Any MCPS services for mildly autistic children?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We argued this but as our child is above grade level no dice. Also chess mom's kid is in DCPS.

That's what I'm afraid of. We are currently above grade level. But, because comprehension is failing, maybe soon he'll qualify. SMH.

[Anonymous]

They only start worrying if the child is doing so badly she may not get passing marks on PARCC. Sad situation in MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid in 4th grade with Asperger's and ADHD, combined type, gets supports mostly for social communication issues and writing not attention/organization issues. He gets pragmatic speech with SLP since preK4, lunch bunch (which is specifically for socialization) and social skills classes with the school counselor using Superflex and Unstuck and On Target.

His speech and writing appears NT. Academically he tests above grade level. He gets writing help since 2nd grade per his neuropsych eval which diagnosed a learning disability in written expression and ADHD. He types on a laptop for writing in two languages (DS is fully mainstreamed at a language immersion school and has been there since prek4). His IEP is under "autism" but most of his issues are from the ADHD and we did not bother adding ADHD to his IEP label since the IEP is individualized to the child and their needs.

You don't need to add the diagnosis to his IEP but it sounds like your DS will benefit from getting help with pragmatic speech and writing. Services can be easily added to an IEP without adding/changing the label under which they originally qualified for the IEP.

Are these your childs only accomodations/goals? My child has an ASD dx and needs pragmatics but I was discouraged for going for an IEP if that was his only need.

PP, This is chess mom and her son goes to a really accommodating charter school. I've never heard of anyone else getting anywhere near this level of services. We've also heard that you can't get an IEP for only pragmatics if a child is on or above grade level. They claimed it would not be enough to show an educational impact.

We had DS's developmental pediatrician, Dr. Dan Shapiro, and an educational consultant, Rich Weinfled, come to the IEP eligibility meeting and attend IEP meetings and help write the IEP when DS was in preK4 and in K. Also, we had Dr. David Black come to DS's three yr re eligibility meeting in 2nd grade to explain DS's neuropsych results and his recommendations for supports/services in the IEP. In both instances, our school gave us all of their recommendations. So our school while very accommodating and awesome had some nudging and help being so accommodating.

In chess there is something called a "forcing move" when you leave your opponent with no choice but to do what you want them to do. Getting expert help with DS's IEP from the very beginning was our "forcing move".

[Anonymous]

Not everyone has this much money and resources, chess mom. But I do like your style!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not everyone has this much money and resources, chess mom. But I do like your style!

Well, we didn't trust our school. Reading DCUM will cause that so we wanted all of our ducks in a row when DS got his diagnosis. Worth it in the long run too. Much cheaper than private school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid in 4th grade with Asperger's and ADHD, combined type, gets supports mostly for social communication issues and writing not attention/organization issues. He gets pragmatic speech with SLP since preK4, lunch bunch (which is specifically for socialization) and social skills classes with the school counselor using Superflex and Unstuck and On Target.

His speech and writing appears NT. Academically he tests above grade level. He gets writing help since 2nd grade per his neuropsych eval which diagnosed a learning disability in written expression and ADHD. He types on a laptop for writing in two languages (DS is fully mainstreamed at a language immersion school and has been there since prek4). His IEP is under "autism" but most of his issues are from the ADHD and we did not bother adding ADHD to his IEP label since the IEP is individualized to the child and their needs.

You don't need to add the diagnosis to his IEP but it sounds like your DS will benefit from getting help with pragmatic speech and writing. Services can be easily added to an IEP without adding/changing the label under which they originally qualified for the IEP.

Are these your childs only accomodations/goals? My child has an ASD dx and needs pragmatics but I was discouraged for going for an IEP if that was his only need.

PP, This is chess mom and her son goes to a really accommodating charter school. I've never heard of anyone else getting anywhere near this level of services. We've also heard that you can't get an IEP for only pragmatics if a child is on or above grade level. They claimed it would not be enough to show an educational impact.

We had DS's developmental pediatrician, Dr. Dan Shapiro, and an educational consultant, Rich Weinfled, come to the IEP eligibility meeting and attend IEP meetings and help write the IEP when DS was in preK4 and in K. Also, we had Dr. David Black come to DS's three yr re eligibility meeting in 2nd grade to explain DS's neuropsych results and his recommendations for supports/services in the IEP. In both instances, our school gave us all of their recommendations. So our school while very accommodating and awesome had some nudging and help being so accommodating.

In chess there is something called a "forcing move" when you leave your opponent with no choice but to do what you want them to do. Getting expert help with DS's IEP from the very beginning was our "forcing move".

Look, "chess" mom, more like "clueless" mom, you're not the ONLY person who brought in experts right from the start. MCPS is a different ballgame and often do NOT read reports or listen to experts like Dr. Black when they're at the IEP meetings. Also, most of us know that for at least a decade Dr. Shapiro doesn't take patient older than 4 years old--so not really an option for the OP. We also know that MCPS doesn't pay for Superflex/Unstuck on Target. A lot of us are sick of the humble brags. Please get over yourself b/c you're not helping.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just want to make sure I'm not missing something here. DS has had an IEP since K for attention/organization issues (he has severe ADHD), and is now in middle school with a wonderful resource class to help him. Overall the year is going extremely well.

We have not shared with the school that he has Asperger's, because in elementary that really didn't stand out as point of need compared to all the other stuff. However, his case manager this year offered to enroll him in a boys' club specifically for socialization (during school hours, managed by YMCA). One area he struggles with is writing: not only is there an ADHD-related organizational issue, but also, and I believe this stems from his Asperger's, he can write in a very stilted way, using words and constructs that are not completely appropriate. It's hard to describe, but somehow some of his writing feels "off". I taught him to write at home years ago, and he also writes for his native language class on weekends, so I notice it a lot. I'm not sure the teachers notice anything wrong with his writing, however, and 6th grade English is pretty basic. He can also talk in a stilted way, too, but it's much less noticeable verbally.

In your experience, do you think DS could benefit from other services if we added that diagnosis to his IEP? We would like to keep him at his current school, as it seems to working right now.

Thank you for your insight!

Take advantage of the social skills group. You can ask the school for additional testing without changing the code; however it's unlikely to happen if he's on grade level. Consider outside tutoring like ASDEC.