Autism And Education

Both of my daughters exhibited signs of giftedness as toddlers. I searched for an appropriate educational environment for my elder daughter when she was approaching school age, and found nothing that would be emotionally supportive, intellectually engaging at her level, and fun. Isn't that what learning is, fun? It was for her, and I did not want that killed in a stifling classroom. We ended up homeschooling/unschooling for the K-8 years primarily for this reason. They each decided to go to public high school, taking the International Baccalaureate diploma program. One graduated with high honors as a National Merit Scholar, the other is a straight-A student and a Presidential Scholar finalist. Besides enjoying the intellectual space to proceed and learn at their own pace, both are enormously grateful for the feeling of personal security and identity that homeschooling allowed them the freedom to have. No one could torment them for their quirks at home. They spent most of their time reading whatever interested them. We did math and spelling two or three times a week, they had pen pals for writing, we went on nature walks, and participated in weekly gatherings of other unschoolers for informal classes in history, science, art, etc., and for playing. Both girls transitioned relatively seamlessly into school, which for all its structure did not put children ahead, and they made good friends there. I only wish there had been an age-peer school that allowed each child to advance as quickly as he/she could. They probably could have learned much more, and I could have worked. Ah, but what are money and material things? Dust in the wind... Anyway, homeschooling is legal in every state. You might want to explore it for your daughter. It couldn't hurt, and might help.

Like yourself, I'm a mother of a ten year old that has multiple disablities that include autism and deaf; I'm also a mother of a 17 year old that is gifted. When he was in the 3rd grade is when I started asking for more help (or work) with the gifted son. When I couldn't get the answers and help I wanted, I went to the board of education. I didn't get much help with them either. I then typed a letter and sent it to the 'state board of education'. (this is when I lived in Alabama) I sent copies (and added cc: at the bottom) to the 'state' super intendant, the state board of education, the 'city' board of education, the 'city' super intendant, and SEAC (a law agency for education). I got a quick reply (within 2 weeks), and had an IEP meeting set within 30 days. When I steped in the room where the meeting was being held (I was only used to them having 2 or 3 people there for the meetings) there was 20 people setting around a big conference table. I'ld only brought 1 person with me (a manager from the 'city' dept. of human resources.) After I told them everything I had been through and all I had asked for and the replies I got they read all of the files. Also, I kept everything in writing. They said all that she's said is true; why haven't you given her son what she's asking for. They immediately (with my help) made a plan for my son to start immediately.lol They gave him everything I asked for and more. I also suggested that when he's completed his work so soon (1st one done always and wanted to help others with their work), to give him extra work that's advanced so that he has something to keep him busy and out of trouble and also helps him to excel. This might be something that you can suggest. Or you can find some work books and let her take them to school to do when she finishes her work. Get her work book that will keep her brain working and solving different problems. Also, less then a month after our IEP meeting, that super intendant from the city was fired!!!!!

The federal law, IDEA, covers children with special needs and that includes children who are labeled gifted or talented. Schools are required to accommodate both the quick learner with a gift and the student with a disability who needs more time and other supports. Your argument should be at the local school district level. Find an advocate and go knock on the superintendent's door. If no answer there, then go to the local Board of Education. Don't stop until you hear yes for an answer.

I guess I have to say that gifted people are not the only ones who make advancements in science, math and engineering. tons of inventor throughout history have had various disabilities. I was a gifted student with no gifted education which was fine for me. It gave time to think up my own stuff. Isn't that supposed to be a gifted trait? I am never bored!

With a second child who is very gifted, I am interested to know if she enjos "making movies"? I designed a way to use The Movie Making Process as an educational tool and began a long-term case study with an Autistic girl. We have a short documentary on Youtube.
From Autism To Understanding:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJjMsah6hcU
With one autistic child and another who is gifted, it seems like a perfect opportunity to try it in your own household. Feel free to contact me with any questions. I am currently working on establishing this program locally and ideally, nationally.
www.taprootinc.com

I think a better solution to all of this would be to have vouchers to use to choose which school (private, public or magnet) to send our children to. Then we could choose schools that are the best fit for our kids - whether gifted, or ADHD, or autistic, or mechanically inclined, artistically inclined, etc. Why try to standardize everything? If we had choices, we wouldn't need to have a one size fits all system.

I understand your situation. At eight years old my son was tested and found to have an IQ of 140. He was constantly bored in school, where, unfortunately, the GT programs are often lackluster. We were told by other parents and even some teachers that eventually his peers would catch up to his academic ability, which, as anyone with an understanding of highly gifted children knows, is not the case. He skipped a grade and in middle school already achieved SAT scores that were higher than the average high school senior. We tested him again and at age eleven he was found to have the mathematical ability of a college freshman. So, no, not to be elitist, but it is obvious that he has continued to advance at a rate well beyond his peers.Luckily, he embraces his giftedness and strives to excel. We have supplemented his education with outside classes, museum and concert trips, and enrichment activities. We have never limited his curiosity, encouraging him to read books and ponder ideas well beyond grade level. Classrooms strive to bring all children to an average achievement level--this is highly frustrating for GT kids. I agree that an exorbitant amount of money is spent educating LD children, often to the detriment of gifted students who need specialized instruction as well to achieve their potential. But the assumption seems to be that intellectually advanced students will succeed on their own, and these children do not have powerful, politically-correct organizations to lobby on their behalf. Think of what these children could contribute to society if their intellecutal gifts were properly and lovingly cultivated! I do not want to short-change academically challenged students, but it seems to me that the funding could be more equitable. It is my sincere hope that both of Stephanie's children receive the education they deserve.

You have got to be kidding. In our state of Utah, the legislature allocates around $5700-$6000 per student to fund all costs for a year of education. Special ed kids get an extra 1/2 unit of funding, which at most is $3000 to cover all special ed costs for a school eyar--testing, service, paying teachers to attend IEPs, etc. The amount is NOT exhorbitant our out of control as some have said about programs in their states. It is woefully inadequate. Everyone knows it but our legislature, who just keeps getting voted in, does not make education a priority for anyone. The amount available for special needs kids (the extra $3000 PER SCHOOL YEAR) doesn't come close to covering what is needed. Many children with severe autism who need a 1:1 aide or many hours a week of intervention get 2 hours of service per week in group. Even average kids who are slow to read are lucky to get an extra 30 minutes a week of intervention, if anything, in a group. The low amount of educational support is a recipe for disaster. The severely disabled children, such as many on the autism spectrum, are not learning much in this situation and will eventually become wards of the state--at a huge cost of probably in the millions per person--after they turn 18 or when their parents can no longer manage or are gone. To not spend money now on helping these children become independent is very short-sighted. It is absurd to suggest that we take anything away from trying to help these kids become minimally self-sufficient so that the gifted can have more. What we need to be talking about here is making the playing field level across the country and in all states for special needs kids and our gifted and talented kids. Otherwise, the both special ed kids and gifted kids in education-chintzy states like ours will end up at the bottom of the barrel, no matter what! I have kids at both ends of the spectrum, autism and gifted. Neither one is getting what they need to learn. How about some federal standards here?

Your schools seems to have managed well I wish we had one here like that. The teacher certified in the needs of the gifted is the key. The sad fact is if a district has so much money to offer for a special ed instructor or a gifted instructor they usually opt for the special ed of the equation. What people fail to realize is that the same stratagies used for gifted can often enhance the experience of the "normal" child. Things that excite a gifted child might inspire a mainstream child to explore beyond the ordinary.

We are at a magnet public school, targeted to both high and low needs. We are fortunate that we have two children in the gifted program which have become consolidated classes. This allows the kids to have peers at their own levels while still following the same grade curriculim and added projects as needed. No "extra funding" is used for the program since the children collectively make up their own classroom sizes of 20 - 23. The only difference is a certified teacher in gifted who has a love of learning and drive to continuously challenge the kids. I do see how much one-on-one attention the special education kids get, and wonder sometimes whether it's all worth that much funding getting $25,000/child verses a child with no special needs $6,400/child in our state. Would the U.S.A. be so far behind in math and science if we just tilted those scales a little more? I know a smile is worth a million dollars from some of those special needs kids, but wouldn't curing diseases in the future as the author suggests, mean a little more. Find out how much your school gets per child, you will be amazed in the difference.

Gifted or Autistic Part 1
It is with sadness that I write this rebuttal to the recently published My Turn: Autism and Education. Like the author, I too, have two very different children. My family is a bit farther down the road then the authors, with perhaps a bit of a different perspective.
My oldest, Bobby, is a freshman at the University of Connecticut, where he is very happy. When he was in first grade he tested so high on an achievement test that on his suggested reading list was, The Scarlet Letter; um, no, I don???t think so. He was very precocious from the very beginning and often enjoyed the company of adults to his peers because he couldn???t understand what they were saying as they navigated their way around the world of communication, one that he had already mastered. His brother Jon, who is only 17 months younger, is autistic. Jon is almost 18 now and still non-verbal. We don???t know exactly what Jon knows or if he can read, but we do know that he goes to school every day with a smile on his face. His teachers and Educational Technicians are very dedicated to him and his education. The in-home support that we receive is excellent and with this assistance, Jon is learning to become more and more independent. Both children are thriving in their own ways, but this is not about my children.
Anyone who is in the education field or at all familiar with public education knows that the No Child Left Behind program is not perfect. In fact, it can be very frustrating for some educators, but it does one thing well and that is provide for all our children. I believe that the biggest thing that this program does is help those who can???t help themselves. It also helps families who are not strong advocates for their children see what progress can be made.

Gifted or Autistic part 2

Education is more than just academic. Children come to school to learn and are tested to the standards set by individual states. They also learn to make friends, negotiate seats in the cafeteria, mediate on the school bus and in general absorb the skills that are needed in the real world. Pulling gifted children out of too many classes and isolating them with adults and other high achieving children to the exclusion of the general school population is in my opinion a bad idea. These children will think that the world is a unique place where everyone understands the highest concepts and loves to learn. While this would be wonderful, these same kids will be quite shocked when they arrive at their first job out of college and end up working for a boss that is most likely quite different and statistically will have a lower IQ than they have. Shouldn???t they learn to live in the real world with the general population while their brains are still malleable enough to accept and coexist with others.
I believe it is the role of parents to help shape and create a well-rounded world for their children. Whether it be on the gridiron or the baseball field as it was with Bobby or exploring educational opportunities through therapy or even skiing with Jon. Whatever the childs??? interests, parents should do their best to tap into them to enrich the world of their child and perhaps many others.
Living with a child with exceptional abilities, I assume, can be as rewarding as living with a child with disabilities, but both come with the responsibility of taking the initiative to find, explore and support their special talents.
I believe that education is not wasted on the mentally or otherwise handicapped, but I do believe that education is wide open for the truly gifted. Seek out college courses, take advantage of Advanced Placement courses and check your states??? web site for special opportunities if you have a child that needs more of a challenge than your local public school can give him. Have your child volunteer at a museum or hospital. The opportunities are endless and will be discovered the same way that you would discover the best way to prepare for an IEP for a handicapped child: networking.
All we really want for our children is to grow up happy, healthy and productive, independent members of society. The ???special??? in special needs should justify reasonable accommodations in the least restrictive environment. Don???t throw the baby out with the bathwater; No Child Left Behind is there for a reason and our public schools are doing the best they can with ever limited funding. If you think your child needs more intellectual stimulation, go for it.

Sorry for the typing and length of this response....

I will admit that I our family's case things are working out well, but only because we are able to supplement her experiences and continue to push the school to challenge her. For others, however, it is not as rosy a picture. Those with gifted kids know the typical behaviors. I am prefacing what I am about to say by clarifying ..I do not believe most teachers and school workers are like this. Most are concerned professionals who want to help every child that passes through their doors. The ones I will be talking about are at best well meaning but untrained for gifted needs or at worst those not wanting to deal with children who are trying to challenge themselves or the teachers. Some feel intimidated by a child who may be more intelligent than themselves. I have friends that have children with typical gifted behaviors. Their children have been mislabeled and worse yet some of the schools have made diagnosis and dictated that the parents have the children be put on medication. Children who are bored are and have trouble sitting still in attempts to keep themselves entertained in class are called disruptive and undisciplined or said to have ADD/ADHD. Children who get so absorbed by a subject they seem to be obsessed with it are called defiant or are labeled autistic. Often their self esteem is beaten down. Often the adults in their lives are the only ones they have meaningful interactions because their peers rebuff them, in some cases teachers have encouraged this as a way of instilling proper behavior by peer pressure. I do know all of this happens. I have worked as a nurse in adult and adolescent mental health for over 20 yrs. When the children are correctly identified as gifted and proper interventions put in place the children usually become model students and start to excel. (part 3)

Gited and talented kids need special ed. They have learing problems as well they are just different. I resent being told that while I have no choice in paying taxes to support the public schools i should take my child out so that she can get a different education in the private or home schooled settings. A neither of those choices are necessarily better or feasible.
My daughter, however, is both gited and talented. In preschool we kept getting comments that she was disruptive because she was not ready to move on to new activities after each 10 min block (considered the "normal" attention span of a child that age.) Tthere was NO gifted program for thoose younger than 3rd grade in the public school. We were fortunate enough to be able place her in a private school for elementary school . Her school had the philosphy that all children were gifted until otherwise proven. They worked with her as an individual (class size was never bigger than 15) keeping her with age peers for some subjects and moving her up a grade for subjects she excelled in. They also encoouraged her artistic side. When tested in the (having skipped 2nd) 3rd grade she was reading at a college level, had science and math at 11th grade levels That did not mean she had all the knowledge or maturity needed to be a Sr. in HS or a freshman in college. Skipping grades creates it's own problems when you are getting better grades than the top kids in the new grade. For middle school she moved to public school. I had to push to get her tested for giftedness. She was then given an IEP and placed in the CARE program for middle school and started advanced classes in the 8th grade. Once she reached HS I had to once again push to get her out of make work classes to free up an academically challenging schedule fot one or two upper level fun courses like socilology and psychology. Now she is a jr and was able to progress into AP and honors classes After It took more than 5 years in the public sysem for her to finally integrate socially with her peers. My daughter wanted me to point out it is not easy being the age of the typical 8th grader in a class full of seniors and doing better in the class than the seniors. She suffers from boredom and frustration when she is told that she is answering to many questions, let someone else have a chance or when in her AP English class she is reading books as a junior that she read in the 5th grade for fun.
She still has social issues, that will hinder her in future years. Dealing with emotions, communication, frustration, perfectionism that can be paralytic. As disabled children are taught how to tie their shoe or button a shirt or not to hit...gift children need to be taught proper study habits and interpersonal communications. Without advocacy and funding gifted children can fall between the cracks just as handicapped children did years ago. They have special needs also, they are just different. (part 2)

Where to begin... I don't say that those who are disabled should lose funding, but I do agree that those who are gifted should get more. I don't beleive Stephanie wants less the the achievement of FULL potential for wither of her children. Having been a a gifted student with a learning disability.and currently the the mother of a gifted and talented daughter I have such passion about advocating for the gifted. I agree with so many of the parents of gifted here.

As a dyslexic child I worked very hard to read my textbooks and when I was on a roll I would read it all. In this fashion I managed to skirt through school till I hit Freshman year. I realized I actually needed to study and I didn't know how. I hadn't been taught like my less gifted peers had been. I was truant more than I care to admit, reading books in the basement until I was caught. I could easily have dropped out because of the anger, frustration and boredom. I had parents who made it clear this was not an option and some caring teachers who then took the time to work with me and I managed to bring my GPA up to a respectable level and graduated a year early. Had I not reached that crisis level I don't want to think what might have happened. If I had received the attention earlier I quite possibly could have been top of my class. There are parts of me that I still struggle with because of that time. (part 1)