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UltraMum

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Posts posted by UltraMum

  8. Posted · Report reply

    I think it's the final statement that has to be produced by February 15th in the year of transition so this Y5 review should look ahead to the support needed for secondary as well as the support for Y6.

     

    A friend of mine went on a Network 81 course recently - her advice was that it is advised that all paperwork is provided 2/52 before the meeting it isn't, unfortunately, obligtory. You can ask for reading time at the meeting if they suddenly dump a couple of reports on you - otherwise you could ask for the meeting to be re-scheduled to give you time to read and digest the reports ... depends on how many people are involved and what their diaries are like to get them all together again.

  9. Posted · Report reply

    My DH is possibly on the spectrum too = although he lost his rag when i suggested it so we don't go down that route anymore.

     

    It's often like dealing with two autistic children ... they both stand their ground and neither will give in to the other - DH just yells which frightens DS ... :wallbash:

     

    Y'day DH broke the handle off the car seat which alters the slope of the back of the seat ... :o

     

    Long story ... a friend sat in the car for a chat outside school and had adjusted the seat as it was too upright for her and she has a very bad back. DH has moaned +++ before when his seat has been altered so DS and I tried to get it back in the correct place. :unsure: Didn't succeed - DH went ballistic when he got in the car y'day am about his seat being altered and broke the handle in an almost panic trying to get it correct - then suggested that I don't let people alter it or ask them to sit in the back of the car .... :whistle:

    :blink::blink::blink::wacko::wacko::wacko:

     

    Sounds like Goldilocks and the three bears now I've typed it :lol::lol::lol: but it wasn't funny at the time ... :tearful:

     

    The trick is to assume that the diagnosis is there and act accordingly ... not easy but I made some promises when we got married and I intend to keep them ...

     

    >:D<<'> >:D<<'> >:D<<'> to all in similar situations

  10. Posted · Edited by UltraMum · Report reply

    Here are the official rules for this year ... available at http://www.qca.org.uk/eara/documents/KS2_ARA.pdf

    Look for section 12

     

    Extra time may also be applicable but the school has to apply for permission for this by March 1st so need to get a move on if they haven't done it

     

    Using word processors

     

    Pupils who normally use word processors may use them for the mathematics and science tests. However, for the English tests, word processors may only be used by:

    pupils with special educational needs who would not be able to access the tests otherwise

    pupils with considerable writing difficulties who normally use a word processor or similar aid for writing across the curriculum.

    Pupils who are eligible to use a word processor for the writing test (longer task) will be awarded a mean mark of 2 (out of 3) for handwriting. If pupils are physically able to write and do not use a word processor as part of normal classroom practice, they will be awarded zero marks for handwriting.

     

    A pupil who uses a word processor for its editorial functions must not use it in the tests. For all tests, word processor tools that help with punctuation and grammar must be switched off. Spellcheckers must not be used in the spelling test.

     

    Whenever a pupil uses a word processor, the school must complete the form 'Use of a word processor or technical or electrical aid' available in the 'Test forms' section of the NAA websiteat www.naa.org.uk/tests and attach it to the pupil's test scripts.

     

    Edited to get shot of the ?'s put in when people use Microsoft to produce webpages :angry::angry::angry:

  15. Posted · Report reply

    My DH was the same - what made him realise was when J went to a birthday party when he was in reception - it was one of those who invited the whole class - all the other children were watching the entertainer and listening to him while J was crawling up and down a shaft of sunlight on the floor.

     

    He will come round ... just takes time - perhaps he just feels that he needs to hear it 'officially' - we're all different.

     

    >:D<<'> >:D<<'> >:D<<'>

  18. Posted · Edited by UltraMum · Report reply

    Thanks Ultramum - I can feel yet another 'essay' coming on. Problem is, I still need to find an Autism Diagnostic checklist that I can also throw at the Pead.

     

    Sam

    x

     

    ADOS or ADI? http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.f...t_uids=17088271

     

    1: Autism.2006 Nov;10(6):533-49.

    The discriminative ability and diagnostic utility of the ADOS-G, ADI-R, and GARS for children in a clinical setting.

    University of Pittsburgh, USA.

     

    Recent years have seen a surge of interest in assessment instruments for diagnosing autism in children. Instruments have generally been developed and evaluated from a research perspective. The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Generic (ADOS-G), Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R), and Gilliam Autism Rating Scale (GARS) have received considerable attention and are widely used. The objective of this study was to explore the diagnostic utility and discriminative ability of these tools using a clinical population of children referred to a specialty diagnostic clinic over a 3 year time span. The results indicated that the ADOS-G and ADI-R led to approximately 75 percent agreement with team diagnoses, with most inconsistencies being false positive diagnoses based on the measures. The GARS was generally ineffective at discriminating between children with various team diagnoses and consistently underestimated the likelihood of autism. The findings have important implications for the use of these measures in both research and clinical practice.

     

    There's quite a bit of stuff on here but not all the links are working :(

  20. Posted · Report reply

    I'll stop bombarding you now and get on with my letter to the LEA :wallbash::wallbash::wallbash: - hope you find some ammo here to help you ask the paed to consider using some other form of assessment as well :D

     

    Sorry - just came across this as well ...

    Two other well-known scales are the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale (GARS)[10,11] and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS).[12] Both of these tools are primarily intended for level 2 screening but they are sometimes mistakenly used as diagnostic instruments. Both instruments are not commonly used with young children.

  22. Posted · Edited by UltraMum · Report reply

    OK - just came across a Word doc - p23-24 - see below

     

    The Identification of Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Primer for the School Psychologist

    Indirect Assessment

     

    Indirect assessment involves obtaining data from caregivers (e.g., parents and teachers) about the student being assessed. It has the advantage of taping into the significant amount of experiences working with and observing the student typically possessed by caregivers. However, it is important to acknowledge the subjective nature indirect assessment. On some occasions caregivers have biased and/or inaccurate views of a student's behavior. Thus, direct assessment (to be discussed next) is also an important element of any diagnostic assessment. Form the author's applied school psychology experiences; the following rating scales and interview are offered as potentially valuable tools for use by the school psychologist who is attempting to diagnose an ASD.

     

    Rating scales. The Gilliam Autism Rating Scale (GARS; Gilliam, 1995) is a behavioral checklist designed to assist in the diagnosis of autism among individuals 3 through 22 years of age. It includes three core subtests (i.e., Stereotyped Behaviors, Communication, and Social Interaction) and a fourth optional subtest (i.e., Developmental) that collects developmental history data for the first three years of life. Each subtest is comprised of 14-items. GARS items are scored on a 4-point scale (with '0' corresponding to 'Never Observed' and '3' corresponding to 'Frequently Observed'). Designed to be completed by a parent, teacher, or other caregiver who knows the individual well [i.e., someone who has "... had regular, sustained contact with the subject for at least 2 weeks" (Gilliam, 1995, p. 9)]. No special training is required to administer or score the GARS, and it is suggested most raters will be able to complete it in 5 to 10 minutes.

     

    GARS subtest raw scores are converted into standard scores, which are then summed and in turn converted to an Autism Quotient (AQ). Subtest standard scores of 8 and above, and AQs of 90 and above, are associated with 'Average' and above probabilities of the subject being a person with an ASD. Conversely, subtest standard scores below 8, and AQs below 90 are associated with 'Below Average' probabilities of an ASD. However, when considering GARS scores, it is important to keep in mind recent research suggesting that the GARS underestimates the likelihood of autism. In a study by South et al. (2002) the mean GARS AQ of a sample comprised of children already diagnosed by expert clinicians with autism, was significantly lower than the reference mean. While the GARS mean is100, the mean in this sample of 119 children with strict DSM IV (APA, 1994) diagnoses of autism was 90.10. Given its high false negative rate (52% in the South et al. study), the GARS would not appear to be appropriate for use as a screening tool. Diagnosticians using this tool should take into account that its scores may underestimate the likelihood of autism and the results of this (or any rating scale) should never be used to make a diagnosis.

     

    Psychometrically, reliability among GARS subtests is good. However, as was mention above convergence "with similar scales from gold-standard research diagnostic measures was quite poor" (South et al., p. 596). In addition, it is important to note that the Developmental Disturbances scale is generally unrelated to the other scales" (South et al., p. 596).

     

    I'll stop bombarding you now and get on with my letter to the LEA :wallbash::wallbash::wallbash: - hope you find some ammo here to help you ask the paed to consider using some other form of assessment as well :D

  24. Posted · Report reply

    OK - here's an interesting quote:

    Autism Assessment Instruments

    Although several instruments have been designed to assess

    autism in young children, experts recommend that no single autism

    assessment instrument be used as the sole basis for diagnosing

    autism.

     

    from p 29 of

     

    Kabot,S., Masi,W., and Segal M. (2003) Advances in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice. Copyright 2003 by the American Psychological Association, Inc. 2003, Vol. 34, No. 1, 26?33

     

    FULL TEXT AVAILABLE HERE

    :oops: caps lock

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