Autism/Services at school

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Expert: - 8/13/2005


Question
My son is 13 and was just diagnosed with PPD-NOS.  He also has Tourettes, OCD, and ADHD.  He does not have any friends and just started Jr High.  We will be having his ARD within the next week to add the PPD dx to his IEPs.  Everyone has told me that now he has been dx with PPD, there are lots of services that he qualifies for.  How do I find out what these services are?  We live in Texas.

Answer
Hi Judy,

I would start by talking to the special education people at his school.  

After that, contact the State Department of Education to be sure he is receiving all he should through the school.

Look into getting him on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) to help you cover the cost of treatment needed in addition to what he receives from the school.  You do this by contacting the Social Security Administration.  It can take a year to get through the process, but it can be worth it particularly if he is unlikely to be able to hold a job.

As to his lack of friends, it will depend on how he responds to social skills training how that will go for him.  You do not say what his function level is so I would only be guessing how far he may progress in this area.

Best wishes,
Catherine

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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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