woodri

The sign over the college bar says 'Over 18's only' and one of my AS students had just turned 18. He was convinced he was still not allowed to buy a drink because he was 18 but not over 18 because that would be 19.

An AS student made a mistake in a maths test and muttered "######" under his breath. The teacher was passing at the time and admonished him kindly with "I didn't hear that". So he shouted "######"

Hi Ray, Kathryn and Hailey I think parents on this forum are brilliant and I'm learning a lot which is why I joined it. I have been fighting my corner for my DS son for 27 years now so I've become somewhat battle hardened and often battle weary like yourselves. My views are based on local conditions, experiences and working with the few AS teenage students I am supporting at present so my comments are not global. They are just put into the pot for what they are worth. As a long time parent I have belonged to a variety of local disability self help groups for a range of disablities including AS members. Our local authority has generally preferred to promote special schools and more vulnerable and less able parents than yourselves have sometimes been persuaded to place their kids in them for LEA convenience. I'm afraid also human nature being what it is some parents seem content to hand it all over to someone else. Secondary mainstream is often regarded as the most complex and challenging time kids have in their lives. After that they can shed what they don't like, streamline their focus and go where they want. Mainstream is a hell of a risk for anyone and the argument versus special school has always been intense. We fought for our son to go to mainstream because the special schools seemed to reinforce handicap, operate at lower language levels, and have too many adults to too few kids. He came out of mainstream without knowing any more than a special school kid but the benefits are more in his sociability, ease with adults and teenagers, language development, body language, alertness and adaptability to change. That is the calculated risk we took and we seem to have got away with it - just. But like yourselves if the risk had become too great (in our opinion not theirs) we would have withdrawn him - but reluctantly. I am not 'blaming' any caring parent for not putting kids in mainstream or judging anyone a failure for putting them in special provisions. Its all very high risk and whatever happens the bottom line is it is all dumped on us parents when things don't work out - even now when he is 27 years old.

If you want to consider trying with a computer solution go to http://www.greyolltwit.com/ . The software is written by a father of an ADHD boy and is free. Very committed Dad, his stuff may be useful and I hope worth a try.

Our DS son is now 27 and we have fought 'experts' for that long apart from a fantastic specialist health visitor when he was a baby. They abolished that post of course so we had to help out other younger parents later on. And then we met our first Educational Psychologist......... It pays to be stroppy and challenging but important to be informed of options and if possible supported by other parents in similar boat. We are still fighting 27 years on with the local authority (lack) of provision, schemes that suit them and the benefits agency who can't programme a computer to work accurately. Every year we still have to fill in a form in case he has been miraculously 'cured' and no longer needs help. Key help has come from a local charity in our case Mencap and local voluntary social groups (including one for AS) and a network of like-minded warriors. He has two younger sisters who have also learned resilience, questioning and a kind of scepticism which has bonded us all together very strongly and which they are transferring into their own lives. Not much fools them. It's a long game but with plenty of rewards close to home.

Hi Hailey If you can, save the video clip to your computer and run it through Windows Media Player. So far have developed the following strategies for a variety of Aspie students. They are in their late teens and early 20's so teenager rules apply as well as the effects of AS. 1. Escape codes. These are agreed between tutor and Aspie to allow them to leave the class as 'invisibly' as possible to chill out or clear intrusive thoughts/anxieties. Most common calls are for a drink of water or to go to the loo. 2. Chill Room. We have set up a special 'limbo' room with grey walls and grey booths where aspies and other sensitive students can drop in or 'escape' and use computers or work 1:1 with me. 3. I have set up a college intranet website where Aspie students across the college can create pages for each other, find information, chat and share interests. The website links to other Aspie websites including this one and they are encouraged to register and contribute. 4. Where Aspies are in a class with computers I can often deal with problems remotely by exchanging emails instead of being in class with them and being able to contact outside college. 5. One student could not manage the vagueness of coursework and was withdrawn. However I persuaded him to try a Learndirect course and he loved it. Most of the Aspies have taken to email and we are developing email for personal organisation of self. You can store reminders and schedules etc as well as keeping information for reading and re-reading. This is happening globally anyway. Finally it may be worth looking at an e-learning or distance learning solution where he can learn and communicate whenever, whatever and however he himself wants. Hope some or any of this is of any use.

Hi Kathryn You seem to be the only one reading these postings for meaning. We get three groups: 1. From Special Schools. I believe most have been misplaced in these either because parents are afraid of the hassle in mainstream school or have been persuaded their kids are more special needs than necessary. 2. From mainstream schools where they have been statemented to have in-class support. 3. Have been declared ineducable and not put anywhere. You need to appreciate that in FE we cannot support a student who does not declare a disability and many Aspergers won't when they have left school. In terms of results and very generally we can observe the following: 1. Special School leaver have huge problems in a class of ex mainstream students with the noise, speed and banter. We have 2 to 4 hour lessons but a much more informal discipline. To date one or two have gained qualications where the tutors have insisted they declare for learning support. 2. Mainstream Schools. Cope well with the environment but no longer want someone in class sitting with them as that is seen as babyish. They still need someone to help with organisation and engagement with the lesson so we do a mix of in class and out of class support. 3. The AS lad who noone but us wanted to educate went up to Cambridge University last year to read Mathematics and Philosophy. We are not experts but as with any disablility it is much more an Art than a Science. Make sure you have a look at the video clip of an AS Professor being interviewed posted earlier.

Hi Bid Masking means one thing being covered temporarily by another which is not the same as separating. When tutors are presented with the defined AS pattern for guidance they tend to take these as gospel. I am concerned how easy it is to teach to a Syndrome pattern because you want to do right by the student and fail to explore or appreciate aspects of the person which are generally communal. What did you think of the video clip?

-like a typical teenager! I only brought in the Downs example to try and get across a concept. Outsiders to AS like myself don't have the insights articulate parents and mature AS people have. I'm still learning about AS along with my students and we research from the same sources (Attwood etc), books and Aspies Hangout. I'm adding this forum in now that I've found it and hope they will join it. When assisting disabled students we offer compensations for a variety of conditions to get as near to (or above) the level playing field as possible. Yet some underachievement is not because of the disability but simply that person being immature or foolish like any teenager or having nightmare parents. I am putting in the following link to a video clip as it has had a profound impact in giving confidence to my students because it is by an AS who is mature articulate and authoritative. It also illustrates the concept of being differently abled. http://tethys.croydon.ac.uk/Resources/cnbc...ngbell-2-24.wmv There is also a qualifying interview to highlight as with any group the variety and differing needs in the round.

I have an adult son with Downs Syndrome whom we managed to get through Primary and Secondary mainstream schools with his two sisters. Yes he is obviously Downs and with the attendant principle characteristics but what remained masked by the Syndrome was him being a natural academic. Being an academic seems a paradox for a mental handicap but he taught others to read at Primary School and is a considerable historian of the Tudors and Stuarts in his level of factual recall and high level of curiosity. These traits he shares with his non disabled younger sister who got a degree in Ancient History. He cannot fully communicate his knowledge or argue at a high level but we know where to point him for research, visits and social groups. The other benefit from mainstream schooling as he grew up was observing what part of his development and behaviour was Downs and what was typical of any kid. One concern I have with my teenage students is that some come along with no idea what Aspergers is. They've been told they've got it and have developed coping mechanisms for being seen as 'out there'. Others are diagnosed late and resent the label. Both sets are very keen to find out about it for themselves. The problem there is to ensure they have an understanding of AS but not to teach them into the stereotype.

I support 16+ year olds with Aspergers in a Greater London FE College. As there are no real experts yet on the Syndrome many of us are guided by the diagnostic 'pattern' observed by Dr Asperger yet have to appreciate we cannot take that too literally. I like the term 'differently abled' which is beginning to emerge as an approach to the AS spectrum in understanding that we have something much vaguer than a disease, disability or condition. I support 8 students aged 17 - 25 and all share the externally observed pattern of AS. What takes time to explore is where the individual's personality and inherent ability is being masked by AS and how to develop them within the narrow criteria of most educational courses.

I am a Learning Support Lecturer in a Further Education College and specialise in enabling and assistive technologies. Recently I have acquired an increasing number of Aspergers to support who need mentoring as well as specific help with further disabilities such as dyslexia. My students are learning a great deal about themselves from online forums such as this one and the American Aspies Hangout. I have also created a website forum for themselves within the college Virtual Learning Environment where they can communicate more with each other and store links to external sites for information and support.