What's the result you see for AS kids who had early intervention

[Anonymous]

For those who have AS (Aspergers) kids and received early intervention, what is the result you see? Is your DC mainstreamed? Can other people notice any difference between your DC and NT children if you don't tell them your DC's condition?

[Anonymous]

What do you mean by early intervention?

We did not notice anything amiss about DS until he started school when he was 4 and was encouraged to get an evaluation by his teacher. DS was evaluated by a child psychologist hired by the school which we followed up with a developmental ped who does school observations and Children's Center for ASD. Alll diagnosed DS with AS/ASD.

DS has an IEP at his school. Completely mainstreamed. DS's main issue was that he would not engage with his peers. IEP and time has made it much better, has friends, excels academically, no behavior issues or sensory issues. He gets social skills class, help with pragmatic issues with SLP, OT, Sp Ed support, all IEP goals are social. DS is 5 and in K. Our educational consultant who periodically observes him in the classroom reports DS appears NT in the classroom whereas prior to the IEP any one who was looking in could tell DS has issues.

We have found all therapies tried outside school (to get DS to engage with peers/classmates) useless. Adult led therapy does not carry over to peers. Adult facilitated interactions/play works much better.

People don't notice there's anything different about him. He is very engaging with adults. Eye contact is fine. His issues are only apparent in the classroom. We use to do private OT when DS was first dx'd, and met many moms with SN kids including AS - every single one when I told them he had ASD expressed surprise and make some comment about "high functioning", etc. A distant relative who has a son, a teen, with AS thinks our dx is "wrong.". Well, they never saw him in a classroom when he had no supports and services. I think people have preconceived ideas about how Asperger's present or SHOULD present.

[Anonymous]

PP, my son behaves almost the same. He does not interact with his peers at his school. He also likes mechanical things such as fans, engines, windshield wipers, air conditioning, etc. we did not notice anything amiss until he went preschool at age 3. The first time I sent him to Child Find to be evaluated, all three observers at Child Find said he's normal. He interacted with them well and even did some silly things to get their attention. I insisted them to observe him at his preschool. That's when they realized he had an issue. Now the child psychologist suspects he has AS. I am on the waiting list of Children's and KKI. Dr. Shapiro told me he could not see patients in VA.

Was you DS ever been put into an Autism class or an non-categorical class? Or an inclusive class such as Head Star? Or has he always been in a mainstream classroom? I am asking because my DS's IEP is still pending and I have been told that he may go to a class where everyone has issues but all high functioning or some parents choose to let their kids stay in their current mainstream private preschool (since VA does not have public mainstream preschool

[Anonymous]

OP again. I accidentally submitted my last post before I finished it. Basically I am debating whether to send DS to a SN children exclusive public preschool or to keep him in his current private mainstream preschool and have the county send support staff over for service. Head Start is an inclusive preschool program with NT children from low income families and 25% SN kids. But I heard it's difficult to get in. Another option I have is to put him part time in an SN public preschool and part time in his mainstream private preschool. The issue is that his current preschool is a montessori school where children do not interact during the "work hours". Only when they go to the playground will they be able to mingle. I am not sure that is the best environment for adult facilitated interaction.

[Anonymous]

We knew one family that did Montessori with their AS DC, but the main social issues was the melt down for transitions or not getting what they wanted. For them it was a good choice.

If one of his main issues is that he doesn't interact with peers, then I wouldn't do this Montessori program. If this isn't an area that worries you as much, then I would go with whichever school you like best. That said, kids learn social skills from their peers, so any kid I think it's more important than mastering academics.

[Anonymous]

PP here, meant to say "mastering academics at that age." There's always time for that later.

[Anonymous]

0:24 again. My son has always been at the same school, an language immersion school where preK was 100% in the target language and 50/50 in the latter grades. DS had zero exposure to the target language prior to school but the immersion part is pretty much an non-issue other than that the school has been very proactive, helpful and transparent in how they support kids with SNs - they have quite a few and are aggressive about providing supports that will make the school work for every one of their students.

DS, like many AS kids, does very well with language, speaking, reading, writing, etc. His teachers want him to initiate more in the other language which they are working on. The school plays into his strengths and really helps his self esteem. The teachers really like him and the school provides a caring, nurturing environment.

I agree with pp that Montessori may not be the best environment for kids like this. My DS really has to be "pushed"/prompted to engage with peers. He prefers to engage with his teachers... and the Vice Principal! Some of the things aside from IEP that has helped:

1. small class size. He is in a classroom with a 17:3 (including Sp Ed teacher) ratio for K. Other K classrooms are 18:2.

2. Being assigned a "buddy". One of his buddies from preK is in his class and while he no longer needs what the buddy was intended which was to help him keep up with his class (gross motor issues), it's nice to have a friend from preK. DS is also the youngest boy in his class and it was the same in preK. His assigned buddies have always been "older" NT girls.

Get the best IEP you can and see how willing the school is in helping your child which unfortunately has more to do with luck than anything.

6:15: My kid also LOVES fans, doors, and especially elevators. We will be indulging these loves over Spring Break. LOL!

[Anonymous]

DS AS age 10. Had early intervention for years -- OT, PT, sensory, play therapy, social skills. Agree that adult led therapies tend to translate poorly to everyday life with peers. AS diagnosis did not come until age 7. Regular private school did not work. Mainstream at our local public did not work. We are now in private SN. Adults may/may not notice if a one-on-one interaction. It all depends. Adults will notice something is off if they observe DS in a group setting (playground, party, playdate). Kids notice I'm sure. That said, he's made a world of improvement and we continue to be amazed by his progress.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For those who have AS (Aspergers) kids and received early intervention, what is the result you see? Is your DC mainstreamed? Can other people notice any difference between your DC and NT children if you don't tell them your DC's condition?

My anecdotal observations are the earlier the better. The children who had social skills classes before age 7 are doing much better than the ones who started in 4th grade who are doing much better than the ones who started in Middle or HS.

[Anonymous]

This is complicated for me to answer. My ds is 8 and was diagnosed at 3. He's made tremendous progress and academically and intellectually he's an interesting kid. He's in a very small private school that says it is MS but has quite a few kids who are quirky or have ADHD or other issues. He is noticeably odd and I think anyone with experience with kids his age would know he has ASD (limited eye contact, somewhat strange, flat speech patterns, and unusual interests). He doesn't "pass" as typical at all, and the deviation from what is typical has become much greater and pronounced over time. In preK or kindergarten our family and friends didn't "believe" he merited the diagnosis, but I doubt anyone thinks that now. We did tons of therapy and early intervention. I think it is really really hard to predict outcomes. In a funny way his becoming more different has corresponded to me becoming less anxious about his future. I feel like he is becoming who he is, and the best thing we can do is just support that. There's no longer the intense anxiety to try to get him to behave as a normal 8 yo would, because I know that isn't in his capability. But he is polite, kind, helpful, and many other good things, and that is enough.

[Anonymous]

Mine has HFA

mainstream with IEP

social & interacts with peers, but is different/odd at times

can drone on about presidents, washing machines, math, random science facts

quirky

Plays with others at school and also plays by himself by choice, has playdates but probably not as many as his peers

I don't ask people if they notice that my child is different. Why would I? Would you want your friend asking you if their kids seem odd?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is complicated for me to answer. My ds is 8 and was diagnosed at 3. He's made tremendous progress and academically and intellectually he's an interesting kid. He's in a very small private school that says it is MS but has quite a few kids who are quirky or have ADHD or other issues. He is noticeably odd and I think anyone with experience with kids his age would know he has ASD (limited eye contact, somewhat strange, flat speech patterns, and unusual interests). He doesn't "pass" as typical at all, and the deviation from what is typical has become much greater and pronounced over time. In preK or kindergarten our family and friends didn't "believe" he merited the diagnosis, but I doubt anyone thinks that now. We did tons of therapy and early intervention. I think it is really really hard to predict outcomes. In a funny way his becoming more different has corresponded to me becoming less anxious about his future. I feel like he is becoming who he is, and the best thing we can do is just support that. There's no longer the intense anxiety to try to get him to behave as a normal 8 yo would, because I know that isn't in his capability. But he is polite, kind, helpful, and many other good things, and that is enough.

Love your answer! May I ask what school?

[Anonymous]

My DS is almost 13! He had sensory integration therapy, OT, and speech therapy as a 3 year old. As a 3 year old, early intervention thought he would need a special pre-school. We opted for a Montessori program, where he stayed until the end of 3rd grade. When he entered PS at 4th grade, he transitioned well, although he had no friends until 6th grade. He is now in MS and doing well academically and 'well-enough' socially. Most people would not know he is on the spectrum and he does not have an IEP or 504. We supplement for physical activities. He needed 1-1 swimming lessons; he didn't learn to ride a bike until 9. He is afraid to pick up our cats, afraid of heights, and takes a really long time to do any activity that involves a lot of motor planning.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thank you for all the replies. Looks like early intervention does make a difference. We are still waiting for the IEP to be created.

I am thankful for this forum and all the support I found here. It made things easier for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you for all the replies. Looks like early intervention does make a difference. We are still waiting for the IEP to be created.

I am thankful for this forum and all the support I found here. It made things easier for me.

You are so smart to get the IEP now. Once they are older it's much harder to get one. I was told a child has to fail at something before qualifying. While we didn't get as much as we wanted on the IEP, the services our son does get are great and they are FREE!