Quote From: angel1972I do not know if you have taken advantage of the opportunities that the public school system offers parents. Special Education Services are willing to help you with your situation. They can and do offer to test your child. They will also observe your child in a class room setting. They do need your permission to do these tests. Once the tests are done and they tell you what they can do to help you, you can take their results and concerns to a Psychiatrist that specializes in the area you need, (whether that is Asperger's or something else).
Public schools are not all the same, see what yours is willing to offer and what the law REQUIRES them to offer. It is a lot harder for a doctor to dismiss a parent's concerns if those concerns are shared by those that are considered to be equally "educated". ( you know your child better than anyone, if you truly feel there are concerns that need to be addressed, don't stop until they are! )
Cody, our youngest son, was in the public school system since he was 3. I home school him now because my husband and I felt that it would beneficial for Cody. Most of the teachers Cody had were lacking some very common teaching skills, some common human skills and the district is not equipped with the knowledge as to where to place and help children with Asperger's Syndrome. Children Cody's age (12) begin to form clicks in schools and bullies tend to be a bit more rough then in the elementary ages they also have found ways to bully others without being physical. It is very easy for those that don't fit the mold to stand out and to be ostracized. He did not have any friends (if you asked him, a friend is someone who would not be mean to him) only those that tolerated him. For Cody it was best we removed him from this situation, he was beginning to suffer emotionally and academically. My husband and I thought long and hard before removing Cody from the public school setting and for us, we believe we have made a good decision.
I wrote that last part only to show that a child with Asperger's ( any child really) and the parents who raise that child need support, knowledge and a willingness to do all they can to help that child be all they can be. The sooner you get that support, that knowledge, the better! We are grateful for the help we received from public school system when it worked for our son. The time came to take another avenue. Look for all the avenues you can, and don't fret when they don't lead were you hoped they would.. just try another!
The responsibility of being a parent is a gift, don't throw it away.
I don't really know what you mean about opportunities at the school. Although I was told when he was in SK (he's in gr. 4 now) that he would need "substantial" special ed he has yet to have an IEP. Homework has always had first priority in our home and I have supplemented it with worksheets from the web when I felt it necessary so he has avoided being "identified" by maintaining a c+/b- average. He has seen pediatricians and when he was diagnosed with the ADHD, the diagnosis was made by a child psychologist at CHEO who specializes in Autism and PDD. The thing is that everything I read about aspergers be it dsm-iv or parents describing their own child it sounds amazingly like my child. Also, the ADHD diagnosis was made when he was only 6 by a doctor who only spent 1 hour with him. What I really need is people who spend hours and hours with children who have aspergers to tell me if my kid sounds like their kid. I think I would find parents more of an authority. Whether or not he ever receives an "official" diagnosis of something other than ADHD is really immaterial cause I treat him as an individual and deal with his peculiarities as they come up.
