Autism/PreK Problems

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Expert: - 11/15/2011


Question
My daughter is 4 yr old with Autism in an ESE PreK program throught the local
elementary school.  Her teacher told me that as of last my daughter has mastered
the PreK curriculim and her IEP for the year.  But because of her age, they
can't do anything when it comes to advancing her education.  I am wondering if
there is anything I can do to or say to the school district to help my daughter
with her education being stalled."

Answer
Hi Kimberly,

If your daughter is attending a program on a regular basis, I would be asking what they plan to do to keep her skills sharp until Kindergarten comes around without causing her to lapse into boredom. What would they do with a "normal" child?

All children should be taught at their own rate and level. If she has mastered the easy stuff, give her more advanced work. Just because she is four does not mean she should be prevented from learning what five year old children learn.

Many autistic children are, in fact, quite intellectually gifted. She has as much right to learn at her fullest capacity as any other child.

If necessary, request an IEP meeting to amend her plan to include other skills.

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Catherine Ridenour

Expertise

I can answer your questions about parenting your High Functioning Autisic or Asperger`s Syndrome child. In particular, questions about family life, discipline, siblings, finding resources, and working with (sometimes opposing) the educational system are welcome.

Experience

I am the parent of an Asperger's Syndrome child who is now 22 years old. She went undiagnosed for 14 years of her life, so I have done extensive reading and Internet research into the possible cause of her difficulties. Even a short 8 years ago, A.S. was practically unheard of by the public educational system.

We fumbled our way through her childhood and early adolescence without any effective outside support. In some ways, that may have been a blessing as we were focused on her abilities rather than a label for her disability. However, I can think of many times when knowing WHY would have been comforting.

Had we known very early on, some social skills interventions might have made her life in school easier. At this point, I like her for who she is so I do not regret how things have turned out. More importantly, she likes herself.

Education/Credentials
I have a Bachelor of Science in Education.

I have worked to educate myself about Autism in general and HFA/AS in particular.

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