Asperger's and IEP

Hi R.,
I just saw your post. My best friend's son has Aspergers. He 13, brilliant and does great in school. His problems have been "social" and he has a hard time making friends. He was diagnosed at around 5 years old and when he turned 10 they told him he had aspergers and it helped him understand his behavior better.

I would definitely get the IEP because you need it to make sure your son gets the help he needs in school. There is no need for other kids/parents to know but it helps that the teachers know. My friend has only had problems occasionally with certain teachers who refused to be flexible in the way they taught her son.

Hope this helps! Good luck! The earlier you intervene the better it will be for your son.

Hi, I so understand your fears. My suggestion is that you get the IEP. My experience was that it did not draw unneeded attention to my son. The school district may also have additional resources for you. At the very least they will probably put him in speech therapy. The great thing about this for my son was the other kids in speech had similar issues and personalities. He is in junior high now, and these kids are still friends.

If your son is very high functioning, the school may not want to do anything. Don't let that stop you, get an outside diagnosis. Having an IEP gives you as a parent a lot more power.

Good luck!

You'll probably get a load of replies from this as the incidence of Aspergers and Autism are so high, but I cannot emphasize enough the how essential it is to do everything possible to intervene NOW. Do not pass on an IEP, do not pass on resources out there for therapy and guidance. My son is 13 with exactly that diagnosis and if we had not been assertive, he would have not developed to the place he is now (very high functioning and socially capable). So please if anyone suggests to you to lay low, not to make to much of it - DO NOT LISTEN. Even "mild" autism does not simply go away. Adolescence is very, very tough and the better he is prepared for when kids get less accepting of unusual behavior the better.

Hi R.,
I just saw your post from Friday. I am not sure what area you live in but I work at a program called HaMercaz with families raising children with special needs in the Los Angeles area. I'd be more than happy to speak with you about having your son evaluated, IEPs, and anything else!
Feel free to contact me directly at ____@____.com or on here.
You can also find out more about HaMercaz at www.hamercaz.org.
Hope to talk to you soon,
S.

Hi R.,

I have a six year old son with High Functioning Autism. He is currently in a special needs class, and is also attending a mainstream class for about 30% of each day. He is doing fantastic.

I would recommend getting the IEP and having the school system where you are play a major part in helping to make the decision about what type of a program would best fit your son.

In our case, the IEP involves teachers, therapists, the parents, School Board members & special ed advisors. There is lots of good input from many different people, and I have been happy for the last three years that he has been in the school system.

Also, you will have continuing IEPs throughout the year, which is helpful because you can tweak your son's program if need be...less or more therapies, more mainstreaming, etc. And you get good progress reports from everyone on your son's "team".

I am happy to talk more to you about my experiences if you like. (I wish that I had had someone to do this for me).

Best of luck to you and your son.

K.