Special Needs

folks with ADHD or ASD experience please help...

I've written about DS a few times.  He has a seizure disorder and is in a regular ed class in school.  He's in first grade.  He's ok with the academics, but really struggling socially.  The pediatrician and neuro are leaning towards ADHD, but we are monitoring how this fall goes/gathering information.  Below is his teacher's e-mail from this week.  The behaviors are not new :(  (except for what he said to the girls).  Please let me know your thoughts.  I trust his teacher and the school.  I may delete this later as it seems a lot of personal details to leave out there...

This week, x?s interactions with his peers have been up and down. He has struggled a few days at lunch with touching other friends? food or  putting food in someone else?s milk. He ended the week with positive days in the cafeteria! He also has been poking (with hands or feet) and distracting others while they are trying to work or listen. His peers are getting frustrated and ask him to stop but he usually does not stop without adult interaction. X seems to shrug off peer reactions and moves on. While I am teaching on the smartboard, he taps or writes on the bottom corner of the board multiple times during a lesson to the point that I have had to move him farther away from the board and ask him to sit in a chair (only 1 person can be touching the smartboard at a time). From peers, I have been hearing a lot of, ?X stop!? or ?X is doing . . .  Yesterday, X told 2 girls they were the next 2 to die ? the girls, who are very helpful to him were sad that he said that to them. The 4 of us talked about the comment and how it would be hurtful to someone. The girls shared their feelings to him and X did apologize and he was saddened that the girls were upset.

 

X has some great qualities that we want to continue to develop and I love when he shares during our discussions. He has great information to share and asks great questions. He works well when we are working in a small group ? he interacts and participates in his reading group or when an adult sits near him. I helped him and a few peers set up a process to take turns on the smartboard during recess ? once that process was in place, they had a great time playing together. Some peers are very helpful to X and watch over him, which is wonderful to see.  I just worry about his social skills, ability to positively interact independently with peers and complete his work in a timely manner.

 

I have talked with X about making positive choices with peers but he almost seems to feed off other students? reactions. As a class, we are going to focus on staying in our own personal space and being super citizens to everyone by being helpful and supportive. Let me know if you have any additional areas that you would like to discuss. I want to continue to support X and his learning. Thanks. 

Re: folks with ADHD or ASD experience please help...

  • I don't usually post on this board but I may have some advice for you. I have a Master's degree in Special Education and currently teach in a self-contained class. Last year I was in a collaborative classroom. Anyway, you say that he's in the 1st grade so I'm going to presume that he has an IEP. I don't know when his annual or re-evaluation dates are but you, as part of the IEP team has the option to review your son's IEP at any time if you have a concern or don't think that his IEP is meeting his needs. I would suggest that he attempt to receive some kind of intergrated services to possibly have someone with him in the class for a few hours a day/ week (whatever you and the team decide) to help him work specifically on social skills and interactions with the other students. He may also benefit with an Addendum to his IEP called a Behavior Intervention Plan. That way he may qualify for a 1:1 aid since his behavior is not only affecting himself but others as well. Also, I would suggest having his IEP state that he sit in a small group so that there are less distractions.

    Everything that I stated before is based on generics since I know very few specific details about your son and his situation but I hope that this is helpful. Either way, good luck. :-)

    Warning No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml
  • He's in a regular ed class.  He does not currently have a 504 or IEP.  The district provides a lot of services without either.  He's getting OT, Speech, and a small group with the psychologist.  At a recent team meeting they are going to have the psychologist push in and assist him.  I don't remember how much, but it's more than now.  I would just love to know the why of his behavior.  They are trying some behavior charts and some things to help him focus.  Obviously there seems to be some executive functioning issues.  Not sure if it's immaturity or beyond that.  
  • Loading the player...
  • Teachers don't really work with the "why" so much as the interventions. It may just be attention seeking behavior and sometimes (a BIG) sometimes, that behavior may stem from PTSD or Emotional Disturbance. A big component of ED is maladaptive behavior which you don't say anything about. Does he have friends outside of school? How are his relationships with adults and other child family members? 

     

    I do want to say that I am so jealous of the services that your school system provides without even having an IEP or 504. I have to bend over backwards to get the resources to provide my students with services in the class and make sure they are getting the related services that they are entitled to. You may want to look into getting him an IEP or 504 depending on his dx though because if you move out of district, he may not receive the services that he needs and is used to having due to lack of such documents. 

    Warning No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml
  • I don't know what the PTSD would be from if that's it.  Does ED stem from experiences, or is it more internally driven?  The only thing I can think is that the hospital was traumatic for him after his seizures.  He doesn't remember much from his post seizure state, but we did have to struggle with him coming off his meds they used to break the seizures.  He was so agitated.  They had to restrain him for the eeg, but again he wasn't super coherent.  When I ask him about the hospital he doesn't remember.  I know I get flashbacks from his seizures though.  I've wondered if the seizures themselves have effected him (neuro doesn't think so) or if the seizure meds are affecting his thought process.  As mom I want to help fix what is happening.  He may end up with a 504 if the preliminary things they are doing at school aren't helping.  School has said with or without a diagnosis their help would be the same.  We are definitely in a great district.

    With adults he does ok.  He and his brother are good friends.  His brother is younger, so that may be a factor.  They play together a lot.  He does tease his brother and push his buttons after awhile.   

This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards
"
"