About Michelle Fattig Expertise I can answer questions about educational testing, autism, Asperger's Syndrome, ADD/ADHD, Special Education, IEP, Learning Disabilities, Sensory Processing, Parent Advocacy, Response to Intervention, living and parenting with disabilities, parent rights in special education, school psychology, and more. I cannot provide a medical diagnosis.
Experience I am a school psychologist, medical technologist, author of the Annie Books series: Experience Aspeger's Syndrome and Attention Deficits Through the Eyes of a Child, RTI facilitator, ILCD facilitator, parent advocate, presenter, and researcher. My children and I have Asperger's, ADD/ADHD, and learning disabilities.
Organizations National Association of School Pyschologists, American Medical Technologists, Learning Disabilities Association of Nebraska
Education/Credentials Ed.S. in School Psychology, doctoral studies in SPED Law, SPED Systems Enhancement Leadership, and doctoral candidate Education Leadership. MT(AMT) and MLT(ASCP)
Question I am having lots of problems with my son and the school. My son has been to a counselor and has worked with the school. We have had several IEPs done and nothing comes out of it. After reading a lot about Autism, I think my son has a mild case. He has no friends and can't keep any if he does happen to make them. He has aggression problems where he just lashes out. He has harmed peers, teachers, and staff at school. He has been kicked out of two schools and the schools aren't helping. There idea of helping him is sending him to what they call BIS (which is like a time out on steroids.) They use force with the kids if they step out of line and I feel that if they send him there he will get worse. He only acts this way at school. He tells me that the school hates him and every time he tries to talk to the teachers and staff at school about something they dismiss it and then when something happens they freak out and suspend or kick my son out of school. I have no clue what to do. Please help. I would love to have my kid tested to see if he has a form of Autism, but I am a single mom with no money to pay for this and the state says since I make more than $7.00 an hour they can't help. My son is a very good boy and very smart. He started conversating at 18 months. He has a big heart and usually wouldn't hurt a fly, but for some reason at school he has a problem with the kids at school and usually ends up getting into fights with them. He tells me it is because they were making fun of his weight or just making fun of him in general. I do find out later by the teacher that yes the other kids provoked it and that my son did try telling a the teacher about it, but it is in the school guidelines that the kids take care of petty problems themselves.
Answer You can request a free comprehensive multi-disciplinary evaluation through the school district. Also, you can print off and fill out the sensory processing questionnaire at:
Child’s Name_______________________________
Checklist for Autism Spectrum Disorder (Susan Mayes, PhD, Penn State College of Medicine)
Check each item that applies to your child now or in the past
PROBLEMS WITH SOCIAL INTERACTION
__(1) Social isolation
withdrawn, aloof, avoids contact with others, or prefers to play alone rather than with peers
parallel play along side but not with peers
difficulty establishing friendships
__(2) Limited reciprocal interaction
limited social smile or eye contact (looks away, looks through people, looks at speaker’s mouth, needs to
be prompted to make eye contact, or does not make eye contact when communicating)
limited sharing and showing (e.g., does not show a toy to an adult, seek recognition, or share an
experience or accomplishment with others)
excessively rigid play with peers (dictates play according to his/her peculiar and repetitive interests and rules)
enjoys physical or sensory play with others (e.g., tickling, chasing) but has limited reciprocal social
interaction (e.g., does not play social games or games involving turn taking)
__(3) Self-absorbed
self-absorbed or in own world (e.g., engages in self-stimulating behaviors, talks to self, or fantasizes
excessively about things such as movies or cartoons)
oblivious to the presence of others or unresponsive to the social overtures of others
__(4) Socially indiscriminate behavior
inappropriately talks to or hugs strangers
invades personal space (gets too close to or touches others)
no stranger/separation anxiety when young (not wary of strangers or upset if separated from parents)
socially inappropriate, insensitive comments or behaviors (picks nose in public, asks personal questions)
__(5) Problems with social skills
does not appropriately initiate or sustain peer interaction though may interact well with adults
poor social reasoning (difficulty understanding social cues/comments, facial expressions, body language)
wants to have friends but does not know how to make friends
PERSEVERATION
__(6) Narrow or unusual range of interests and play behaviors
obsessive preoccupations or extreme fixation on things such as certain movies or TV shows (reenacts or
watches the same movies over and over), computer games, letters, shapes, numbers, counting, objects
or topics (e.g., trains, dinosaurs, NASCAR, maps, planes, electricity, Yu-Gi-Oh, cartoon characters, etc.)
unusual attachment to and holding or hoarding objects (e.g., small figures, string, other______)
__(7) Stereotyped and repetitive play
repetitive play (e.g., excessively lines up, sorts, spins, or throws objects; opens and closes things
repeatedly; plays with the same toys without variation; draws the same pictures repeatedly; other_____)
disinterest in toys or lack of normal and varied imaginative play
unusual preoccupation with parts of objects (e.g., repetitively spins wheels on a toy)
__(8) Upset with change
distressed by change (e.g., change in routine or schedule, parent takes a different car route home from
school, furniture or child’s toys are moved, seasonal change in clothing, other______)
difficulty with transitions (e.g., from one activity to another)
extreme need to finish what he/she starts
idiosyncratic or ritualized patterns (e.g., drinks only from a certain cup, wears only certain clothes, insists
that food be arranged a certain way on a plate, other_____)
insists that things be in a certain location or a certain way (e.g., doors must be closed, coats zipped, etc.)
insists on doing things the same way every time
overly precise and inflexible, upset if someone breaks a “rule,” rigid and literal thinking
__(9) Stereotypies (unusual repetitive movements such as hand flapping when excited, toe walking, body
rocking, head shaking, body tensing, teeth clenching, teeth grinding while awake, finger movements, facial
grimacing, repeatedly running back and forth, twirling or spinning, pacing, playing with saliva, skin picking)
SOMATOSENSORY DISTURBANCE
__(10) Excessive atypical craving and love of spinning, tickling, climbing, rocking, swinging, bouncing, jumping
__(11) Unresponsive at times to verbal input (not react when name called or spoken to, hearing questioned)
__(12) Hypersensitivity
unusual hypersensitivity to some sounds (e.g., distress or covering ears in response to loud noise,
motors, vacuum cleaner, hair dryer, baby crying, sirens, clapping, alarms, toilet flushing, people singing)
unusual hypersensitivity to smell, light, or temperature
__(13) Distress with commotion or crowds (uncomfortable/anxious in large groups, theatres, cafeterias, parties)
__(14) Extreme fascination with spinning or repetitive movements (e.g., revolving fans, Wheel of Fortune,
running water), linear patterns (e.g., credits on TV, window blinds), minute details, lights, shiny surfaces
__(15) Abnormal sensory inspection
excessively smells, mouths, chews, licks, or rubs inanimate objects or surfaces
repetitively visually scrutinizes objects or finger movements close to eyes
places ears against things that vibrate or hum or presses objects against face to an unusual degree
__(16) Tactile defensiveness or extreme dislike of:
being touched or hugged
touching certain things or getting hands dirty or sticky
water on self or clothes
having face washed, teeth brushed, hair combed, or nails cut
walking in bare feet
clothing that is tight, seams in clothes, or certain textures of clothing
__(17) High tolerance for pain (e.g., does not cry when hurt or does not respond normally to painful stimuli)
__(18) Sleep disturbance (e.g., difficulty falling asleep, waking during the night, waking early in the morning)
__(19) Feeding problems
very picky eater, limited food preferences, insists on eating only a few foods
hypersensitivity to textures (e.g., lumps in food)
retains food in mouth without swallowing
eats inedible substances
other peculiar eating patterns (e.g., eats only one brand, color, or shape of a food, other____)
ATYPICAL COMMUNICATION AND DEVELOPMENT
__(20) Language regression or slowing at approximately 1 to 2 years of age (e.g., speaking a few words at one
year but then losing speech or normal early language development and later language is delayed)
__(21) Visual-motor skills (e.g., assembling puzzles, building with Legos, operating the VCR) significantly higher
than language skills during the preschool years or walking at a much earlier age than talking
__(22) Communication impairment
absent or limited communicative speech but gestures to communicate (e.g., pulls an adult by the hand
and leads to what wants, hands an object to an adult for assistance, brings a cup to an adult for a drink)
communicates verbally with others only when stressed or needing something
difficulty with reciprocal conversational speech (initiating and sustaining conversations, listening and
responding to what others say), talks at people, or one-sided conversations on topics of interest to self
__(23) Atypical vocalizations or speech
unusual voice quality or modulation (e.g., high pitch, sing song voice, lack of intonation, etc.)
screeches or makes other odd noises (e.g., growls, hums, etc.)
unusual repetitive vocalizations and sounds
idiosyncratic jargon as if talking in own language
echolalia (inappropriately mimics what others say, such as repeating instead of answering a question)
sporadic speech (says a word or phrase once and rarely or never says it again)
excessively recites from movies, cartoons, commercials, etc.
uses rote or memorized phrases that are excessive, out of context, or not relevant
makes pronoun substitutions (e.g., says “you” when meaning “I”)
excessively repetitive speech and questions
idiosyncratic thoughts and speech (makes up words, nonsensical speech, unique views and perceptions)
__(24) Special abilities that are significantly higher than other abilities
exceptional rote memory (e.g., at an unusually young age, identifies numbers, letters, shapes, logos, and
colors; sings or hums tunes; memorizes car routes; counts; recites the alphabet; reads; spells; etc.)
phenomenal vocabulary or ability to memorize movies, books, or factual information
remarkable ability to mimic movie or cartoon characters
outstanding visual-mechanical skills (e.g., at an unusually young age, assembles puzzles, matches
shapes, operates a computer or VCR, figures out how things work, complex constructions with Legos)
remarkable artistic or musical talent
extremely well-developed gross motor skills with delayed development in other areas (in contrast to high-
functioning children with autism who often have writing or coordination problems)
MOOD DISTURBANCE
__(25) Overreactivity, irritability, low frustration tolerance, agitation, tantrums, meltdowns, explosiveness,
aggression, or self-injurious behavior (distressed by minor events or occurrences most children can
tolerate, such as intrusions, activity interruptions, proximity, confinement, performance demands, writing
tasks, or when things are not the way the child thinks they should be)
__(26) Moodiness and emotional lability (the cause for mood changes may not always apparent, such as
laughter or distress for no apparent reason)
__(27) Difficulty showing and recognizing emotions, emotionally unresponsive in some situations, lack of
empathy or emotional reciprocity (e.g., does not respond appropriately or provide comfort when
someone is hurt or sad), or misinterprets the emotions or responses of others
__(28) Unusual fears, such as fear of elevators, steps, toilets, balloons, vacuums, tornadoes, other_____
PROBLEMS WITH ATTENTION AND SAFETY
__(29) Selective attention, ability to hyperfocus on activities, objects, or topics of interest to self (e.g., lines up
toys, spins wheels, watches the same movie, assembles puzzles, builds with Legos, or draws pictures
for long periods of time), but is inattentive, impulsive, and fidgety at other times
__(30) Limited safety awareness, fearless, or oblivious to danger (e.g., unsafe climbing, wanders about house at
night, runs off by self, goes into traffic or water, walks off with strangers)
If 15 or more of the 30 items are marked as Yes, he may be on the spectrum. This is information that you can share with your family physician. Also, the website:
