My ASD Child

"Our daughter is experiencing severe meltdowns due to the new school year. We recently were forced to make a trip to the Children's Hospital. Every person we've seen asks if she has an IEP. She does not, just a 504. The school district says she does not qualify for an IEP, which I question since all the mental health professionals think she should have one. Why does she need an IEP, and what should be included that will help this child?" Click here for the answer...

Sherman Oaks and Culver City, California Village Glen School— Sponsored by the The Help Group, the Village Glen School is a therapeutic day school program for kids with challenges in the areas of socialization, communication, language development, peer relations, learning disabilities, and academic performance without significant behavior problems. Many of the clients served at Village Glen experience special needs related to Aspergers and high functioning autism. Visit their web site at: www.villageglen.org East Bay, California The Springstone School— The Springstone School, located in Concord, California, is an independent middle school that promotes and develops academic, social and prevocational skills for clients with Aspergers and Nonverbal Learning Disabilities. The professional and experienced staff fosters values of independence, responsibility and community in preparation for high school, and beyond through intensive, individualized instruction in small structure

Autism is a brain development disorder that is characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and restricted and repetitive behavior, all starting before a youngster is three years old. This set of signs distinguishes autism from milder Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) such as pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). Autism has a strong genetic basis, although the genetics of autism are complex and it is unclear whether Autism Spectrum Disorders is explained more by multigene interactions or by rare mutations. In rare cases, autism is strongly associated with agents that cause birth defects. Other proposed causes, such as childhood vaccines, are controversial; the vaccine hypotheses lack convincing scientific evidence. Most recent reviews estimate a prevalence of one to two cases per 1,000 individuals for autism, and about six per 1,000 for Autism Spectrum Disorders, with Autism Spectrum Disorders averaging a 4.3:1 male-to-female ratio. The

Aspergers (also called Asperger's Syndrome, Asperger's Disorder, Asperger's or AS) is the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in which there is no general delay in language or cognitive development. Like the more severe Autism Spectrum Disorders, it is characterized by difficulties in social interaction and restricted, stereotyped patterns of behavior and interests. Although not mentioned in standard diagnostic criteria for Aspergers, physical clumsiness and atypical use of language are frequently reported. Aspergers is named after Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger who, in 1944, described kids in his practice who lacked nonverbal communication skills, demonstrated limited empathy with their peers, and were physically clumsy. Fifty years later, Aspergers was standardized as a diagnosis, but questions about many aspects of Aspergers remain. For example, there is lingering doubt about the distinction between Aspergers and High-Functioning Autism (HFA); partly due to this,