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My son (15) has Aspergers and is mainstreamed in 10th grade. Up until this year, school came very easily for him (he was skipped a grade in elementary and recommended and placed in Honors classes since Junior High.)
This year, continuing this high-level academic AP track, he was once again placed in Honors classes (4 in total). Well it seems like he has hit a brick wall and is actually not doing well at all (D's & F's). After a major meeting with his teachers, we agreed to await the results of his re-eval, which included the WISC-IV and WJ-III.
The results weren't really surprising, given his diagnosis, but I am not quite sure what to do with these results.
His Full Scale Score on the WISC puts him in the 90th percentile, but that includes a Processing Speed score in the 2nd (SECOND) percentile . No I'm not really shocked, but as you can imagine without that score his Full Scale would be higher.
His WJ-III (age-normed), puts him at an age equivalent of >30 / Superior.
So now what? We are very proud of him for being on this track, but we're perfectly fine with not having him there, so that he can succeed and be happy, as opposed to fail and be stressed out. It seems he can't keep up and is too disorganized for the high-intensity and rate of learning in the honors classes (at least that is our assumption). He doesn't want to leave all the classmates that he has continually been with on this academic track and insists he can do it (although he hasn't been able to make a marked improvement yet). There is no consensus yet among the teachers either, some believe he has the ability and would be wasting his potential if removed and others are just not sure what should be done.
We are scheduled to have a huge meeting to brainstorm after the holiday break. If any educators, learning consultants or others have some input that could help me come armed with more knowledge and recommendations, I would greatly appreciate it.
A Processing Speed Index like that can make school extremely tough for kids, even ones as bright as your son. However, this is probably not something that just sprang up overnight - I would have expected this to have caused ongoing learning problems for years. Up until this year you said things came easily for him - what has changed? Is it managing his time for independent tasks which can impact homework and test preparation? Or is it that the slow processing is impacting his output in class? Or is the volume of content just too much for him to organize?
I think the key is finding out what has changed for him from last year to this year, which means that he will very much need to be part of the brainstorming process. It may turn out that there is another factor, like maybe social distractions, that is coming into play. Has he offered any insight into why he has struggled this year?
This will probably seem obvious, but it should be stated again because you may not have thought about it in this way. Standardized tests aren't particularly helpful for determining your son's specific needs to be successful in his AP classes. What I mean is, the test is designed specifically to track how well a person conforms to "normed" averages. In other words, it's only designed to show how average he is. If he deviates from the norm, it will show that too, but it wont interpret what that variation means specifically for your son, or what effect that variance has on his school work (if that makes sense). It's not designed to do that.
To answer your question in part, you need to address the specific areas of weakness like organizing, planning, and whatever else is required (again, you know this). The test scores are most helpful/useful in showing that he is (probably) 2 or more standard deviations from the mean, which is the typical "fail" requirement. With this, you can try to get help from the school in the form of an IEP or 504 plan if he doesn't already have one. You said that he's in a mainstream classroom, but is he getting any other services? (e.g. social communication class, resource room, IEP, 504, Speech Path, etc.) Does your school/district have an autism specialist, and do you have access to their services?
Whether or not he chooses to continue in AP classes, it's important to address these issues now, so that if he continues on to college he will already have successful compensatory strategies developed. The work won't get much easier as he continues.
Just as an aside, I had a classmate in my undergrad who was on the spectrum and the university accommodated her needs by paying for a note-taker in the classroom. She couldn't just sit and listen to the lecture either, and always had something to keep her hands busy like knitting, coloring, etc. The key is she knew her learning style, and was able to work with the university to accommodate it.
Last edited by figmalt; 12-29-2010 at 12:45 AM..
Reason: clarification
A Processing Speed Index like that can make school extremely tough for kids, even ones as bright as your son. However, this is probably not something that just sprang up overnight - I would have expected this to have caused ongoing learning problems for years. Up until this year you said things came easily for him - what has changed? Is it managing his time for independent tasks which can impact homework and test preparation? Or is it that the slow processing is impacting his output in class? Or is the volume of content just too much for him to organize?
I think the key is finding out what has changed for him from last year to this year, which means that he will very much need to be part of the brainstorming process. It may turn out that there is another factor, like maybe social distractions, that is coming into play. Has he offered any insight into why he has struggled this year?
Based on what I have been told by his teachers, Honors in 10th grade & up is nothing like Honors up through 9th grade. Both the volume (homework & classwork) & the rate of learning are significantly higher than in the past and get increasingly higher as the year progresses. Additionally, there are more higher level complex thinking and tasks in the curriculum. These seem to be the main differences at the academic level.
Factor in his poor organizational, time-management and attending skills which I guess is reflected in the Processing Speed score and my best guess is that that's the problem.
That's why I wondered if I should request that they remove him from the Honor's track, even though I think the thought of leaving the classmates that he knows for so long and he is comfortable with, is in itself making him anxious.
This will probably seem obvious, but it should be stated again because you may not have thought about it in this way. Standardized tests aren't particularly helpful for determining your son's specific needs to be successful in his AP classes. What I mean is, the test is designed specifically to track how well a person conforms to "normed" averages. In other words, it's only designed to show how average he is. If he deviates from the norm, it will show that too, but it wont interpret what that variation means specifically for your son, or what effect that variance has on his school work (if that makes sense). It's not designed to do that.
To answer your question in part, you need to address the specific areas of weakness like organizing, planning, and whatever else is required (again, you know this). The test scores are most helpful/useful in showing that he is (probably) 2 or more standard deviations from the mean, which is the typical "fail" requirement. With this, you can try to get help from the school in the form of an IEP or 504 plan if he doesn't already have one. You said that he's in a mainstream classroom, but is he getting any other services? (e.g. social communication class, resource room, IEP, 504, Speech Path, etc.) Does your school/district have an autism specialist, and do you have access to their services?
Yes, he has had an IEP ever since he first entered the district, along with related speech and OT services, while always being mainstreamed academically. He has also had an aide for organization.
As the years went on we looked for ways to provide these services in a more functional manner. For example, one-on-one OT was replaced by a laptop and a "sensory diet as needed" during regular classes, with ongoing consults. The majority of the classes at this level appear to be taught in a college-like lecture style, which I think for him is a difficulty because he takes a long time processing what he hears and then typing it (despite being a very proficient typist). He is very much a visual learner. The IEP does indicate that written notes are to be provided, but they are never real-time (every evening) and come in batches at the end of the week or before a test. They also don't always capture the essence of some of the classroom discussions. Again, this is all hear-say from my son and a couple of the teachers. I'm not sure how much of this is relevant.
Between the 4 Honors classes and his other academic class and electives, he sometimes sits for 4-5 hours doing homework at night and apparently even then the homework is not always complete.
Quote:
Whether or not he chooses to continue in AP classes, it's important to address these issues now, so that if he continues on to college he will already have successful compensatory strategies developed. The work won't get much easier as he continues.
Just as an aside, I had a classmate in my undergrad who was on the spectrum and the university accommodated her needs by paying for a note-taker in the classroom. She couldn't just sit and listen to the lecture either, and always had something to keep her hands busy like knitting, coloring, etc. The key is she knew her learning style, and was able to work with the university to accommodate it.
I guess that's the dilemma: Up until now, other than a laptop, notes and an aide for organization, we have never accommodated for him academically. Accommodating him more to succeed in a fast-paced Honors class, will possibly involve altering the class curriculum and intent in order to suit his needs. I'm not sure if relying on more supports is going to serve him well in the future. We are currently looking into after-school tutoring from juniors/seniors from the school's Honors Society.
On the other hand, moving him from this track will likely impact him beyond academically (re: self-esteem and relationship dynamic with new classmates) and not allow him to focus on his strengths and realize his potential, which are his key to any possibility of success and independence in the future, IMO.
Is it all or nothing? Does he have to take four honors classes or none? Can he drop one or two of the hardest classes? Are the regular classes at the school good enough to prepare him for college?
It sounds like the current load is just too much. After-school tutoring might help if the students helping him understand his needs - he isn't the typical kid who goes in for tutoring. Otherwise, it will just leave him less time for that homework. Is there a way to improve the note-delivery? Would that help?
Moving him from the track may hurt his self-esteem, but so will D's and F's. Life will not always protect his self-esteem. We all have to deal with our own limitations.
Is it all or nothing? Does he have to take four honors classes or none? Can he drop one or two of the hardest classes? Are the regular classes at the school good enough to prepare him for college?
It sounds like the current load is just too much. After-school tutoring might help if the students helping him understand his needs - he isn't the typical kid who goes in for tutoring. Otherwise, it will just leave him less time for that homework. Is there a way to improve the note-delivery? Would that help?
Moving him from the track may hurt his self-esteem, but so will D's and F's. Life will not always protect his self-esteem. We all have to deal with our own limitations.
It actually isn't all or nothing. One of the possibilities for consideration is dropping some of the Honors course load. I think one of the potential problems in doing that would be, the impact it would have on the rest of his schedule and determining which classes he should stay in. Of course the other difficulty would be his feelings about it. I'm trying to include him in this process, but so far his best intentions are not enough.
I guess the real question is, are there ways to appropriately compensate or correct some of the processing difficulties, without changing the curriculum of the class? It's true that life will not protect your self-esteem, but in truth life doesn't always make accommodations. I'm looking for some balance, letting him realize his strength while finding tools today to prepare him for the future in general, not just college.
There are accommodations and there are accommodations that the school will be willing to provide. Things like extended time for assignments/projects, decreased volume on assignments, more timely and effective provided notes, the ability to do some assignments verbally via a voice recorder, etc. - these are all things that could help him keep up with the pace without altering the content. If the content has to be altered for him to survive, then he probably should not be in that track for that subject.
I wouldn't worry about him using accommodations as a crutch - it sounds like he may already work harder than many kids and the truth is that adults get to use accommodations all the time in life and work. Knowing what you need and how to manage uit are the real keys.
I wouldn't worry about him using accommodations as a crutch - it sounds like he may already work harder than many kids and the truth is that adults get to use accommodations all the time in life and work. Knowing what you need and how to manage uit are the real keys.
Great comment! Giving a kid with poor eyesight a pair of glasses is not a crutch until he figures out how to cope on his own. The goal is not to provide a crutch or quick fix, but to give these kids real-world tools so that they can be as independent as possible, which may always be more dependent (or at least perceived dependency) than other kids. I have to have 5 sets of car keys and a key finder or I will never get to where I need to go. Sure it's accommodation for my inability to keep track of keys, but it's reality.
There are accommodations and there are accommodations that the school will be willing to provide. Things like extended time for assignments/projects, decreased volume on assignments, more timely and effective provided notes, the ability to do some assignments verbally via a voice recorder, etc. - these are all things that could help him keep up with the pace without altering the content. If the content has to be altered for him to survive, then he probably should not be in that track for that subject.
I wouldn't worry about him using accommodations as a crutch - it sounds like he may already work harder than many kids and the truth is that adults get to use accommodations all the time in life and work. Knowing what you need and how to manage uit are the real keys.
Quote:
Originally Posted by figmalt
Great comment! Giving a kid with poor eyesight a pair of glasses is not a crutch until he figures out how to cope on his own. The goal is not to provide a crutch or quick fix, but to give these kids real-world tools so that they can be as independent as possible, which may always be more dependent (or at least perceived dependency) than other kids. I have to have 5 sets of car keys and a key finder or I will never get to where I need to go. Sure it's accommodation for my inability to keep track of keys, but it's reality.
Re: the note-taking, one of the biggest problems has been the quality and consistency of the notes. That is something I will definitely be addressing.
I like the voice recorder idea, although I doubt he will make use of that at home. I will keep it on the table for consideration though.
I forgot to mention earlier that the after-school tutoring by his older peers, are actually 2 individuals that will work together and who already know my son. They have been made aware that he is not a typical child in a typical tutoring session. I'm excited about this because it will serve a dual-purpose (crossing my fingers) of both academic tutoring and application of social skills/pragmatics.
Re: accommodations, I agree that some accommodations do no more than enable a child to learn what others are learning and enable them to show what they have learned. However, I am having a hard time accepting that reduction of work volume and extra time to hand in work in an Honors class, isn't changing the expectations of the class for one individual. If this were a typical class for the general popultaion I might agree. However, in my opinion, being recommended to an Honors class is a privilege, not a basic educational requirement. I don't believe his peers feel it unfair that while they have to write he types, or that he gets assistance organizing his backpack. I do feel that they would see him as receiving unfair advantage for getting graded based on less work in more time.
I really appreciate all your input so far. Thanks.
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. No I'm not really shocked, but as you can imagine without that score his Full Scale would be higher.
