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Hello everyone! I am a graduate student studying School Psychology. We have an assignment to join a parent advocacy forum that is talking about educational and behavioral issues of a disorder. I was hoping you could help me out!

-What are some educational- related complaints or issues that you have?
-What issues have you had resolving these complaints?
-What legal and ethical issues have you had related to these problems?
-What do you view as the school psychologist’s role in advocating for your child and family?

I would love to hear about your experiences dealing with both the school system and School Psychologist (the good and the bad things!)

Thank you very much for any input you can give me!

First lesson: this Asperger's community does not like to think of AS as a disorder. A condition, a different way of being, but not a disorder.

It comes with gifts that benefit society. Some of our best inventors and most imaginative thinkers have been AS.

Yes, many AS have related conditions that are impairing but the AS itself is not. Not really. Not in any way that would matter if we didn't live in such a sensory overwhelming world that placed so much emphasis on relationships.

This NT (nuero-typcial) parent has learned this lesson.

-What are some educational- related complaints or issues that you have?

That schools have trouble seeing the above while also being willing to provide support and services. The school environment, many of the expectations, are naturally difficult for AS. A child like mine has a love for learning and can be an amazing student. But most schools could squash him flat, by not allowing his mind to fly while making allowances for what he cannot do (work as fast, sit still, deal with sensory input, etc). We had problems like this in preschool and K, but were fortunate to have someone identify his condition, who understood it, and put appropriate services and accomodations in place.

-What issues have you had resolving these complaints?

I have been lucky. My son has been in really good schools who bend over backwards for us. But read these forums and you will see that this is rarely the case.

-What legal and ethical issues have you had related to these problems?


-What do you view as the school psychologist’s role in advocating for your child and family?

Our school psychologist was the one to see it as Aspergers, and has been very vocal in helping determine what my son needs. He does not counsel my son on a regular basis, as resources as limited and my son does not have a mental health problem. His job is to understand the condition, understand the unique child with it, and advise accordingly. He is at all our IEP meetings and has directed us to many resources. He keeps an eye on my child when he is at school, and is aware of how he is doing. And he adores him, and is proud of him. That positive attitude is worth a lot. Seeing the gifts, while never downplaying the needs.

We're not bugs under a magnifying glass, you know ! !!

Aspergers is a personality, not a disorder. Its just not one of the most common personalities.


A big complaint I have is that asperger's is something that needs to be stamped out or fixed. Aspies shouldn't be erased from the world, especially when you consider how great some of their talents are, talents that are often inheritedly related to being an aspie

I'm really sorry if I offended anyone!! I still have a lot to learn! I was also hoping that by hearing your responses that I may grow as an aspiring School Psychologist. I in no way meant for you to feel as if I was trying to 'examine' or analyze you. I merely wanted to get your point of view on these issues. I again apologize for offending you!

Part of the problem (or all of the problem?) is that forums like this one get questions from students ALL the time. I know you all mean well, but no one is here to help you write papers, and responses in one thread aren't going to give you the whole picture. If you really want the whole picture, you read the threads posted by parents which detail exactly what you are asking about: their struggles with the educational system. I reply to inquiries like yours mostly because I would rather you get it right than get it wrong, but to be honest I am far more interested in helping a parent who is struggling to keep their child happy than a student who may or may not actually ever do anything that has real life impact with the information we share. I do have a life, and you are asking us to take our precious and limited time to tell you something you could figure out if you just spent more of YOUR time reading.

And, yes, you will quickly discover that most AS don't want to be studied. But as a parent relying on professionals to help my child through the education system, I figure someone does have to study, and if my experience can help a future professional working with my child, it's worth it. A sense that you had done some homework before popping in would make the people like me feel better, but can't resolve the feelings of those who wish you just wouldn't appear at all.

AS really does seem to be the hot condition of the moment. My beautiful son has already been the subject of two thesis papers from students who had the pleasure of actually working with him outside of the context of their studies, knew him already, and then asked for permission. I've never been able to decide if this is a good fact, or a bad fact. I just hope it ended up for some good, and I am lucky to have a son who isn't concerned about his privacy (the child's feelings are important).

Ok. I'll bite. First, I'll introduce myself as a parent with Asperger's, I have a husband with Asperger's and a 10 y/o daughter with many diagnosis from different sources- PDD-NOS?(Regional Center), HFA(From UC Davis MIND Inst), and Asperger's(from the school psych"). It's interesting how within 3 years how she can get 3 different diagnosis. PDD-NOS dx was because psych said she was not verbal enough for Asperger's and not enough autism symptoms to dx HFA(thanks to the meds she's on IMO and the MIND Inst. psych too). Allaura has been doing studies at the MIND Institute and her attitude is very good about participating in studies. We have told her that it's helping people understand people like us better. She gets that.

-Educational-related issues we've had:
She's incredibly intelligent- testing in 98th percentile on standardized testing, but she is very matter-of-fact which causes her problems in English class- her teacher pushes her to expound and go further which causes her stress sometimes. She has poor gross and fine motor skills and has constantly been bugged by teachers about her handwriting. She has a hard time staying motivated and interested in things that are too easy for her. She has very poor organizational skills and communication skills. She does ok socially since she's 10 and just plays sports with the boys at recess(like mother like daughter), but she never really wants to have friends over and will spend the entire summer and not ever mention any of her friends. She has 3 younger siblings(adopted), so she does have playmates and that is fine and keeps her happy. We'll see what the future holds- I was miserable as a teenager, always trying to be like the other kids, to understand them, and failed miserably. I hope to instill in her a much better sense of self worth and pride in who she is. We stress that she is not defective, that we as her parents are not defective, but that our brains are just wired differently.

-Our issues with resolving complaints/problems:
We have had issues with the school even wanting to do psychological evaluations because she has no learning deficits. She is very high-functioning and most people would just think she is quiet and shy. Her teacher this year(and he was last year too) has a masters in education and specializes in autism, so he's been wonderful-and he saw her "issues" and REALLY pushed hard for the school to do their job and get her services. They're just now finishing up her psych eval and we'll set up a meeting for an IEP soon. We're pushing for Occupational Therapy(our 6 y/o son with mild retardation and sensory integration probs from his birthmother's drug use is in OT and it's really helping him). We have also had some problems where she's been hurt at school or sick and she will not go to the nurse. She even broke her wrist at school and finished up the school day and came home and didn't bother to tell us. I found her crying at the kitchen table while she was trying to do her homework- holding her pencil was hurting her. Her wrist was swollen and bruised and we took her to urgent care.

Our biggest problem though was with our lack of knowledge about the system, about the laws involved that the schools must follow, etc. We, as asperger's parents, have had some miscommunications with office staff and the school psych too which has been a problem. The school psych now knows that we are both autistic too and so she makes sure that we're on the same page and she opens the lines of communication better. Our school has 3 autism classrooms for severely affected children and the school psych specilaizes in auism. We have many Asperger's kids in mainstream education due to the resources our school can provide- Allaura has 2 other Aspies or HFA in her class- both boys.

Legal and ethical issues related to these problems:
None so far except for our lack of knowledge in the beginning. We resolved that with research about IDEA, etc.

-Our view of the school psychologist’s role in advocating for our child and family:
We will be getting to the point where Allaura needs to be prepared to enter middle school next year. The school psych will help set up meetings near the end of this school year with middle school personnell and teachers to help her transition. We, as parents, have had very close relationships with her teachers over the years and have had no formal arrangements until this year. We know that this will not be possible with 6 teachers in middle and high school. That is the reason we pushed for evaluations and an IEP NOW- to prepare her to avoid the disasters I faced when I changed schools. I was labelled as emotionally disturbed and ended up with home tutors and then on Independent Study for most of HS due to major anxiety problems(psychosomatic illnesses) and horrific self esteem. Being autistic, I could not understand what was wrong with me, let alone express that to my mother, teachers, psychs, etc.

Hi, I support your research, as any increased understanding about AS/autism anywhere in the world is likely to be good. BTW, I would have called it a "disorder" when I started out too. Now I can see it is a different way of thinking, that also requires special needs in the educational setting.

-What are some educational- related complaints or issues that you have?
My son is in public school. I wouldn't exactly say I have complaints, but I will say that teachers only succeed when they "cross the floor" in terms of seeing autism as a neurological condition and not a behavioural one. If you don't get consensus on this you might as well bang your head against a brick wall.

-What issues have you had resolving these complaints?
My main issues are investigating autism myself, and passing relevant, eye-opening information onto teachers and others.

-What legal and ethical issues have you had related to these problems?
Great that there are legal things that support AS kids.

-What do you view as the school psychologist’s role in advocating for your child and family?
Don't have one. Special needs teacher is great.

our biggest problem overall had been getting the school to recognize AS as a neurological disorder....and not treating our son's outbursts as if he was being willfully defiant. I see the school psychologists role, in part, to be that of an educator to the staff. many staff are not aware of effective behavioral management techniques that do not demean the children they teach. they're unaware of behavioral management techniques that work. unaware that not every behavioral management technique works for everyone & that sometimes it helps to take a step back & try looking at the "problem" from a different angle.

i can still vividly recall the day we got a phone call from son's school because he was "being willfully defiant & refusing to go to class"...........the real story, you ask???......the real story was that son was overly anxious - curled up in the fetal position & rocking back & forth on his heels . defiant?????? BAH!! !! !! !! ! "regular educators" need more education on AS. with NCLB, they're going to be seeing more & more of students they've never had to deal with before. they'd best get some more training.

Ster, "willfully defiant?" I cannot believe they said that. I guess in the past our kids were probably treated as behavior problems, and you can see all over these forums what good that did: anger, depression, frustation, complete defiance to society and it's ideas. We all want something better for our kids.

When our kids act out, it is because a need is not being met. A core need, something they cannot conciously control. Not to say they cannot learn to mimic the behavior and use it inappropriately, but that should not be the automatic conclusion or the default assumption.

It is my belief that our kids, for the most part, feel very, very intensely. To the point where it hurts. Anxiety, panic, over-stimulation. I cannot help wondering if severely affected AS, who actually do not feel emotion, somehow learn to turn it off when they are very very young, as a way of self-defense. The more we allow ASD kids to be themselves, and work to meet their unique needs, the more we seem to be discovering how vibrant and full of emotional expression they really can be.

We're only at the tip of ice berg on understanding, aren't we?

The person said Aspergers disorder because that is what it is called in the DSM-IV.

I am a parent and a fellow school psych. People are right in that you will get a lot of your information from this website just by reading the responses of parents.

The biggest problem I have seen on this site and in my job is that some school personnel including a few psychs (not many anymore) don't see the educational need when an individual is high functioning AS. An individual could be academically high but still need supports in the social arena. That could affect academics just in a different way. In the places I have worked, I have made sure the speech path and I are on the same page. The team and I usually agree that most individuals should receive language supports (language therapy) to work on the pragmatics of language. The speech pathologist will assist the student who has AS with social cues and social rules. T Some of the students will transfer from an IEP to a 504 plan. It all depends on the student and the student's needs.

Sometimes other psychs have labeled a student as Emotionally Disabled because that student had AS and not Autism. I cringe and immediately get the team together to relabel Autism as the child does not have an emotional disability. Autism is the closest educational label to use. Some other psych choose Other Health Impaired but I don't think that is accurate.

On a personal note, my issue has been "Your child is just so smart and can transition so he can't be AS." My son is going to a private school and is doing well yet he still needs some accommodations. When children are academically high, it is easy to forget that the child still has other needs (i.e., sensory, social skills, pramatics - language...). Because the children are doing well, teachers often forget the accommodations. When our children have episodes, the teacher gets confused and asks "Why?" That is frustrating.

In addition, school professionals often forget the other issues commonly seen with children on the spectrum including depression and anxiety. My five year old is extremely anxious and is already starting to show some sadness at times. These children are often more sensitive that NT (neurotypicals) but they just don't show it in "typical" ways. They do notice that children aren't playing with them like my child. My child desperately wants friends but doesn't know how to make or keep them. The other day he was going around a playground and saying, "my friend, my friend where are you?" He met a girl who introduced herself and he immediately thought it was an open door to play. He tried to play in his own structured way and she took off. It really hurt him. It hurt me. He has been doing this at school to but it is already making kids not want to play with him. If you remember anything about AS, please remember that. Do your best to educate professionals. I don't want to see another person with AS suffer from Anxiety or Depression like my husband has and my son is starting to (hopefully we can help stop it).