Posts

How To Get Other Family Members To Accept Your Child's Diagnosis

"I'm a stay-at-home mom. My husband works out of town and is only home on weekends. My question is how can I get my husband and in-laws to accept our daughter’s diagnosis? They claim I am just 'making this up' and that it's really a behavior problem with her – not a 'disorder'." Click here for the answer...

High-Functioning Autism and Associated Disorders

“We’re in the process of having our son assessed for high functioning autism. We’ve had numerous problems in the past that have brought us to this point. The doc said he believes our son may have several ‘comorbid’ conditions as well. What does this mean? What other ‘conditions’ might there be?” Click here for the answer...

Why does a child with Aspergers have a short attention span?

Kids with Aspergers frequently exhibit problems associated with other special needs (e.g., attention problems and obsessive/compulsive disorders). Researchers and practitioners are unsure whether these behaviors are a part of Aspergers or are comorbid, (i.e., related) disorders. The characteristics of Aspergers include difficulties in social communication, sensory problems and organizational difficulties. All of these combined will certainly affect their ability to sustain concentration for any length of time. For example, a room may be too bright, noisy, too many pictures, etc., which are all distractions and high stimulation. This means that certain sights, noises, tastes and textures can bother a child more than they would a child without Aspergers. Aspergers kids will often not fully understand what is being said to them and will often misinterpret crucial verbal and non-verbal information. They also find it difficult to give consistent eye contact as this sometimes i

Individual Education Plan for Aspergers Children

Question How can I get help in obtaining services that are supposedly out there and available? My son’s ISSP (IEP) looks fantastic on paper, but in reality, most of the services are not obtainable due to extremely long wait lists or shortage of workers to completely fill the positions. Answer Developing a relationship with your son’s school and creating an acceptable IEP, or Individual Education Plan, is very important. “How Well Does Your IEP Measure Up?” by Diane Twachtman-Cullen and Jennifer Twachtman-Reilly is a book that can help you grow to be a valuable member of your son’s IEP team, giving you insight into the IEP process. You’ll learn about often-neglected areas that should be addressed during the IEP meeting. Your son’s school has obviously been cooperative, working with you and acknowledging his disabilities. However, without follow-through, all you have is a stack of papers. By law, your son is entitled to FAPE or a free, appropriate public education d