Expert: Paul Johnson - 6/18/2010

Question
Hi, I am in need of lots of advice and help right now.  My daughter has been struggling a great deal lately with bullying in school, depression and anxiety and with teachers who do not seem to be able to teach her in a way that she can learn, even though she has an IEP.  We need to find many things right now: 1) a good public school with a resource program for Asperger's and the support she needs, 2) a support group with kids her age 3) a good therapist for her that has expertise or experience (like yourself) with Asperger's.  My daughter has recently been discharged from day treatment and I don't really know where to send her or bring her for any of this.  HELP!  I need some really good resources and the web is totally confusing and too hard to navigate through. I live in Minneapolis.

Answer
Hey Andrea,

Thank you for your challenging and personal question. You last line was the most useful because there is a wide variance in autism awareness in the world right now. In the future this will not be the case but for now this is our reality.

The struggle your daughter is experiencing to be understood and appreciated is a struggle we are all experiencing on the Autism Spectrum. I am going to assume that the treatment program you had your daughter in was not specifically designed to address the issues regarding her Asperger's.

I would like to know her specific diagnosis, what her treatment was addressing and some goals that her iep were addressing.

Without this information I am somewhat limited in addressing her specific needs. I will suggest the Autism Society of Minnesota. You can visit AUSM.COM and obtain information regarding support groups for adolescents. I know bullying from my experiences especially at the age of 13. A martial arts instruction might be beneficial for building discipline, structure and self empowerment.

In conclusion I would like to ask you to resubmit your question with the above information on the private option and I can supply you with more specific information, clarify all of your confusion and ways to set up appointments for therapy.