a big part of education is to prepare a young person to be an adult and to function in the real world.

One of the most important skills someone can ever learn in this life is to get along with all sorts of people. And the best way to do that is to interact regularly with all sorts of people.

And I have never thought that gifted/talented programs are very good at that. Or the ones in the school districts where we have lived certainly have not been.

:::nodding:::

All very good points, duchess.

From what we saw of the Cambridge program, the students are not isolated from the other students; in fact this program required the applicant list any clubs they planned to become involved with at the school. My understanding is most of the Cambridge classes are mixed with the AP classes.

You raise a very astute concern, epecially wth Beorn's AS and his total lack of social skills. He would much rather isolate himself and read during any down time, than try to initiate a conversation with a classmate. But, there were quite a few clubs he expressed interest in when he saw the list, something he has never done before. So, we are entering this whole scenario with baited breath, hoping against hope that maybe this new school setting may be the inpetus of an unexpected breakthrough in Beorn relating against others.

[Wyldewode]

Heh! I had the opposite problem to being in a useless G/T class as a child. . . I was highly bored and completely uninterested in what we HAD to do. Consequently I rushed through my work and would read books when possible. When reading wasn't an option, I'd daydream. All of which just earned me a seat directly in front of the teacher's desk.

In my graduate class we took some "measurement tools" that examined our abilities, and some questionaires as well. Tuns out that I'm gifted by modern standards, for whatever it does me now.

Anyhow, the thrust of my class in G/T was how to maximize learning opportunities for the gifted students, all while helping the student to function within the normal context of school life. Let me just say that the ideas and models we examined (and developed) were definitely ones I would have died to have in my younger days.

[Menolly]

I'll be AFK a lot today. Transition to high school IEP meeting at 10:00 am, so Paul and I will stay up in Alachua until then, and then grab some lunch there so we can pick Beorn up from school at 1:30. Then straight to his speech and physical therapy. I'll be BAK around 4:00 pm at the earliest.

:::please send good vibes regarding the IEP:::

[Menolly]

:::double post, sorry:::

Well, we're back. Long day. Last week I had submitted the list of suggested accomodations I posted. We got every one but one, plus for the first semester two periods of what they call Learning Strategies (what I called resource), preferably one in the morning to see if he's ready for the day, and one towards the end of the day.

The only one they would not commit to was the request for supervision in the halls to make sure he wasn't a target for 'hidden' bullying. But, we got everything else.

:::shaking head:::

Amazing. I am so glad I live in this district...

Thanks to everyone who sent out postive vibes for this. It is immensely appreciated.

[Holsety]

EDIT-I don't really know if this helps, but it's just sorta me relating some of the stuff to my experiences. Keep in mind I'm 18, so if I come across like an authority, I'm not.

-Use of word processor. Request an alpha-smart or laptop for all written work.

I would advise you and beorn to be VERY wary about alpha-smarts as any sort of positive or beneficial tool. We had them in my school available for all students, and they were totally worthless. If you transfer stuff to a word processor, the original file will be butchered with spelling and grammar mistakes shoved in. I don't know why, really. It just happened all the time.

Also, the screen is only 4 or 5 lines of text, so it's very obnoxious to have to deal with.

-Extra set of text books to be kept at home.

This is good. Usually, the way teachers in my AP classes hope with oversized textbooks is to teach their own notes and have homework mixed between the book and their own sources, labs, or whatever.

-Note taker or teacher gives him note outline. IEP goal is that Beorn will eventually take competent notes himself.

A strat one of my teacher's used at times is to give out their copy of notes at the end of class, after seeing that everyone made an attempt at taking everything down in class. Could also give a 'general' outline with blanks and stuff to fill in, different stuff works for different people though. It always seems like there's dozens of strategies for teaching note-taking, I never was subjected to them but I bet they've all got their ups and downs.

Some people teach cornell notes, but I prefer to just raise my hand whenever I have a question and hope everyone else does the same. Sometimes you don't even realize you didn't know something until someone else asks it.

plus any folders, spirals that he has to use for specific class is kept in that classroom in a specific location ... to be arranged by resource teacher as needed.

*Wince*, what about studying at home?

From my experience, most of the other stuff you can get out of a teacher if they're competent, and you're not an asshole who they don't trust. For instance, if you talk to a teacher and say, 'ya, the assignment you gave is bad for me because my compy's having problems' or whatever, in advance, they will try to accommodate me. Or if I needed to talk to my guidance counselor senior year, teachers would let me leave early. At the same time, a lot of kids I know don't really get that rules go hand in hand with reasonable exceptions, and don't take advantage. So it's good that the school is promising to help out.

Group work is negligible in homework if you ask me, kids tend to split it up instead of working together. I think (I'm an ameteur adviser, I admit) you should mainly encourage group work in a science class, in labs. That's really the best way to learn group dynamic stuff and actually have to think and discuss with people as clueless as you are, and figure stuff out together. Labs, not analytical thinking, is what I think makes science classes integral in a kid's education, as long as the teacher doesn't let one kid do the thinking.

[Menolly]

Thanks! We'll keep this all in mind as the new school year starts!

[stonemaybe]

Menolly I've got nothing to offer at all, but my big sis has done alot of teaching theory stuff - it's a hobby almost! She used to teach illiterate adults in her spare time and is now helping out at a big international school in Geneva, giving tuition to a blind Russian kid (How, I don't know - both of them can barely speak French! ). I've emailed her to see if she's come across anything along the lines of AS in Ireland or Switzerland.

[Menolly]

Menolly I've got nothing to offer at all, but my big sis has done alot of teaching theory stuff - it's a hobby almost! She used to teach illiterate adults in her spare time and is now helping out at a big international school in Geneva, giving tuition to a blind Russian kid (How, I don't know - both of them can barely speak French! ). I've emailed her to see if she's come across anything along the lines of AS in Ireland or Switzerland.

Thanks Stoney.

One of the first books the family (including Beorn) read on AS was Amazon.com: Asperger's Syndrome, The Universe and Everything: Kenneth's Book:, written by a 10 year old Irish boy. I totally disagree with the way he is on home bound instead of mainstreamed, but I also disagree that he even has AS from what I read; he sounds more HFA to me. But, I am only a Mom, not an expert like the adults who helped Kenneth get his book published...