An introduction to StudentM

My son is a 10 year old student in fifth grade at Stephenson Elementary in Portland Oregon.  His is on the autism spectrum, originally diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome and Sensory Integration Disorder.  Below is an excerpt from a letter that I sent to his teachers (our fifth grade students spend the morning with one instructor for either Language Arts or Math/Science, and then switch after lunch to the other teacher) at the beginning of the year to familiarize them a bit with my son and how his needs might manifest in his class.  He was supposed to have access to his para-educator, but she is not in the classroom 100% of the time.

I did not go into the behaviors that might be exhibited if his stressors are not managed.  AmazingaParaEducator does a remarkable job of helping him manage his mood and keep challenging, aggressive and maladaptive behaviors under control.

StudentM:  My child

AmazingParaEducator: A para-educator who has been assigned to work with my son part time (she works with other students at the same location) since second grade.  She is FABULOUS and I have to credit her for much of the skills that my son has learned in the last 3 years to better manage his behavior and receive an acceptable education.

Special Education Teacher:  Teaches students in the resource room.

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Two major “deficits” in how the ASD brain works are with executive function and theory of mind.

Executive Dysfunction. StudentM does not have the ability to easily master executive function tasks which includes skills such as organizing, planning, sequencing, sustaining attention, making mid-course corrections, keeping track of time or multiple activities at once, knowing when to seek help or additional information and inhibiting inappropriate responses.

Communication. (Theory of Mind) Typical issues with communication that you would expect to see with ASD. He will have difficulty “reading between the lines,” figurative language, understanding abstract concepts like sarcasm, or interpreting facial expressions. He has trouble explaining his behavior, and understanding how his behavior impacts how others think and feel.

This was especially obvious via the Scott Foresman reading curriculum last year. It’s focus on determining fact from fiction, generalizing, inferencing and predicting, understanding cause and effect, identifying author purpose, using context clues, determining which facts are important and drawing conclusions – those are all skills that are not strengths for an ASD student!

Unfortunately, both executive functioning and theory of mind skills are constantly needed. And the pressure to be able to perform those tasks is a stressor for him.

Eye Contact. Eye contact is difficult. The prevailing wisdom is that it should not be forced. I know that is a challenge in the classroom, as you normally seek to get individuals’ attention before beginning instruction and to recapture attention to task when students’ demeanors suggest that their attention is waning.   I have actually requested that all objectives related to requesting eye contact be removed from his IEP. IF asked to “look at me”, he is LESS likely to be paying attention to the content of the lesson, and instead being stressed by trying to read the subtle socioemotional messages relayed by the eyes. He will be counting eyelashes and watching your pupil expand and contract. He has expressed to me that it is easiest to focus on what a teacher is saying when he is doing something with his hands, using a fidget or doodling.   That then is the challenge – knowing when his slumped posture (weak core muscles) and doodling is StudentM paying attention, or if he has slipped off into his own world and is really just drawing and not paying attention.

Fine Motor Issues. StudentM does not have age level fine motor control. This shows most in speech and handwriting. In speaking, he tends to mush his words and drop syllables. He has been working with Fern for 3 years, and he has the ability to form all the sounds, but doesn’t always demonstrate it, especially if he is emotional. For oral presentations or speaking up in class, usually a reminder to speak slowly and clearly is enough, as long as he is at baseline otherwise.

Handwriting has been a major hurdle. He is unable to easily control the pencil with enough skill to form letters as he knows they are “supposed” to look (like a typewritten font). This is frustrating for him, and he will get upset and refuse to perform. In the past we have helped alleviate this issue in two ways. First, he has used me or AmazingParaEducator as a “scribe” for worksheets, math, etc. where the second solution isn’t effective. Secondly, I have provided a Surface2 for his use in school. For paragraph writing, etc., he has been using the computer and been much more successful at completing writing assignments. We will need to discuss the best way to get writing to you from his computer.

He CAN write. Given no other choice, he WILL write. But it is slow and stressful, and he often doesn’t finish an entire assignment, even a non-writing specific assignment, like morning math worksheets or whatnot, if it is writing intensive. (That’s pretty typical for Aspergers though – Asperger’s time is twice as much time, half as much done =0) His cursive writing is more legible than his manuscript, but he still defaults to manuscript when given a choice because it’s “easier”.

Sensory Integration Disorder. StudentM does not deal well with noise (understatement!). He does have access to noise reducing headphones; and will need a place to keep those. He does not always think to use them. He may need a nudge to use them if you see he is ramping up to a meltdown (once you get to know him and recognize the signs), for attending assemblies, or if the classroom is especially noisy.

He needs to use those headphones for PE. He has been resistant in the past, but they are not optional for PE. Especially in the beginning of the year, he’ll likely need to be reminded to bring them.

His IEP calls for him to have lunch in Special Education Teacher’s room with a friend or two to avoid the madness of the cafeteria.

He will not be participating in band (partially because of the noise, and partially because it’s doubtful he can handle the fingering), although he is approved to participate in choir, should we have a choir teacher this year. He should probably bring the headphones for choir as well.

The other sensory issue that you may see in the classroom – he does not like to touch anything gooey. He doesn’t like to use glue because he is likely to get it on his fingers. He may not complain about it and just do it, he may enlist someone to help him or he may sit there and refuse to participate without explaining why he doesn’t want to do it. Last year he was so freaked out by the salt dough assignment that he not only refused to touch it, but didn’t want to be in the same room with it.

He doesn’t like wearing clothes. He is NOT going to strip in class, but he generally refuses any outerwear. We have agreed that as long as it is above freezing, it is his choice. I figure that if he does get too cold, it’s a natural consequence and he’ll make a different choice the next time.

Other Issues.

In third grade, StudentM finally started facing material that he didn’t already know, or wasn’t easily understood at a glance. We discovered that he does not like to be challenged. He is smart, but when encountering new material or facing multi-step problems where the answer isn’t immediately obvious, he shuts down. “It’s Impossible!” “It’s TOO hard!” “That’s not a FAIR question” in angry tones is his typical response. He had been used to looking at a problem and just instinctively knowing the answer. At library time, he will choose books far below reading level, and needs encouragement to choose chapter books instead of picture books. I had this issue added to his IEP, and I’ve worked with him at home on this, and there was some improvement last year. I bring this up not because I expect you to give him a pass. I want you to be aware that he is very capable and I don’t want him to be excused from challenges.

Another struggle is actually showing his work for math problems. Even on multi-step problems, he wants to complete the work in his head and just give the answer. I understand that while taking the OAKS test last year he refused scratch paper to work out the steps of a problem because it was “cheating”.

StudentM’s IEP allows for “time outs” in Special Education Teacher’s room. These are not used as “punishment” but given as an opportunity for him to take a break, relax, and get back to baseline. It’s much better to catch him early when he is just agitated, rather than already melted down (he doesn’t respond to much once he gets to that point), and recommend a short break. That’ll be tough until you know him better though. Assuming AmazingParaEducator is returning, she knows him very well. He adores her and she can get him to do things that no one else can, including me. Last year I had some concerns that he was manipulating the system a bit, and requesting “needed” breaks just to get away from challenging academics rather than challenging environment, but I wasn’t able to be in the classroom enough to be sure. It’s something to keep an eye on this year.

Routine and schedule are important for StudentM. If you have a posted schedule, that will be particularly reassuring for him. He has learned to handle changes in routine much better than a few years ago, but it is still a good idea if you can give him a heads up about any deviation from what he expects from the day.

I have focused mainly on the challenges, but he is not all negative! StudentM has had a good relationship with the adults at school, and those that work with him have gone out of their way to stop me and let me know how much they enjoy him, when they could have said nothing at all. StudentM can be very caring and thoughtful (although expressing his concern and caring is not always done via a social norm).

StudentM is bright and quick to see patterns. He seems to think and solve problems via visual processing, seeing pictures in his head. Can result in novel thinking and “big picture” insights. He is an excellent reader, fluent above grade level. He reads and speaks with expression and enthusiasm. His understanding of pattern and phonics means he is an excellent speller.

His lack of social understanding means that he completely misses the nuances of cliques and social ostracism that have been developing in a number of his classmates. He non-discriminatory, non-judgmental and he likes and will work with almost anyone. The exceptions to this are students that are especially loud (ones that “shout out”) and the ones that purposely push his buttons.

StudentM operates “in the now”, and while that can be problematic at times when planning is called for, it means he is often living a more mindful life, not suffering from distractions and anxieties about the future that plague so many.

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