Aspergers and MCPS

[Anonymous]

Hi- it seems my almost 6 yr old may be getting this diagnosis soon based on feedback I am receiving from his therapists, etc. He currently is diagnosed with Dyspraxia. Can anyone chime in how your mcps experience is with your aspergers child? My ds goes to K in september and we are currently house hunting in Rockville area (currently live in nw dc).

[Anonymous]

It is really about what supports your child and not the diagnosis. What supports do you think your child will need in K? Do you already have an IEP in place?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is really about what supports your child and not the diagnosis. What supports do you think your child will need in K? Do you already have an IEP in place?

Yes already have an IEP. He currently gets speech and ot. I know nothing about Aspergers yet as this is the first Im ever hearing it mentioned about my son. I was thinking Adhd would be added to his diagnosis. So I dont know if Aspergers diagnosis would change any of the supports the school puts in place for him. Ahhh just when I thought I had things under control, a potentially new diagnosis ?

[Anonymous]

At 6 they are most likely going to keep your child as developmental delay (assuming that's his code). The diagnosis would impact him when they reevaluate and change the code to an autism code. That said, what does your son need to access the curriculum? If he only needs speech and OT, then they would have no reason to change the IEP just due to a diagnosis.

Your son is the same kid- don't worry about him suddenly being on the spectrum! You've got this!

[Anonymous]

A diagnosis really just labels the constellation of symptoms, so I'm sure you already know what he needs. Does he need a visual schedule to help with transitions? Special seating for circle time to help keep his body to himself? Goals (and specialized instruction) around these or other behavior issues? Social skills groups and explicit instruction?

My kid with asperger's did not need academic support at that age, but did when older when the tasks became more abstract.

[Anonymous]

And my Asperger’s child has significant anxiety and needed to be placed in the MCPS Aspergers Program. He is doing great there. School would be, and was, an utter disaster before we got this placement.

So it really does depend on the child’s needs.

[Anonymous]

Dear OP,

My son is on the autism spectrum and is in the asperger's program in MCPS. We love it and he has grown and thrived in the program. One resource that I have found really useful is X-Minds https://xminds.org/ , they have a guide to programs in MCPS that is incredibly valuable. There are also meetings so that it is easy to meet other parents and learn about other experiences. There is also a yahoo group called MC needs that is great!

I hope this helps you get started.

[Anonymous]

I thought the diagnosis of Aspergers is no longer in the new DSM. It’s all called autism now but just different levels of functioning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought the diagnosis of Aspergers is no longer in the new DSM. It’s all called autism now but just different levels of functioning.

Correct that it is no longer in the DSM, but the term is still used as an unofficial synonym for high functioning autism.

[Anonymous]

New poster here, can anyone tell me what their experiences have been with "model asperger's " programs? I have 2 sons with asperger's (ok, high functioning autism).
One is a mediocre student in middle school who doesnt apply himself to learning and maintains a 3.2 ish gpa. He struggles with literature, of course but breezes through everything else. He tests well but could do better. He has no iep, but does have an "official diagnosis "
The younger son in elementary does well academically, sttaight As, high MAPs but has alot of school refusal and anxiety.
Ny biggest questions about putting either of them into a model asperger's programs concern whether or not they will receive as rigorous of an education, and if they will be placed with kids who act out or are more difficult than they are and their social skills will slide.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New poster here, can anyone tell me what their experiences have been with "model asperger's " programs? I have 2 sons with asperger's (ok, high functioning autism).
One is a mediocre student in middle school who doesnt apply himself to learning and maintains a 3.2 ish gpa. He struggles with literature, of course but breezes through everything else. He tests well but could do better. He has no iep, but does have an "official diagnosis "
The younger son in elementary does well academically, sttaight As, high MAPs but has alot of school refusal and anxiety.
Ny biggest questions about putting either of them into a model asperger's programs concern whether or not they will receive as rigorous of an education, and if they will be placed with kids who act out or are more difficult than they are and their social skills will slide.

I'm not totally sure what you are referring to. The asperger's program in middle and high school is almost all mainstreamed, with a resource class at the end of the day and a para to help in the gen ed classroom. Placement is by IEP team -- if so far he hasn't needed an IEP at all, he's not going to get placed into the program.

Ivymount has a private program called model asperger's program. It costs about $60,000. Again, unlikely that you'll get the county to pay for it since he doesn't have an IEP at all right now. Another private school with a similar profile is Auburn, in Silver Spring (it's a little cheaper). You should visit both schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New poster here, can anyone tell me what their experiences have been with "model asperger's " programs? I have 2 sons with asperger's (ok, high functioning autism).
One is a mediocre student in middle school who doesnt apply himself to learning and maintains a 3.2 ish gpa. He struggles with literature, of course but breezes through everything else. He tests well but could do better. He has no iep, but does have an "official diagnosis "
The younger son in elementary does well academically, sttaight As, high MAPs but has alot of school refusal and anxiety.
Ny biggest questions about putting either of them into a model asperger's programs concern whether or not they will receive as rigorous of an education, and if they will be placed with kids who act out or are more difficult than they are and their social skills will slide.

Pp,

Don't highjack threads out of courtesy.

More importantly, you're dealing with two different issues. Your oldest may need a bit of tutoring. Your younger child may need medication and/or counseling for anxiety.

[Anonymous]

This thread was literally about asperger's and mcps. My questions were directly inline with the topic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread was literally about asperger's and mcps. My questions were directly inline with the topic.

Nope, def off topic. Ivymount is not mcps

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread was literally about asperger's and mcps. My questions were directly inline with the topic.

Nope, def off topic. Ivymount is not mcps

You can get public placement at Ivymount though.