Aspergers Circle Time....my son's idea.....

[ClutterJunkie]

ds2 saw an ed psych (wow!!!they exist!) and she asked him lots of stuff about how he feels at school (this followed him writing a 'suicide note' and posting it in the class 'worry box')

he said he'd like to talk about having aspergers to his class....and for them to understand.

so today from 2.45- 3.15....he had a circle time just for him!!! The teacher did a 10 minute informative chat...then over to ds2!

he came out sooooooo happy...he loved it!

wonder if it will help longterm.... or has he just poured his soul out- to give ammunition of ways they can wind him up

Yes....i know i'm being negative again!!!

I'll just go with the fact that ds2 is feeling 'valued' today.
Yesterday...all he could say all day was "I hate my life".... today he's happy.

Thats brilliant clutterjunkie

Well done to your ds. I hope he keeps the happy feelings.

hey thats great! and what a brilliant idea...i'm impressed.

ah thats great hun, him being so negative must have been such a worry, maybe he will decide he likes doing the talking and will do more of it, lets hope something good comes out of it, well done to your little man.

What a brilliant idea.
Well done to your DS2 - I am sure it will have been very helpful for all concerned.

he saw the Ed Psy last month and since then he has a TA to 'offload' playground stresses...she's on hand after every play/lunch break. He also then goes to class and is allowed to take himself straight to 'time out corner' where he sets the 3 minute eggtimer and then after calming he joins the class...and is allowed to ask teacher if he needs more time in 'timeout'.

and then to find out about this circle time today is excellent.

such little things making such a huge difference to him

and then theres ds3...attended a 10 week SN programme 2 days a week- based on Emotional Literacy- 1 teacher , 2 TA and 6 kids in the class....fantastic...lots of social skills work....and they have picked up he has sequencing & organizational skills probs- so recommended he have a visual timetable and 'task card' (with step by step pictures to keep him on task).....and they are already talking about his likely struggles at secondary (he's 7 now!)unless strategies are in place.

So feel good about my 2 boys in primary.

However, ds1 with AS/ADHD missed all this....when he was at primary...so little was understood about AS...and too much judgmnet on him being 'so able...he didn't need help'. So whilst it is lovely to see all this good going on for ds2 and 3....i wish ds1 had something like it too.

Fantastic news - a brilliant idea!!

Amazing you go to see an Ed psych. My DS1 isn't allowed to see one as he is too academically able - your primary sounds soooo good!!!

That is brilliant!
I might crib the idea for my work as a salt with kids with AS.

i was amazed myself when the ed psych was offered- as what had happend was i went down the school in sept- at my wits end- in tears- to tell the senco how worried i was about ds2..achedemically very able (he's 10 doing yr7+ maths- school not willing to provide any harder maths as don't want him to feel too adrift from his classmates...and cos he's in a yr5/6maths class they are giving the yr6's secondary maths to prepare them for moving up to secondary in sept...so he can easily be given that level.) however...behaviourly/emotionally he is really at times like a reception child...and mostly approx yr 2- so i explained to his senco that though i am hoping he will mature...i have nothing to base this on as he really is not moving forward in those areas- whereas his maths is making the gap even wider.

so i asked if there was 'anything' they could do to help ME as i cannot get out of my head the image of him in 2 years (now 18 months ...rolling around on the floor having a tantrum - and the other secondary kids mocking him.

she then said something like...."well theres not much i can suggest really...except i'll have a chat with the ed psych and ask her to have a sneaky look at him when she's here....then if she thinks she can help...she'll visit to do an official observation...do you mind????"

i just burst into absolute tears of relief...she was shocked as she later said noone had ever reacted like that!!!! But apparently...when the ed psych did the 'unofficial' mini viewing...she saw enough in 5 minutes to take things further!

I think the prob is the spectrum is so complex..that schools think once they've seen one AS child...they know what is needed...when infact...as we all know....the kids don't come in neat packages...and some very simple accomodations can be made...with minimal cost etc....and in my sons case he is capable of organising himself to access these things....so he needs very little TA time.

Before the ed psych came....he had to be naughty enough to get the time out he now accesses as needed...and it is no suprise to me that his behaviour is better....most of the time he can tell when he's about to explode- so he is in control...

the only other thing i'd really like the school to do at the mo- is let him have the table he sits at frequently (him and a 'good role model') as a permanent arragement rather than when he's being naughty...not a full blown workstation- no screening off needed... but he really complains bitterly about all the things others do that annoy him...and i don't think schhol fully appreciate how many AS hate or are distracted by pens scratching on paper....pencils being sharpened....pens squeaking on paper....elbows knocking...pages turning. he also finds sharing books hard- and thinks people are copying him if they so much as dare to tilt their head. it would also give him a space to read quietly...change for PE...and organise his bag/book bag/coat etc at hometime.
to be honest...he spends most afternoons there as it is...and he is always asking me if i will ask if he can sit there all the time....but i know the schhol see this as a negative thing...as if they are 'excluding' him from the class...so when i see the ed psych in april... this will be my request.

Glad to read how pleased your son and you are with the circle-time. I hope your request for the table will be accepted as well.

Clutterjunkie - good to know that you have some of the same probs as me at school! Couldn't quite understand where he spends most of his afternoons.

I would love my DS1 to be able to have a time towards the end of the day to organise himself - he always forgets something and invariably we're ususally one of the last out of the school gates!

His present teacher is new to teaching but claims that she did AS as part of her degree (she did one where you're based at a school or something) and also has a brother with AS. So why oh why did she place at the start of the year next to the computer that he is soooooo obsessed with, then has changed his table at least 3 times without telling him in advance (think once she said if you continue to touch the computer then I'll move you).

She tells my DH and I that at the end of the day he's calling out every 30 seconds then doesn't tell the SENCO - but when approached by the SENCO denys it! Sorry to have a rant!

Would love to hear how you get on in April. Good luck!!

Hi Lorns/christina

its parents evening today..so may get to discuss this then! Mind you....we get a 10min slot...so i'll probably not get chance!
(she tells herself 'i must sit and listen....i must sit and listen'....cos like my sons i have an annoying habbit of interupting....meaning that we always run out of time before theres the bit where they say'is there anything you'd like to discuss MrsC?'

at ds2 putting a suicide note in the worry box.

I'm also for you that things have improved so much for ds2 and ds3. It sounds so much more positive.

PS I'm at the thought of your ds2 being 10 already. It only seems like 5 minutes ago that he was 7!

yes CT... i was only thinking yesterday how your DS1 must be fast approaching the age my DS2 was when we 'met'!!!! How old is he now?

Ds1 will be 7 in a couple of months. He was only 3 when I joined MN. Eeek!

my ds3 is 7 now!!

Nooooooo! I always think of them as still looking the way they did in that photo you e-mailed me. I think ds3 was about 5 and ds2 had that enormous cheeky grin.

How did the parents evening go?