Public school in Ontario hasn't impressed me. My son isn't diagnosed, as of yet (or STILL) with an ASD, but I'm nearly convinced 99.99999999 % that this is what's going on. He's been treated for almost 4 years now for ADHD (the usual Concerta, now adderall, BOTH meds causing tics and discomforts)
His diagnosis currently is ADHD with a LD in Expressive Language.
The report goes on to say that he is definitely a visual learner, and a whole bunch of other things that I can't bring myself to type out right now. At 9 years old when he was assessed, it was also noted that he's extremely sensitive to failure. (No doubt, I would be too if the staff at my school were treating me behaviourally, when the truth is I have a difficult time understanding what's going on around me). There's also a section where it says "No Sensory issues were mentioned." Of course they weren't mentioned, even I didn't realise they had anything to do with anything, I just always assumed Trent was .....peculiar.
This is a kid who ever the years has...
Had complete meltdowns with all but one dentist who ever worked with him. We had one of these just the other day. Trent needs 5 fillings. I told them he was sensitive and very anxious, they said "Ok, we'll only fill one tooth per appointment and he will have the option of laughing gas to calm his anxieties. WRONG!! !! Trent was already stressed, 2 weeks leading up to the appointment he'd been stressed about going. Calmly I got him there and he agreed to try his best... until the dentist and the assistant were talking over Trent everytime he was trying to explain his fears (which is a HUGE challenge for a kid with an expressive language LD) then they proceeded to try and get the nitrous into him as quick as possible, Trent went along with the idea, until he realised how nitrous made him feel (Completely out of his skin, scared, like he was at the edge of a cliff and someone was going to puch him over) When I asked the dentist what he usually does with kids with Sensory issues, he whisper "I know..." then proceeded to talk to Trent like he was a 4 year old, which I'm pretty sure made him feel even more weird. It was a bad scene. I told him to get the magic nose (Nitrous) off of him, and book us at the hospital. Trent was horrified, but I talked to him quite a bit when we got home, letting him know that "I" would never treat or talk to him like he was a baby, and that I understand that there's a lot of things that typical people take for granted that would be much more of a challenge for him in his life. I also let him know to never give up trying, and that I was proud of him for even trying.
He can't handle loud music, being forced to look into someone's eyes, loud voices, cars that tear down the street, get frustrated with loud motorcycles, people cheering at hockey games, sleeping on his back, when he gets home from school first off he removes his socks, then peels off his shirt (tags) and later in the evening, the pants come off too and he'll walk around in his boxers. He hates bright lights, sensitive to normal things going on in his body (heartbeat, tummy grumbling etc) took us a LONG time to convince him that sometimes showers are a better idea than bathes (he hated the feeling of the water pelting him paired with the noise & being closed in behind the shower curtain ......etcetera ....etcetera ...etcetera.
I scored 136 on the quiz found at http://www.rdos.net/eng/Aspie-quiz.php for asperger's, which would tell me, although not officially, that we've got the right idea hear. Yet his school still treats him as a hinderence for his behaviour, and his psychiatrist still gives us forms to gage things like oppositional defiance. At 12 years old, this has really worn on his self esteem, and now he gets tics to wear on it even more. (thankfully, i notice them more than he does)
Public school, and a medical system that seems to have failed him, are making his life miserable. Having executive function problems myself has certainly added to it. I don't know what to do, or who to turn to, or who can make a clear diagnosis, all I wanted to say was that I don't think you'll find a huge benefit in public school as opposed to Catholic, but it's still certainly worth looking into, best wishes,
Sue
04 Mar 2009, 8:30 pm
