Adobe Image by Lori Werhane
 
Thank you so much for all the 'shares' & 'mentions'. My goal is to reach as many people in the autism community as possible. Regards, Sara Luker

BLOG ~ Section 504 Plan
 
When you know something is wrong. When your child is struggling in school, but an Individualized Education Program (IEP) is not the right ‘fit’, consider requesting a Section 504 Plan. In some cases, a student may have both. Generally, the Section 504 Plan is sought for the insecure, or marginalized learner who needs a ‘least restrictive environment’ classroom setting where they have more equal learning opportunities for. For example, the student may have special technology with which to take notes, and/or receive / assignments; or, take quizzes / tests. A student with autism may be successful in some general education classes with only the addition of accommodations stated in a Section 504 Plan.
 
Yen, J., & Mao, A. (2011) say that the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the primary law that is invoked when parents are trying to access services of their qualified family members from age 3 to age 21, for educational needs. It includes Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA) and Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). There are procedural safeguards in place; but, families of children and adults with autism may need legal help to navigate the system when attempting to gain access to these and other necessary programs.
 
< My Thoughts >                 “…procedural safeguards…”
 
All U. S. schools receiving Federal funds have preprinted Procedural Safeguards Booklets available, for the asking. Understand that a does not provide extra services, nor does it change the school curriculum. Only an Individualized Education Program (IEP) provides accommodations, plus specialized curriculum, instruction, and services. This is effective when the student requires accommodations in a ‘least restrictive environment’, and/or a ‘less restrictive alternative’.
 
Sometimes, the Special Education Department handles the Section 504 Plan. But, if the parents do not want the student somehow ‘identified’ as having Special Education services, then the school Principal, or designee, can be appointed to develop the Section 504 Plan, and necessary follow-up. Parents should always request a special meeting, if they feel that their child is not receiving the attention s/he needs to succeed in the educational setting.
 
Note: More about all ‘disability’ laws regarding disability services and public education on local, state, and government websites. See MENU for Free ASD Book: UNIT 6 Where to Look for Resources? CHAPTER 3 – LAW FEDERAL & STATE & LOCAL
 
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), along with Section 504 of the Civil Rights Rehabilitation Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), provide for exceptional needs and/or services.
 
Waterstone, M. (2014) advises us that the purposes of provisions in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) law are to ensure that each person with a disability has every opportunity to become a full member of society.
 
Briefly, for children with disabilities, an Individualized Education Program (IEP) provides specialized instruction and accommodations. The Section 504 Plan provides accommodations, but not specialized instruction. The Individualized Health Care Plan (IHCP) would provide the student with access to the nurse’s office for medication, or other health care services.
 
< My Thoughts >        “…Section 504 Plan provides accommodations, but not specialized instruction.”
 
Parents and teachers often weigh the pros and cons of requesting Section 504 Plan help for students, at all levels in the educational system. This requires a thoughtful process of determining – first, qualification / identification of needs of the child; and second, the options / accommodations available to him/her.
 
Staff Writer (2018) states that – your child needs a well written plan to be developed within the first weeks of school. For your part – provide all the data you have regarding your child. It would help to have a cover letter to request a meeting so that you can better understand how your child will be received.
 
From the U. S. Department of Education website, here are some of the ‘Frequently Asked Questions About Section 504 and the Education of Children with Disabilities’. An important responsibility of the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is to eliminate discrimination based on disability, against students with disabilities. OCR receives numerous complaints and inquiries in elementary and secondary education involving Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, 29 U.S.C. § 794 (Section 504). Most of these concerns are with the identification of students who are protected by Section 504 and the means to obtain an appropriate education for such students.

< My Thoughts >        “…identification of students…”

Parents often have questions about whether the Section 504 Plan will be enough to protect their child in a general education classroom setting. Identification of a Section 504 Plan ‘disability’ is necessary, so the student has the appropriate learning support. Ideally, parents and teachers will recognize and identify student needs, before the school year progresses too far. But, better late than never for the student.

​Recently, parents have been known to seek a 504 for their child who is having ‘gender identity’ issues, or undergoing transition and/or therapy. Also, U. S. students receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI), may also qualify for a 504. Also, if the student requires medication, during the school day, an Individualized Health Care Plan (IHCP) would provide the student with access to the nurse’s office for medication, or other health care services.

STUDENTS PROTECTED UNDER SECTION 504

Section 504 covers qualified students with disabilities who attend schools receiving Federal financial assistance. To be protected under Section 504, a student must be determined to:

(1) have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.
(2) have a record of such an impairment.
(3) be regarded as having such an impairment.

Section 504 requires that school districts provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to qualified students in their jurisdictions who have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.

Here are some asked & answered questions from the U. S. Department of Education (2023) website, which may help you –

Note:  The numbers below are as stated on the website, and do not reflect anything other than that.

​22. Are there any impairments which automatically mean that a student has a disability under Section 504? 
No. An impairment in and of itself is not a disability. The impairment must substantially limit one or more major life activities in order to be considered a disability under Section 504.
24. Does a medical diagnosis of an illness automatically mean a student can receive services under Section 504?
No. A medical diagnosis of an illness does not automatically mean a student can receive services under Section 504. The illness must cause a substantial limitation on the student's ability to learn or another major life activity. 
26. What should a recipient school district do if a parent refuses to consent to an initial evaluation under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), but demands a Section 504 plan for a student without further evaluation?
A school district must evaluate a student prior to providing services under Section 504. Section 504 requires informed parental permission for initial evaluations. If a parent refuses consent for an initial evaluation and a recipient school district suspects a student has a disability, the IDEA and Section 504 provide that school districts may use due process hearing procedures to seek to override the parents' denial of consent.
27. Who in the evaluation process makes the ultimate decision regarding a student's eligibility for services under Section 504?
The Section 504 regulatory provision at 34 C.F.R.104.35 (c) (3) requires that school districts ensure that the determination that a student is eligible for special education and/or related aids and services be made by a group of persons, including persons knowledgeable about the meaning of the evaluation data and knowledgeable about the placement options. If a parent disagrees with the determination, he or she may request a due process hearing.

Note: Read more about an IEP, and Due Process in my Free ASD Book, Know Autism, Know Your Child; UNIT 6 – CHAPTER 3 – Laws ~ Federal, State, & Local             

29. Is a Section 504 re-evaluation similar to an IDEA re-evaluation? How often should it be done?
Yes. Section 504 specifies that re-evaluations in accordance with the IDEA is one means of compliance with Section 504. The Section 504 regulations require that re-evaluations be conducted periodically. Section 504 also requires a school district to conduct a re-evaluation prior to a significant change of placement.
30. What is reasonable justification for referring a student for evaluation for services under Section 504?
School districts may always use regular education intervention strategies to assist students with difficulties in school. Section 504 requires recipient school districts to refer a student for an evaluation for possible special education or related aids and services or modification to regular education if the student, because of disability, needs or is believed to need such services.
32. A student has a disability referenced in the IDEA, but does not require special education services. Is such a student eligible for services under Section 504? 
The student may be eligible for services under Section 504. The school district must determine whether the student has an impairment which substantially limits his or her ability to learn or another major life activity and, if so, make an individualized determination of the child's educational needs for regular or special education or related aids or services. For example, such a student may receive adjustments in the regular classroom.
33. How should a recipient school district view a temporary impairment? 
A temporary impairment does not constitute a disability for purposes of Section 504 unless its severity is such that it results in a substantial limitation of one or more major life activities for an extended period of time. 
36. Must a school district develop a Section 504 plan for a student who either "has a record of disability" or is "regarded as disabled"?
No. In public elementary and secondary schools, unless a student actually has an impairment that substantially limits a major life activity, the mere fact that a student has a "record of" or is "regarded as" disabled is insufficient, in itself, to trigger those Section 504 protections that require the provision of a free appropriate public education (FAPE). 
41. What is the difference between a regular education intervention plan and a Section 504 plan?
A regular education intervention plan is appropriate for a student who does not have a disability or is not suspected of having a disability but may be facing challenges in school. School districts vary in how they address performance problems of regular education students. 
End of excerpt from the U. S. Department of Education website

Note: You may find an online Section 504 Plan list of ‘disorder / disability accommodations’ for the state in which you live.

​References:
 
Staff Writer (2018). Developing Your Child’s IEP; Retrieved online from – https://www.parentcenterhub.org/pa12

U.S. Department of Education (.gov) (2023). Frequently Asked Questions About Section 504 & the education of Children with Disabilities. Retrieved online from – https://www2.ed.gov › about › offices › list › ocr › 504faq/
 
Waterstone, M. (2014). Disability Constitutional Law; Emory Law Journal; V63:3, p527-580.
 
Yen, J., & Mao, A. (2011). Laws that Affect Parents Raising a Child with Autism; Brown University Child & Adolescent Behavior Letter; V27:1, p1-6. 

Thinking outside-the-box graphic from Dr. Steven Wright

BLOG ~ When 'isolation' is a good thing....

Some people say that ‘isolation’ is not always a bad thing!
 
When Isolation is a good thing.

• When I’m able to focus on task, work assignments.
• When ‘overthinking’ leads me into unexplored areas.
• When I can work or think, uninterrupted by co-workers, and their noise around me.
• When my critical thinking skills are mine alone.
• When I don’t start by comparing other’s ways of thinking to produce new thoughts.
• When I solve old problems, new ways.
• When I alone, in my reverie, see patterns others cannot see.

 
Wheeler, M. (2020) wants us to know that, some common strengths for people on the autism spectrum are –

• Memory skills: facts and detail; although sometimes remember selectively.
• Persistence to pursue information and activities of interest.
• Out-of-the-box/independent thinkers.
• Good critical thinkers.
• Multi-dimensional brain/thinkers.
• Creativity.
• May see something others do not see.
• May see patterns very clearly.
• May be good at creating systems.
• May be good at mechanical tasks.
• May be good at computer programming.
• Genuine and honest character.

 
People on the autism spectrum have strengths and limitations. Identifying ourselves as autistic and neuro-divergent means we believe both our strengths and limitations are part of who we are. 
                   
< My Thoughts >           “Out-of-the-box…”
 
Many people find that being on the autism spectrum helps them to have creative and unusual ways of perceiving and interpreting things. Like, having ideas which are not controlled by the traditional perceptions, or ways of thinking. Thinking-outside-the-box, an idiomatic expression often used to describe how people work in unusual ways to solve complex world problems; or to see obscure patterns.
 
Petersen, K. (2020) proposes what it is like for him, a 9-year-old with autism, to ‘think out of the box’.
 
Kai:    “Mom, you know I always think out of the box, but sometimes it’s good and sometimes it’s bad.”

Mom:     “Kai, it’s never bad to think outside the box.”

Kai:   “…sometimes I think so far outside the box, that it’s like being on right on the edge, and you hold on and hold on until someone pulls you back up. So, I’m not saying you must not think out of the box. You must, except you mustn’t think about whatever you’re thinking about outside the box too much because then you can fall off the cliff and nobody is there to help you. Unless of course you have wings.”

Mom:           “So how often do you think outside the box?”

Kai:             “Twice a day at least!”
 
< My Thoughts >           “…Twice a day at least!”
 
By the time persons with autism reach adulthood and are employable, they probably, as literal thinker Kai has, had many days of ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking. Here too, it is said that this kind of thinking can lead to perfectionism, or perseveration. But that, like ‘isolation’, and ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking isn’t always bad.
 
Laushman, P. (2024) discusses perfectionism and perseveration –

• Diligence and perseverance: People with autism are often very diligent and persistent in their work. This can be a valuable asset in achieving long-term goals, and these people often make very loyal long-term employees who won’t quit when the going gets tough.
• Increased focus and attention to detail: People with autism are often very detail-oriented, and this can be a valuable asset in many situations. For example, people with autism may be well-suited for jobs that require accuracy and precision. They may even outperform their neurotypical peers in these situations.
• High standards of work: People with autism often set high standards for themselves and their work. This can lead to high-quality work that meets or exceeds expectations.

 
The caveat about any type of perfectionism, Laushman declares, is to focus on enjoying the process of doing the research and solving the problem.
 
< My Thoughts >           “…enjoying the process of doing…”
 
Perhaps instead, ‘enjoying the process of doing’ it is more about peacefully working uninterrupted on a task, until arriving at an insightful solution.
 
Pittaway, M. (2022) pleads that autistic people like to work. They have skills like high levels of concentration and attention to detail. Autistic employees often demonstrate having a strong work ethic; especially if they truly love their jobs. They can even lose track of time when they are doing tasks. This improves performance and enables them to go into greater depth in a particular task.
 
Kennedy, M. (2023) acknowledges that, “Perseverance is the screwdriver in your toolkit, capable of prying open possibilities when you're stuck, tightening your resolve when things get tough.”
 
References:
 
Kennedy, M. (2023). The Fine Line Between Perfectionism & Perseverance; Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved online from – https://www.timesfreepress.com › news › sep › fine-line/
 
Laushman, P. (2024). Autism & Perfectionism: Learning to Embrace Imperfection; Retrieved online from – www. thriveautismcoaching.com/
 
Pittaway, M. (2022) . 7 Strengths Autistic People Bring To the Workplace; Retrieved online from – https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/7-strengths-autistic-people-bring-workplace-mollie-pittaway#/
 
Wheeler, M. (2020). What those not on the autism spectrum should know. Retrieved online from –
 https://www.iidc.indiana.edu/irca/articles/what-those-not-on-the-autism-spectrum-should-know.html.
 
< My Thoughts >      “…separating the child from the autism.”
 
Parents have cautioned me, “We don’t want to separate our child from the autism.” “Autism is a part of our child.” “We love our child, autism and all.” Of course, you love your child ‘autism and all!’ We love Sonny autism and all, but we have to know whether he’s banging his head because of a headache, because of a sensory issue, or because he is having a seizure. Is he pressing his face against the door jamb because he needs to feel some pain? Or, is he having pain from a toothache or a sore in his mouth? That’s the difference, that’s the ‘separation’ to be determined. That is 'knowing your child'.
Note: Read more about behavior in my Free ASD Book – Know Autism, Know Your Child, under UNIT 3 What Is Most Concerning?; Chapter 3 – Cognition, Theory of Mind, & Temperament/Personality

​Comments welcomed, and kindly share my website, globally. My goal is to reach all parents, caregivers, clinicians, therapists, educators, students, and persons with autism looking for supplemental information.

Regards,

Sara Luker

BLOG – Fighting the ‘Isolation’ Enemy 2024
 
Fight the ‘isolation’ enemy by seeking support. Support can come from reaching out to other families with or without autism in their life. As your child goes out into the 'big world'... make certain that s/he feels loved and supported; not isolated and alone.

Siri (2010) Parents of autistic children need to adopt the mentalities of both a researcher and a warrior. As a warrior, you will experience the stress that accompanies battle. Battling autism can leave one feeling devastated and alone. You will need help and support along the way.
 
Sicile-Kira, C. (2014) says that the stages of grief are used to describe what people go through when somebody close to them dies. Many authors refer to Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’ “5-stages of grief” – denial & isolation, anger, depression, bargaining, and finally acceptance.
​
She explains that “Whether a young child who seems normal and later ‘slips’ away into autism. Or, the infant not meeting developmental milestones, the emotions that a parent goes through are ‘like’ these. But nobody died. Those children and families are still there, needing help. They didn’t disappear off the face of the earth.
 
< My Thoughts >      “…nobody died…”
 
“They didn’t disappear off the face of the earth.” But perhaps the families do. Families often find so many reasons to isolate. Survival may mean to keep your child, your family, and yourself safe from community exposure. My own experience with a disabled child goes far beyond staying home because of a bad hair day. Even my naturally ‘social self’, as a mom, a wife, a teacher, and a community member, can feel the raw exposure in taking my son from the safety of our home. Of course, eventually necessity forces us to step out that front door. 

​Sicile-Kira C. (2014) suggests that “Parents never completely graduate out of these stages of grief; just learn to spend more time in the ‘acceptance’ phase. Parents are experiencing the loss of their fantasy child, the one they had hoped and dreamed about.” “Parents can use the stages of grief to energize themselves to fight for the child’s right to a bright future.”
 
Community isolation is often heightened by the unpredictable behavior of the child with autism. Parents also miss opportunities to follow career paths, because of the demands they are feeling to provide established insurance for medical care, as well as the ability to have family leave, and care for neurotypical siblings.
 
CDC Staff Writer (2020) for the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) describes autism as a developmental disorder, which can cause significant social, behavioral, and communication challenges –

• Disrupting successful learning within school settings
• Preventing an ability to live independently
• Creating an inability to be successfully employed
• Causing social isolation or rejection
• Producing stress within families
• Allowing for victimization & bullying

Severe causes of ‘isolation’ are –

1.    First priority: Temper tantrums & life-threatening behavior such as hitting, throwing objects, jumping from high places, running into the street, or refusing to eat.
2.    Second priority: Learning 'sitting' skills. Without this skill the child cannot sit to eat or to learn.
3.    Third priority: Dealing with unusual or bizarre habits which may result in social isolation. Such as – Pervasive repetition of activities, self-stimulatory behavior, production of unusual sounds, and/or severely restricted interests.
 
A person with autism’s optimistic future outcome and adequate functioning calls for ‘early intervention’; in the areas of behavior, language, communication, and/or sensory domains. A variety of treatment options are necessary, so that they may be able to function adequately. Treatment is important because the CDC states that there is NO current ‘cure’ for autism. 
 
References:
 
CDC (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention) Staff Writer (2020). Autism A Developmental Disability; Retrieved online from – https://www.cdc.gov/ 

Sicile-Kira, C. (2014). Autism Spectrum Disorder (Revised): The Complete Guide to Understanding Autism; New York, New York: Penguin Random House Company.
 
Siri, K. (2010). 101 Tips for Parents of Boys with Autism: The Most Crucial Things You Need to Know; eBook Edition.

LABOR DAY BLOG 2024. According to https://www.dol.gov/laborday, this Labor Day 2024, the United States is “celebrating workers by building an equitable, empowered workforce for all.”
 
< My Thoughts >        “…equitable, empowered workforce for all.”
 
My hope is to start a conversation between education, students, and parents about the ‘future’ challenges of persons with autism entering the workforce. Entering the workforce for all persons, often requires further training and/or education. This becomes a new test of ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ societal skills. ‘Soft’ skills, such as understanding what is expected of you. Teamwork, such as doing your part as the member of a team. Work ethics, willingness to learn, and to take on added responsibilities. ‘Hard’ skills are more specifically, training, certification, and some degree of expertise in a certain field.
 
When a career path is ‘highly specific’, then the opportunity to explore interesting options along the way disappear. Older students may require more than a short-term, specific intervention. They may also need a form of comprehensive ‘literacy’ intervention. ASD is highly individual; evolving when new skills are accomplished; but never really going away.
 
Literacy is defined as the ability to read, write, speak, and listen in a way that lets us interpret and communicate effectively; to make sense of the world. Added to that, literacy should include ‘numeracy’. Equally important is understanding the literacy of numbers, as they relate to the individual’s environment. Numbers as they relate to things like paychecks, taxes, shopping, cooking, ordering food, health-related decisions about medication and nutrition; plus, understanding academic grading systems.
​
Note: Know Autism, Know Your Child with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker. Read more in UNIT 6 Where to Look for Resources; Chapter 3a. – Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) & 504 Plan.
 
UPDATED excerpt from my FREE ASD BOOK – Know Autism, Know Your Child with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker. Read more in UNIT 6 Where to Look for Resources; Chapter 5 – Future Challenges: College & Career. 
 
Arky, B. (2018) interviewed parents who are confronting new challenges for their kids’ upcoming adulthood. At age 21 or 22, depending on the state, all the educational supports and services they have been receiving, under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), will vanish.
 
This forced transition, called ‘aging out’. ‘Aging out’ of services pushes students with special needs into the woefully lacking system for disabled adults. Other students who are termed ‘high-functioning’, including those who may be dealing with things like ADHD, anxiety and sensory issues, in addition to their social and communication delays, are not going to magically stop needing support after they reach a certain chronological age. Yet, they too will lose services.
 
< My Thoughts >       “…‘Aging out’ of services…”
 
Information regarding ‘Aging Out’ of the Social Security Disability System can be found online for citizens of the United States. There are also International Social Security Programs which may be of assistance, for disabled persons globally.
 
Long before your child ‘ages out’ of services, you have an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) Transition Plan available to you. You may not be aware of this if your child’s school district waits until high school to implement this Transition Plan.
 
While some school districts begin to map out a projected ‘higher level’ education plan, and/or a career path to include a community trade, vocational, or government apprentice program, upon the student receiving an ‘autism’ diagnosis. Trades like electricians, plumbers, carpenters, concrete masons are attractive to persons with autism. Employers in the trades may find that repetition to neuro-typicals quickly becomes boring and unfulfilling. While that very day-after-day job task repetition is embraced and rewarding to the neuro-diverse.

Staff Writer (2022) shares information about coursework, internship opportunities, and extracurricular activities integrating neurodiversity ideal and practices into campus life for autistic students to successfully transition to this next stage of early adulthood. Saying that what makes a job autism-friendly is usually more about the work environment than the career field. Generally speaking, the best jobs for autistic adults tend to be positions that:

• Allow you to focus on one task at a time
• Have clearly defined responsibilities and expectations
• Emphasize quality and accuracy over speed
• Involve some degree of structure and routine

Fortunately, those conditions can be found in a wide range of different fields. People with autism have found success in writing, music, the visual and performing arts, accounting, law, finance, science, human services, and many other sectors.
Not long after new college students have finished choosing the college that is right for them, they are asked to declare an academic major. For some students, this decision is easy, as their majors may have actually influenced their choice of college.

1. Make a career planCreating a career plan is one of the ways that students can bolster their chances of success in their chosen majors. When creating a career plan, think about the career that you want to have in the future and consider the academic and professional paths that could lead to that career.

< My Thoughts >       “…career that you want to have in the future…”
 
Many/most persons on the autism spectrum have great difficulty with ‘future’ plans, direction, consequences, etc. The world of ‘autism’ is more about living in the moment, not projecting into the future. The ‘future self’ doesn’t exist. Nor does natural growth process, nor future learning, achievements, nor consequences. Also, understanding how to create a goal and dedicate oneself to following the steps necessary to fulfilling that goal becomes a ‘future’ learning experience within itself.
​
2. Do your researchDo your research about the job that you are interested in pursuing, as well as any related jobs. Is there one that would be better suited to your abilities and your preferences? Is there someone you can talk to who can tell you more about what an average day looks like at a particular job? While it is possible to switch out of your major once your interests become more apparent, you will save a good deal of time and energy by initially choosing a major that is aligned with your interests and abilities.
 
< My Thoughts >       “…switch out of your major…”
 
Determining your ‘major’ is not an overnight process. By the time you do your research, the idea of that ‘long-term’ goal may become overwhelming. Colleges usually insist that you pick a ‘major’ so they can enroll you in the program which will result in a degree in the area of your major. Switching out of a major may be very costly, or even impossible; especially if tuition is backed by a grant for that degree. An option may be to enter a program, close to home, which enrolls you in the basic courses to strengthen your abilities and interests. Make certain there will be continuing support for you, in addition to their version of an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP).
 
3. Brace yourself for challengePrepare yourself for the academic challenges that await you in whichever major you choose.
 
< My Thoughts >       “…academic challenges…”
 
Academia itself can be a challenge. Much depends on how ‘well-schooled’ you are. Have you learned how to learn? Have you learned to produce what the teacher expects, when s/he gives you an assignment? Do you know how to write an acceptable essay? Build success into your higher learning efforts by starting with first developing your strengths.
 
You may even consider learning an entry-level position, just to see if you feel comfortable and enjoy that particular professional environment. For example, seek a part-time or full-time job as a ‘mail clerk’ or ‘filing clerk’ in the agency where you are considering a career. Explore part-time or full-time positions learning general administrative duties. These duties may include filing, photocopying, sorting mail, entering database information, and other systematic responsibilities.
 
Another advantage of obtaining a ‘clerk’ position would be to allow for opportunities to learn the basics in a ‘real-world’ situation. With increasing levels of responsibilities, and added duties, you will become more proficient and confident. You may even interest a ‘mentor’ to help guide you on your career path.

Sicile-Kira, C. (2014) says that some people on the ‘more able’ end of the spectrum have found the college or university environment a comfortable place for them to learn and even work. Now there are so many opportunities to get an education by combining ‘brick & mortar’, and an ‘online’ settings, to achieve various degrees.
 
< My Thoughts >       “…college or university environment…”
 
There are states which have colleges with Special Education Departments providing Special Programs and Services, in accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). But understand that beyond public high school, colleges, trade schools, and other intuitions of higher learning are NOT required by law to provide accommodations and modifications for students. Neither are students required by law, or otherwise, to declare ‘disorders’ of any kind. Therefore, persons with a DSM-5 diagnosis may no longer be protected by government programs. But there are Equal Employment Opportunity programs which help individuals find registered apprenticeship programs.  

Gardner, N. (2013) marvels, Dale would have access to the College Supported Learning Department. They agreed to make reasonable adjustments, and to ensure inclusion.
 
< My Thoughts >      “To make reasonable adjustments…”

If there is an indication that a student may have a disability that is impacting on their studies, there may be the requirement to undertake reasonable adjustments. Reasonable adjustments also address employee needs, allowing for the individual’s strengths and abilities; plus providing –
​

• retraining or offering alternative tasks
• longer supported training periods
• more time off for rehabilitation, as needed
• additional breaks, as needed
• changing inaccessible areas, as needed
• relocating work area to address sensory needs

Wentz, E., Nyden, A., et al. (2012) explored the idea of using technology to help support adolescents and young adults with ADHD and autism disorders, in employment and educational settings. The idea was based on the concept that it would be easier to get additional support from a coach in an online ‘Chat Room’ setting which could be accessed during the day between the hours of 2 – 4pm.
​
Drapela, L. A. (2022) does her best to offer Helpful Guides to identify college campuses practicing ‘Neuro-Inclusion’. She offers that – “Persons on the spectrum looking for the best higher education fit to their needs, desires, talents, and energies will find several tools at their disposal.” Saying – “The College Autism Network (CAN) is a clearinghouse of colleges and universities incorporating autism education and supports into classrooms, dormitories, student life, and student governance. The site provides detailed information on Autism-Specific College Support Programs (ASPs) among institutions across the United States.”
 
Plus, the frustration parents may face, Burke, M., & Goldman, S. (2015) believe that the process can become quite costly. They offer that in some states, but not all, there are pro-bono attorneys who will assist the families engage in ‘due process’. If they cannot find support or pro-bono services from attorneys who will help them, every state has a Protection and Advocacy (P & A) agency to assist at a reduced cost.

 < My Thoughts >       “…attorneys who will assist the families…”
 
If you feel marginalized or you are not being heard, don’t get comfortable. Trust your parent radar. you have the legal right to can engage advocates, mediators, or even legal advisors to guide DUE PROCESS; guaranteed to your child by Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Bear in mind, most colleges and universities provide access to “504” plans – that is Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 – available through their student services divisions. 

Note: Know Autism, Know Your Child with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker. Read more in UNIT 6 Where to Look for Resources; Chapter 3 – Individualized Educational Plan (IEP); 504” plans.
 

References:
 
Arky, B. (2018). Aging Out: When Kids with Autism Grow Up; Retrieved online from – https://childmind.org/article/aging-out-when-kids-with-autism-grow-up/

Burke, M., & Goldman, S. (2015). Identifying the Associated Factors of Mediation & Due Process in Families of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder; Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders; V45; 1345-1353.

Cody, R. (2024). Three Strategies to Help College Students Pick the Right Major the First Time. Retrieved online from – https://today.uconn.edu › 2024/08 › three-strategies/
 
Drapela, L. A. (2022). College Choices for Students on the Autism Spectrum; Spectrum Life Magazine. Retrieved online from – https://www.spectrumlife.org/blog/college-choices-for-students-on-the-autism-spectrum
Gardner, N. (2013). All Because of Henry; eBook Edition.
 
Sicile-Kira, C. (2014). Autism Spectrum Disorder (revised): The Complete Guide to Understanding Autism; Penguin Random House Company; New York, N.Y.
 
Staff Writer (2022). Coursework, Internship Opportunities, Campus Life; Spectrum Life Magazine. Retrieved online from – https://www.spectrumlife.org 
 
Wentz, E., Nyden, A., et al. (2012). Development of an Internet-based Support & Coaching Model for Adolescents & Young Adults with ADHD and ASD; A Pilot Study; Journal of Early Child & Adolescent Psychiatry; V:21, p611-622.
 
Kindly share my website, globally. My goal is to reach all parents, caregivers, clinicians, therapists, educators, students, and persons with autism.

Regards,

Sara Luker

Learning Disorders ~

As we hand our children over to school personnel, we may find that our kiddos are having a bad time. Sometimes, it is up to parents to recognize when things are going wrong. To help educators identify student struggles, we e learn valuable lessons from those who have gone before us. There are many good books about Dyslexia. This is one of them by author Beth Ellen Nash (2017)  Dyslexia Outside-the-Box: Equipping Dyslexic Kids to Not Just Survive but Thrive.

 Nash, B.E. (2017) needs you to know that, “The dyslexic needs education, which addresses the unique learning needs of dyslexics themselves. The mission is to empower generations of dyslexics to see themselves as uniquely wired. They are not broken, they can be successful. They merely need different tools. They have so much to offer the world through their unique flip-side strengths. They need not just survive; they can thrive.”

Dyslexia is part of a group of language-based challenges that originate in the brain. This means that the brain struggles to process sounds, recognize words, spell words, and sound out words.

Common characteristics of dyslexia include difficulty with:

• Noticing, telling the difference between, and working with the sounds (phonological awareness) and syllables (phonemic awareness) in oral language
• Word decoding (sounding out the words)
• Fluency in reading, which includes accurate and/or automatic word recognition
• Spelling
• Vocabulary
• Comprehension

• Reversing letters (from instead or form)
• Reversing words (was instead of saw)
• Flipping letters left to right and top to bottom (b’s & d’s, p’s & q’s)

• Being slower at learning to read than one’s peers

< My Thoughts >          “Fluency in reading…”

Fluency in reading can mean reading instructions, reading the face on an analog clock, reading the numbers on a phone. As a teacher, sometimes it was 6th or 7th grade before anyone noticed that students (especially girls) started having trouble with math. Upper level math starts by reading and following directions. By seeing ‘patterns’, understanding what to do first, second, third, etc. By remembering how you arrived at the correct answer last time. And, recognizing whether ‘your’ mathematical answer really makes sense.
​
The student may not have ‘dysgraphia’, but may have ‘dyscalculia’; and/or, may have both. Both are learning disorders affecting reading and appear in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5), under Specific Learning Disorders. 

​According to the Cleveland Clinic (2022), neither disorder (dyslexia nor dyscalculia) has to do with intelligence, but does have to do with brain function. Both ‘neurodevelopmental’ brain disorders may run in families. The first signs of the disorder may be emotional. For instance, when a young child is faced with a ‘new to them’ math concept, s/he suddenly no longer wants to go to school. Or, when the older student is asked to make (monetary decisions) change, recognize a mathematical or a scientific symbol, they may suddenly show anxiety, agitation, aggression; even physical illnesses may appear.

< My Thoughts >           “…‘neurodevelopmental’ brain disorders…”

The DSM-5 allows that while these are brain development disorders, they are very different from the brain development disorders of those persons who are considered to be on the Autism Spectrum. But, special programs, interventions, and therapies, similar to those for ASD children, may be helpful. Testing and help can be found through the educational system; or, in nearby universities specializing in understanding these disorders.

References:

Nash, B.E. (2017)  Dyslexia Outside-the-Box: Equipping Dyslexic Kids to Not Just Survive but Thrive.
​
Staff Writer (2022). Dyscalculia: What It Is, Causes, Symptoms & Treatment. Retrieved online from: https://my.clevelandclinic.org › 23949-dyscalculia.
 
Kindly share my website, globally. My goal is to reach all parents, caregivers, clinicians, therapists, educators, students, and persons with autism.

Regards,

Sara Luker

Going 2 School BLOG 2024, continued. On MENU, please find Autism Goes to School, by Dr. Sharon Mitchell; an Extended Book Review with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker. Plus, a LINK to purchase the book on Amazon. Also find on MENU, under Gallery: School on the Short Bus.

Autism Goes To School, by Dr. Sharon Mitchell (A fictional account…); an Extended Review with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker

Excerpts from the book – (12% indicates location in the Kindle version of the eBook, instead of page numbers).
 
< My Thoughts >  This is a fictional account. A story told by Ben, who is meeting his 5-year-old neurodivergent son Kyle for the very first time. A story of discovering what it means to be a single parent. A parent of a child who sees the world in a different way. Through the eyes of Ben, we get a glimpse of both the challenges and joys of parenting this child. A child he didn’t really know. A child Ben learned to share, not only with the part-time mother, but eventually with the teacher who taught both father and son. 
 
12%     Kyle was at school. Four little words. That sounded so simple but hell, it was not. Getting one small boy up, ready and to school took more organization skills than Ben certainly possessed. He ran a business with ten employees, handled million-dollar accounts, but could not manage one small boy.
           
17%     Ben was early (to pick up his son at school), as he approached the kindergarten room, he heard screams. Kyle! Those were Kyle’s screams. Rushing in the room Ben spied his son on the floor. Kyle was tossing his head back and forth, kicking his heels and screaming. “What’s going on here?” Ben yelled. “What’s wrong with my son?”
 
“What you just witnessed was a ‘tantrum’. Kyle was mad because he didn’t get his way.
 
She exclaimed, “Tantrums are a good way to control others. Pitch a fit and people will give in. Is that the way you want your son to think?”
 
“It’s just hard to see,” Ben said, “He almost kicked you.”
 
“He’s a little boy and he’s still learning how to navigate his world,” she responded.
 
< My Thoughts >    “Tantrums are a good way to control others.”
 
Sometimes the child can’t voice his/her fear and frustration; thus, a 'tantrum'. Perhaps they are having difficulty transitioning from one thing or place to another. Children with autism often resists change, due to their ritualistic nature. Possibly something happened earlier, which in the child’s mind unjustifiably hasn’t been resolved to their satisfaction. Maybe earlier, s/he was rushed to finish the task of eating breakfast, to meet someone else’s schedule. Because of the ritualistic nature of autism, this can bring about the fixated notion that s/he needs to go back and finish the task of eating breakfast. Children sometimes get stuck, and may perseverate on this, before s/he can move on to the next activity.
 
Morin, A. (2024) advocates that “The causes of tantrums and meltdowns are different. Tantrums usually have a purpose. Kids are ‘looking for a certain response.’ When responding to a tantrum, try acknowledging that you know what your child wants, without giving in. Calmly tell them the reason that their needs (wants) can’t be met. Or, tell them when they will be met.
 
Meltdowns are a reaction to something ‘sensory’ that is usually beyond a child’s control. When responding to a meltdown, help your child find a safe, quiet place away from the sensory distress, where they can deescalate."

< My Thoughts >     "The causes of tantrums and meltdowns are different."

Simply put, a 'tantrumming' child is demanding a response to some perceived injustice. Tantrumming requires an audience; a person who will respond to, and/or meet the child's 'wants'. 'Meltdowns' are out of the child's control. He or she is having a 'sensory' crisis. This may be very painful, a Post Traumatic Stress-like episode. Something in the child's environment, over which they have no control, is causing a 'fight or flight' response.

21%     Each week had been better than the last. Yet Ben’s efforts to bond with his son were showing few results. He wanted some small sign. Just then Kyle walked to the door then stood with his hand out, waiting for his dad to take it. Ben took Kyle’s small hand and saw that as a small sign of progress.
 
28%     Ben had come to trust the teacher’s advice. Melanie explained that Kyle’s reactions had nothing to do with Ben. His reactions have more to do with something that’s going on inside him, some sensory sensitivities, some reaction to the environment, fatigue, or overload. Kyle likes to be held, she explained. “Some kids like light, feather touches on their skin, for others a firming touch is calming.” Kyle likes a firm touch, that’s why we place a weighted blanket over him when he’s upset.”
 
34%   How was he to know what Kyle liked and what would scare him? This parenting business was all trial and error. Ben went to the kitchen to fix lunch. When he returned to get Kyle, he was awake and had turned on Dora the Explorer. They ate their lunch in silence, on the floor, watching the adventures of Dora.
 
< My Thoughts >       “They ate their lunch in silence, on the floor, watching the adventures of Dora.”
 
Sonny is most times a typical 2-year-old in actions, although he is now actually 34 years old. Where does a 2-year-old play? On the floor. There is a structured autism behavior intervention model called DIR ‘Floortime’. For Sonny, we use the parts of the program protocol which seem to work for him, and for us. We take every opportunity to get down on the floor with him, when he initiates it. We are following his lead and interest. Therefore, when he responds to this ‘together’ time with giggles, or interacts with us; it is meaningful. Meaningful, not contrived, not forced, not a rote skill. Even if it’s only a type of ‘parallel play’ we are being tolerated in his world… for the moment. A moment we cherish. 

Note: Read more about behavior in my Free ASD Book – Know Autism, Know Your Child, under UNIT 3 What Is Most Concerning?; Chapter 3 – Cognition, Theory of Mind, & Temperament/Personality.

Also, find more about Visual Supports in Social Story - 3 Parts, on MENU Previous BLOGs; beginning 7/29/2020. Power Cards BLOG, on 4/10/2020.

​The “DIR/Floortime Model” – is called that because the “D” part means we focus directly working on what the child needs’ like working on engagement or two-way communication. The “I” is focusing in on the child’s individual ways of dealing with sensory sensations; like being ‘over’ or ‘under’ reactive. The “R” is learning relationships which are tailored to the child’s nervous system; meeting them where they are, developmentally. All of this, makes DIR ‘floortime’ a special kind of play.
 
Note: Read more about ‘floortime’ aka DIR, in my Free ASD Book – Know Autism, Know Your Child, under Who May Help? UNIT 7 – 1  OTHER THERAPIES; Section 1: ABA, CBT, DIR, OT, PECS.
      
13%     “Routine is so important to kids like Kyle. When you have autism, the world can be a scary place. It can seem that things come at you from all sides. You’re contending with the sensory issues when every touch, every sound, every light can feel like just too much,” Kyle’s teacher admonished Ben.
 
15%     She tried again, “Look, I’ll try to explain. Kyle is a visual learner, rather than an auditory learner. Kyle can take in information he sees much better than what he hears.”
 
16%     “…our classroom runs on routines. These routines are taught using pictures. There are pictures all over the room.”
 
She told Ben, “Make a list of the things you want Kyle to do in the morning. Leave it on my desk and I’ll try to have some visuals ready for you when you pick him up this afternoon. And remember, show him, don’t tell him…stop nagging.”
 
< My Thoughts >         “…visuals…"
 
‘Visuals’ may take several forms. There are ‘picture’ step-by-step task cards showing how to eat breakfast, get dressed, or similar ‘life skill’ tasks. Other visuals, like ‘visual schedules’ can show students what to expect, and when. These can support learning and help teach self-help and social skills.
 
Several things need to be kept in mind when creating and designing helpful ‘visuals’. Not all students are visual learners. Sometimes the visual schedule may be used, but should be accompanied by an auditory backup, or Smart Phone App.
 
Another thing to remember is that the visuals should be age appropriate and meet the person at their level of understanding. If the person is very ‘literal’, which many with ASD are, then you may need to take actual photos to use on their schedule; instead of graphics. Also, they may not be able to ‘generalize’ (use the same routine in a different place). So, if Kyle is expected to shower at grandmas on Saturday, that should be explained. You may even need to make a separate schedule to take there. Have the child help you. Making things ‘easy’ isn’t always that easy. Again, many things are ‘trial & error’. 

​16%     The next morning, Ben showed Kyle pictures (‘picture’ step-by-step task cards) of socks, underwear, pants, and shirts, explaining to Kyle that this was how he was to get dressed. Ben removed each picture as that job was completed. When Kyle was dressed, Ben announced, “Good job, Kyle.”
 
Encouraged, they moved on to the bathroom. Again, it worked, with only a minimum of coaching, Kyle looked at the cards to see what was next. Ben tapped the appropriate card to draw his son’s attention back to the task at hand. Eventually, Kyle took the card himself, putting it back in the envelope.”
 
< My Thoughts >     “…putting it back in the envelope.”
 
This requires the ‘level of understanding and skill’, as referred to previously. Requiring Kyle to initiate the choosing, sorting, organizing, and replacing cards in an envelope, may be a bit beyond most children at his age. Our Sonny has a small photo album which fits in his pocket. He prefers actual photos of the items he likes, so that’s what we put in the album. Sometimes we have to page through the album with him, until we find what he needs or wants.
 
16%     Upon finishing, Ben saw Kyle’s face needed a little more washing. He grabbed the washcloth to get one more spot on the face. Kyle protested. Ben got it. According to the ‘picture’ step-by-step task cards, he had already washed his face. Ben reached in the envelope for the appropriate card with Kyle smiling, to let Ben know that he needed to show the card first.
 
During breakfast, Kyle would rather play with his cereal than eat it. Still, they did not end up mad at each other. Instead of ragging on Kyle to get moving, Ben just tapped the appropriate card to draw his son back to the task at hand. It worked!
 
Note: Read more about ‘visual schedules’ and ‘picture’ step-by-step task cards in my Free ASD Book – Know Autism, Know Your Child, under What To Do While You Wait? UNIT 5, CHAPTER 4 – WORKING ON DAILY INDEPENDENT LIVING SKILLS, & UNIT #3C What Is Most Concerning? ~ SOCIAL/PERSONAL AWARENESS & DAILY LIVING SKILLS.
 
Reference:
Morin, A. (2024). The Difference Between Tantrums & Sensory Meltdowns; Retrieved online from: https://www.understood.org/en

​Kindly share my website, globally. My goal is to reach all parents, caregivers, clinicians, therapists, educators, students, and persons with autism.

Regards,

Sara Luker

 Going to School ~

With school beginning, in some places, here are some ‘special needs’ things to consider. Whether back to school on the short bus, or finding new placement in a school, there are many things to consider. Giving hope and help in my Free ASD Book and in my BLOGs.

• Has my child been identified as learning impaired or developmentally disabled? (For each child ‘disability’ approved, is guaranteed by U. S. law, a Free & Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) )
• Will my child be in an educational setting appropriate to his or her needs? (A Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) setting with Highly Qualified Teachers.)
• Should my child have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP)? (The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), along with Section 504 of the Civil Rights Rehabilitation Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), provide for exceptional needs and/or services for all students who qualify.)
• Is my child currently being supported by a privately paid therapy program, intervention, or specialized service? (Will that program / intervention / service also be considered, when deciding my child's educational plan?)
• Does my child have a licensed nurse available on campus, if needed? (If my child requires medication, during the school day, will a licensed nurse be available to store and administer those medications?)
• Can I count on the educational system to decide which grade-level curriculum is best for my child; or, should I seek ‘interventions’ on my own? (Parents may also be able to include the child's healthcare professionals, therapists, and a family advocate into all important discussions.)

Shepherd, D., Csako, R., et al. (2018) share that parents may hesitate to move forward, because they feel vulnerable and overwhelmed by the challenging selection of interventions to choose from. Selection is often easier if their child has more severe deficits in one of autism’s ‘core’ areas; such as communication, behavior, gastrointestinal, or toileting issues. If that is the case, then the choice is narrowed down to finding the therapists or programs which specialize in those areas.

< My Thoughts >     “…challenging selection of interventions…”
 
Consider that the terms 'programs / interventions / services' may be used interchangeably by schools, therapists, insurance companies; and others. Often, these persons professional goals are to 'change behavior'.  But, never should they 'imply a cure'. Selected ‘instructional program’ sessions can be held at school, when trained or itinerant staff is available.
       
Know that problems may arise, due to lack of ‘continuity’ and ‘fidelity’ to your child’s individual program. The staff may NOT be dedicated to the specifics of your child’s program alone, and/or may work with your child in a group setting; thus, wasting valuable time covering things that your child doesn't need. These sessions without purpose, could even cause problems, confusion, and even regression for your child.

Also, when the educational setting is the sole source of intervention, there could be a lack of important program continuance or continuity, due to school holidays and extended breaks. You may find someone to provide services, during this ‘gap’ time. Or, you might wish to pick- up and continue program activities yourself.
 
One of the reasons for the popularity of these aforementioned 'select' programs / interventions / services may be that they have successfully been marketed to insurance  companies. Therefore, these therapies can almost always be assured of ‘provider referral’ and ‘program coverage’ approval, by the parent’s insurance.
 
Deb, S., Retzer, A., et al. (2020) recommend that when examining programs / interventions / services, look for the following specifics – (with My Thoughts in parenthesis)
​

• Fidelity to protocols & procedures.

(Alternating staff may affect these. Know that each child presents symptoms, & responds to therapy VERY differently. Just because it worked for a child with ‘like’ behavioral symptoms, doesn’t mean it will work for your child.)

• Accurate report of outcome data.

(Ask for ‘before’ & ‘after’ therapy data, so that you can clearly understand if your child is making the expected progress. And, if the services are age and ability appropriate for your child.)

• Parent education/training for involvement in child’s intervention.

(If you want to be involved, ask for your inclusion into sessions. And/or, how to be trained to continue the sessions at home. If your child does not seem to ‘bond’ with the therapist, can you request a change? Many ‘hidden’ factors my effect a therapy. Some children prefer to work with certain ‘types’ of therapists. Our Sonny prefers ‘low-key men’ therapists. The setting, time of day, & ‘sensory factors’ can be huge influences on success, too.)

•  The expected effect on child’s targeted ‘core’ symptom cluster.

(Are your child’s ‘most concerning behaviors’ being addressed? How will this ‘therapy’ work in other settings such as school, community, riding in vehicles; or, during transitions? Suppose your child becomes resistant to this therapy. Can you request an immediate reasonably measured ‘reevaluation / reassessment’, to your satisfaction? And, if needed, can your child be removed?)

• Additional therapeutic positive/negative effect on behavior, sleeping, and eating regimes.

(Frequently, programs / interventions / services, need to co-exist. Sometimes when you successfully resolve eating / digestive issues, a co-existing ‘behavior therapy’ may start to improve. Always make certain that these therapies don’t interfere with one another. For example, one therapist may offer a ‘favorite food' for cooperation’. But this food might not be on the child’s ‘special diet’ modification program. Also consider that at home, will that same ‘ program reward’ be expected when the child complies with your requests. If so, is that workable for you?)

• Positive effect on parental stress, knowledge, & confidence in the programs / interventions / services.

(Make certain the programs / interventions / services, ‘work’ for you & your family. Siblings may wish to be included. Or, they may feel marginalized, due to the constant interference of the program integration into family life.)

• Therapists are highly experienced & credentialed, to assure program integrity.

(Do your ‘homework’ about the advantages & disadvantages of starting any therapy. Will you be ‘locked’ into something that is not working? Ask for a ‘trial period’. But, once you obtain a ‘therapy referral’ and an ‘insurance approved provider’, it could be very difficult to make a change.)

Authors Deb & Retzer, et. al felt that ‘parent training’ in this study was considered very important to the success of intervention programs, according to this clinical study.

< My Thoughts >     “…‘parent training’…”
 
Along with ‘parent training’, these programs should include ‘post-testing’ and frequent ‘follow-up’ checks. Parents need to know when things are no longer working, or when more support is needed. Technicians may be ‘experts’ in their field…but, you are an expert in ‘knowing your child’. Also, remember to check on the experience & credential of the actual therapists working with your child. Trust but verify!

Note: DISCLAIMER – Autism ‘intervention’, as with the phrase ‘Early Detection / Early Intervention’, may simply mean to attempt an ‘action’, or attempt to ‘change a course’ or ‘trajectory’ of the person’s autism. Any expectation for a successful ‘change’ must have the cooperation of the participant, the parent, and/or the assigned therapist. Words such as, ‘instruction’, ‘intervention’, ‘integration’, ‘treatment’, ‘therapy’, ‘service’, or ‘program’ imply ‘cure’; or, ‘long-term’ positive effect. That is NOT my intention here, and all information is presented without intent or suggestion of status or effectiveness.

Note: Find on MENU ~ Autism Goes To School, by Dr. Sharon Mitchell (A fictional account of a single ASD parent & his son.); an Extended Review with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker. Also find under School on the Short Bus on the MENU under Extended Book Review Gallery Slideshow.

Individualized Education Plan (IEP)
 
The United States Department of Education Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), is a law ensuring services to children with disabilities. This law includes ‘autism spectrum disorder’ (ASD), in its list of disabilities which benefit from the protection of the IDEA law.
 
However, just having autism may not be enough to qualify for state public school special education services, nor for an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Introduce yourself to the school in your district. Ask them what services they can provide for your child. Also, what documentation, referrals, and/or records they are requesting. It is always good to keep ALL documentation of your child’s diagnosis, testing, medical records / medications; and anything else that you can provide.
 
Reasons and advantages of seeking an IEP for your child.
 
Six principles of an Individualized Education Plan (IEP)  –

1.    Free & Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) for each child as ‘disability’ approved.
2.    An appropriate evaluation, before determined eligible to receive an Individualized Education Program (IEP).
3.    An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a written statement of a child’s need for disability accommodations and modifications for education.
4.    A Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) setting is where this IEP will provide for the child.
5.    Parents and students will have appropriate notification, plus the opportunity to provide advice and consent, regarding the child’s IEP.
6.    A copy of the latest IEP Procedural Safeguards (booklet) will be presented and received, yearly to parents and student. 
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), along with Section 504 of the Civil Rights Rehabilitation Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), provide for exceptional needs and/or services.
​
Special Education teachers, when writing an IEP are expected to create a legal document which describes how the student performs educationally. Creating a picture of their strengths and deficits. Many create a ‘strengths-based’ IEP. This type of IEP helps students make progress by leveraging what they’re good at. See how your child’s IEP goals can be ‘strengths-based’, too.
 
< My Thoughts >             “…writing an IEP…”

Other important legal parts of an IEP are providing students with ‘testing’, ‘transportation’, 'therapists', 'special class' opportunities, and a Least Restrictive Environment (LRE); as developed by a parent involved ‘multidisciplinary IEP Team’.  There will be yearly IEP meetings, revisions, and follow-up meetings, during the student's educational journey.
 
Understood Team (2019) explains that the ‘IEP Team’ is collective group of individuals qualified to interpret data and help to develop your child’s IEP. Members include, but not exclusive to –

• Child’s parent(s)
• Special Education Teacher(s)
• General Education Teacher(s)
• School psychologist
• School Administrator (or representative)

 
If desired –
​

• Child/student
• School therapist (physical, occupational, speech, etc.)
• Parent/child advocate
• Parent friend/relative
• Language interpreter

 
Each team member may contribute, present, and interpret evaluation data about the child. Compiling this information helps the parent, child, and other team members understand the child’s strengths, as well as their necessary areas of focus. Most areas of focus are those in mathematics, reading, and writing. Depending on the student’s grade level, other areas may be ‘behavior’, and/or assistance, accommodation, and modification for studying, homework, and note taking.
 
< My Thoughts >               “…necessary areas of focus.”
 
For my middle school students, there was an additional IEP provision allowing them access to the Resource Room, at any time; before/after school, and any ‘time of need’, during the school day. This allowed them to acquire test-taking assistance. Often, they also needed the ‘accommodation’ to dictate or type out answers to ‘Essay Answer’ questions.
 
A students’ IEP’s can specify that the Resource Room (‘teacher of record’) advocate for them, during the school year. Thus, the 'special education' team becoming a conduit between a ‘general education’ teacher and the ‘special education’ student having problems with ‘communicating’ needs, and ‘understanding assignments’. Or, students otherwise needing a more immediate ‘modification’ and/or ‘accommodation’ for an immediate activity or assignment..
 
Note: Nastiti, A., & Azizah, N., (2018) state, current ‘special needs’ students in the United State of America, United Kingdom, Australia, Hongkong, New Zealand, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia legally have public and private school IEP’s readily available to them. The authors also mention that other countries are currently working towards developing such programs.
 
References:
 
Deb, S., Retzer, A., et al. (2020). The Effectiveness of Parent Training for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review & Meta-analysis; BioMedCentral (BMC) Psychiatry, London, UK.

Nastiti, A., & Azizah, N., (2018). A Review on Individualized Educational Staff Writer (2018). Program in Some Countries; Retrieved online from – Conference: Proceedings of the International Conference on Special and Inclusive Education (ICSIE 2018).

Shepherd, D., Csako, R., et al. (2018). Documenting & Understanding Parent’s Intervention Choices for Their Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder; Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders; V48; p988-1001.
 
Staff Writer (2018). Developing Your Child’s IEP; Retrieved online from – https://www.parentcenterhub.org/pa12
 
Understood Team (2019). Who Is on the IEP Team?; Retrieved online from – https://www.understood.org/.../whos-on-the-iep-team/

NonVerbal Autism
 
Some persons with autism have persistent problems with communication. The latest Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) considers these persons to require substantial support; or, depending on the severity of the communication problem, a Level 3 – requiring very substantial support. This DSM-5 diagnosis allows clinicians to refer patients for diagnosis, support, and necessary services.
 
< My Thoughts >     “…communication.”
 
Communication must be continually addressed throughout the life the autistic person. Communication is the link, the connection to one’s world.
 
When the newborn baby cries out its probably to satisfy a ‘sensory’ need – I’m hungry, I’m hot/cold, I’m wet, I’m uncomfortable! These desperate cries are primal sounds made in hopes of getting a comforting response from whomever is within earshot.
 
If a child’s needs are not easily met, in the only way in which s/he is capable of communicating, then it’s possible that the ‘primal screaming’ infant will reemerge. Know that, s/he is not trying to ‘give’ you a bad time – s/he is ‘having’ a bad time!
 
Know too, that throughout childhood, kiddos hear and understand ‘receptive’ language much, much more than we think that they do. They know the tone of what you are saying, and eventually, know what your words mean, long before they can make the words to respond. From the very beginning, they also ‘pick up’ on your attitude and feelings. Studies show that sensitive children see how people really feel through the ‘auras’ and ‘energy field’, or changing colors which surround that person.
 
CDC Staff Writer (2024) cautions that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain. Some people with ASD may have advanced conversation skills whereas others may be nonverbal. Some people with ASD need a lot of help in their daily lives; others can work and live with little to no support.
​
Rudy, L. J. (2024) relates that despite the prevalence of autistic people who don't speak, the term "nonverbal autism" has no official status as a diagnosis. In part, that's because there is no clear line between verbal and nonverbal autistic people.
 
Some people with nonverbal autism do develop the ability to use a few words in a meaningful manner but are unable to carry on any kind of significant conversation. For example, they may say "car" to mean "let's go for a ride." Yet they would not be able to answer the question, "Where should we go?" to communicate their wants and needs.

< My Thoughts >   “…communicate their wants and needs…”
 
Having a non-verbal autistic child, as Sonny is, puts an extra strain on our communication. Early on, we learned to ask him, “Show me what you want.” Of course, this exacerbated his tendency to drag us to what he wanted, or to where he wanted us to go. Eventually, before we all became too frustrated, we taught him and he began using ‘baby signing’. Then, he learned to use his low technology ‘Cheap Talk’ communication device to summon us. We also have a similar small push-button device which we take with us in the car.
 
Hoecker, J. (2018) has information that limited research suggests that ‘baby sign language’ might give a child a way to ease communication frustrations between 8 months and 2 years. During those years, children begin to know what they want but don’t always have the verbal skills to express themselves. There are many ideas when you are searching on your own for sources about teaching ‘baby sign language’. ​Hoecker has ways that you may learn ‘baby signing’, on YouTube videos, in eBooks, to give you a start. Trying them, may surprise you. But he cautions that the first sign language attempts by your child will look like loose gestures, not the real signs.

< My Thoughts >    “…not the real signs.”
 
Sonny often improvises; for instance, the sign for ‘more’ is to gesture with both hands, putting fingertips together several times. Sonny’s interpretation at first was to clap his hands together, because clapping was what he already knew how to do. And eventually, he was able to better approximate the sign for ‘more’, but he still claps his hands first, or slaps his thigh to alert us that he is signing something.
 
Sonny also claps his hands loudly if he can’t remember a sign, or if I’m ‘not getting the sign, he will improvise something. If he forgets the sign for ‘hurry’ he will frantically give the sign for ‘more’ – as in ‘more faster’ I guess.
 
Another method of communication for Sonny are his interactive children’s board books. Some of his favorites are – Sesame Street Elmo’s Play-a-Sound Pop-Up Song Book, Mickey Mouse Play-a-Song with Piano Keys, Nickelodeon Dora and Diego Interactive Sound Books. All of these are board books and take a lot of use and abuse, but have phrases or songs he likes to help him communicate.

The Mickey Mouse book has a button which when pushed says – “Oh Boy! Come on! Let’s GO!” He has this in the kitchen, to use when I’m not filling his cup fast enough. Then he laughs. Yes, he has quite a sense of humor, ‘profound’ autism and all. Sonny’s MA (mental age) is between that of a 2 of 3-year-old; but that doesn’t mean that he isn’t smart, intuitive, and creative when it serves him well. So, if he can do this kind of improvisation, your child should be a whiz!
 
Caveat to teaching a baby/child to sign – when signing receives such a quick response, why learn or try to speak. Although ‘speaking’ is a early human need, Sonny’s primary mantra is “What’s in it for me?” Why should he make an effort to vocalize, when signing is quicker and easier.
 
But in Sonny’s case, according to his neurologist, the parts of the brain which allow for language have never formed or developed. He can utter sounds and laugh spontaneously, when moved by something he hears, sees, or feels. He doesn’t cry, even when having a tantrum or meltdown.
 
Autism is so ‘beyond’ complex, because each person presents autism symptoms and behaviors differently. And these also may be ever changing, from mild to extreme. You may see these symptoms and behaviors once, but never again. They may be persistent throughout one’s lifetime. Constantly transforming; or, somewhere in between.

WebMD Contributor (2020) considers that a speech therapist delivering an individualized treatment is crucial. An experienced speech therapist, working closely with a team of child psychologists and others can provide the communication and behavior supports the child needs. This would be the most desirable situation for everyone.
 
Speech therapy techniques may include – (My Thoughts)
​

• Using electronic ‘talkers’

(From simple to sophisticated)

• Signing or typing devices

(Also, works wonders for persons with learning disabilities)

• Pointing to picture boards

(We made a pocket-size picture book of his favorite things for Sonny)

• Implementing picture exchange communication systems (PECS)

(PECS sometimes needs to be reintroduced after certain other skills have been mastered)

• Gaining tolerance for sounds with which person has sensory issues

(Sudden sounds may produce Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms)

• Improving articulation by massage or therapy techniques

(These techniques provide a connection between physical areas of the throat or tongue, with the sound)

• Singing songs with individuals to improve speech and reduce stress

(Music requires a different part of the brain. Often, stuttering or other speech difficulties can be overcome by singing the words, first.)

​< My Thoughts >   “…techniques may include…”
 
Above are just some of the techniques of a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP). All children seem to learn best when they are having fun or gaining something pleasurable from the experience. A certified SLP will diagnose, develop, and plan an intervention; as well as do constant follow-up to adjust techniques to your individual child.
 
Parents often ask – why a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) when my child is nonverbal? My answer is – because of all the hopeful possibilities for bringing your special person into a world where he/she can communicate and connect with you. Because, chances are you will find them moving closer to you; instead of moving away from you.
 
References:

CDC Staff Writer (2024). Autism Spectrum Disorder; Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. Retrieved online from: https://www.cdc.gov/autism/about/index.html

Hoecker, J. (2018). Is Baby Sign Language Worthwhile?; Retrieved online from – Mayo Clinic.org/

Rudy, L.J. (2024). Understaanding Nonverbal Autism; Very Well Health. Retrieved online from https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-is-nonverbal-autism-260032.
 
WebMD Contributor (2020). Benefits of Speech Therapy for Autism; Retrieved online from – www.webmd.com/brain/autism/benefits-speech-therapy-autism/
 
Note: For further information on 'non-verbal', ‘echolalia’, and other 'stereotypical' communication by children and adults with autism; please find my Free ASD Book: Know Autism, Know Your Child with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker. Found on website MENU. Read Free online. Please see under UNIT 3  What Is Most Concerning?; prioritizing concerns. CHAPTER 2 – SPEECH & LANGUAGE COMMUNICATION (Including non-verbal, echolalia, & assisted alternative speech).

Kindly share my website, globally. My goal is to reach all parents, caregivers, clinicians, therapists, educators, students, and persons with autism.

Regards,

Sara Luker

​Excerpts from my Extended Book Reviews of the books The Horse Boy (2009), & The Long Ride Home (2015); by Rupert Isaacson; with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker.

Excerpts from my Extended Book Review of Rupert Isaacson’s book. (1% indicates location in the Kindle version of the eBook, instead of page numbers). Complete review to be found on website MENU.
 
The Horse Boy (2009) by Rupert Isaacson ~
 
Part One – 

Isaacson, R. (2009)    1%     April 2004 my son, Rowan, was diagnosed with autism. The feeling was like being hit across the face with a baseball bat.
 
Grief, shame – this weird, irrational shame, as if I had somehow cursed this child by giving him my faulty genes, condemned him to a lifetime of living as an alien because of me.

Isaacson, R. (2009)      9%       The first time I took Rowan to the barn to saddle Betsy up, he ran amok…
 
…yelling and screaming and swinging his Woody and Jessie dolls around and around in both hands… 
 
(I kept saddling Betsy) tightening the cinch and grabbing at her lower lip as I slipped the bit into her mouth.
 
“Do you want to get up on Betsy?” I asked him, not expecting a response.
 
“Up!”
 
It was the first time I’d received a direct answer to a direct question. I bent down, scooped him up, and put him in the saddle. 
 
< My Thoughts>          “Animals and nature were what motivated him.”   
 
Fortunate are the parents who find the key to their child's motivating stimulus. Yes, Kristin and Rupert were able to kick-start Rowan’s imagination. They recognized her opportunity to draw Rowan into a world that they could share, the world of animals.   

Sicile-Kira, C. (2014) tells us, “Individuals with autism often become fixated on a single thing, such as trains or airplanes. Use the strong motivation of the fixation to encourage activities. If you can identify the strengths you can focus and build upon them to motivate learning, to create opportunities to expand them to possible future interests.”
 
Isaacson, R. (2009)   13%     Betsy – without question, that had been a miracle. Might there, I wondered, be some way of combining these two things – horses and shamanic healing? Was there a place in the world…? A place that understood the interplay between horses and healing…
 
… in my blind man stumbling way…did such a place exist?
 
Mongolia. The place where six thousand years ago, the horse had first been domesticated.  

​What if Rowan’s autism, instead of shutting down our lives, could be a gateway to the greatest adventure of all? What if that were possible? 
 
What if we were to take Rowan there? Get on horseback and ride across that vast, primordial Mongolian grassland from shaman to shaman?
 
< My Thoughts >        "What if that were possible?"
 
When dealing with autism, it is no surprise that families searching for the perfect quest, rise to different levels of inspiration and different levels of hope. In their eyes they feel that they have to “do” something… take action, right or wrong.
 
Isaacson, R. (2009)   13%    “Rupert!  We have an autistic child – a child who can’t even control his bowels, let alone his tantrums! And you’re saying that somehow, we’re going to fly to Mongolia, get on horses, and ride from shaman to shaman?
 
While Kristin dismissed it… I began to dream – and to plan. 
​
14%     …Rowan was growing so fast that in another year or so he might no longer be able to sit comfortably in the saddle with me.
 
17%     The book proposal (requiring a trip to visit Mongolian shaman) I had sent out had been accepted. The trip would not bankrupt us after all, a few days later my proposal was accepted. We were going to Mongolia.
 
Reference:
 
Sicile-Kira, C. (2014). Autism Spectrum Disorder (revised): The Complete Guide to Understanding Autism; New York, New York: Penguin Random House Company. 

The Long Ride Home: The Extraordinary Journey of Healing That Changed a Child’s Life,
by Rupert Isaacson; eBook Edition (2015).

Excerpts from my Extended Book Review of Rupert Isaacson’s book. (1% indicates location in the Kindle version of the eBook, instead of page numbers). Complete review to be found on website MENU.
  
Isaacson, R. (2015)   2%       Tantrums like tsunamis, like storm fronts moving in from nowhere, erupting even in sleep. No language. My son floating away from me, absent, not there. So tantalizingly affectionate one moment and so lost the next.

1%       The shaman Ghoste once told me, “Rowan will become gradually less autistic until his ninth year. Then, if you follow instructions, his autism will get less and less, and gradually disappear. But the stuff that’s been driving you crazy, the incontinence, the tantrums, these things will end now. From today.”

I tried to take this in, found I couldn’t. So, I just kept listening.

“But to make this happen,” he said, “You must make another healing journey to see a good shaman. It doesn’t have to be me, or in Mongolia even, but a good shaman, somewhere; the Bushmen you know in Africa. But one good healing journey a year for the next three years to make the healing complete…” I nodded, not knowing what to think… three more journeys.

2%       I did notice one thing: my son became better outdoors. He tantrummed less, seemed happier, more ‘present’. So we spent hours and hours exploring the little trails in the woods behind our house in the Texas countryside.

< My Thoughts >       “...my son became better outdoors.”

Sometimes, leaving the comfort of his room is a challenge for our Sonny. We find that having a ritual for going outside, helps. The ritual consists of putting on his sunglasses, his backpack with a communicator, and bringing a sippy cup for juice.
 
Note: Further information on 'adventure therapy' in my Free ASD Book: Know Autism, Know Your Child with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker. Found on website MENU. Please see under UNIT 7– 7 Section 7: CAMs Complementary & Alternative Medicine
             PART 4 –
                7.  creative therapy
                     a. introduction
                     b. art
                     c. music
                     d. dance, theatre
                     e. adventure therapy
 
NOTE: Learn more about Toileting, Theory of Mind (ToM), and Cognitive functioning listed on Navigation MENU, under UNIT 3 What Is Most Concerning?, in Chapter 3 APPENDIX A (Toileting) APPENDIX B (Theory of Mind) (ToM).

Isaacson, R. (2015)   43%     In next to no time, off we flew from the UK and into – for us – truly uncharted territory.

47%     “I don’t want Rowan to stop being autistic. Not at all; in fact I’m seeing so many gifts in his autism now that I honestly wouldn’t exchange his autism for normality. I just want him to be as effective and happy and successful as he can be.”
I began to dig around and found that there was surprising overlap between Western doctors, and shamanism healing. I even heard that Johns Hopkins Hospital had a faith healer on the children’s ward there. 

< My Thoughts >    "...shamanism healing."

Before there was traditional medicine, cultures found a way to 'heal' unwanted conditions.

According to Winkelman, M. (2009), the origins of ‘shamanisms’ takes us across the time and space of spiritual healing practices; both in a biological and social evolutionary way. He goes on to say that shaman healers and mediums are associated with hunter-gather societies and derived from the need to interact with spirits on behalf of the social community.

Winkelman believes that participating in these ancient rituals in an altered state of consciousness can induce healings and reduce aggression, producing a sense on ‘oneness’ with the universe. Shamans have evolved a form of hypnotic capacities which allow a connection between the unconscious and the conscious mind. Participating in these ceremonies, in human adaption and survival has assisted humanity in its evolution out of the ancient past, into the present, and on to the future existence.

Isaacson, R. (2015)   48%     So next morning, as directed, we drove back to Mossman Gorge, this time driving on to the Aboriginal village.

49%     Harold was waiting in the palm-thatch hut when, much, much later, we came down at last from the river pools. (Again, Harold performed his ritual on the second day.) As he flicked something that looked like slightly bloody mucus into a cup, Kristin asked, “What was that?” “Like I said,” Harold replied, “there’s some things I can tell you and some things that I can’t.” “Come back one more time tomorrow,” he said, “and that should about do it.”

50%     “I feel better in my head. I feel happy.” Rowan had never said anything like that before. So that was that. The second healing done, we took our leave of Harold – “The young feller’ll be doing better now, you’ll see” – and headed out once more, south down the long coast road.

57%     We still had one healing left to do, to complete Ghoste’s charge to us of making three more healing journeys after leaving Mongolia. We had fulfilled his instructions to the letter so far, and I wasn’t about to give up. I had already been planning this third, final healing journey, had it in hand. And the best thing about it was that we would not even have to leave the country to do it.

The final healing was set. Would it work? Would Rowan become conversational at last? Or again, was I just chasing butterflies here?
​
Reference:
 
Winkelman, M. (2009). Shamanism & the Origins of Spirituality & Ritual Healing; Equinox Publishing, Ltd. London SW3 5SR; V3.4, p 458-489.

Note: Complete Extended Book Reviews with < My Thoughts >, for both of Rupert Isaacson's books to be found on website MENU; plus, a LINK to purchase the books on Amazon.

Theory of Mind   (ToM) 

​NOTE: Excerpts from the books listed in References. (1% indicates location in the eReader version of the book, instead of page numbers).
 
Cariello, C. (2015)   57%   Literal boys like Jack, will start looking around wildly for giraffes when their mother announces that the box store parking lot is a zoo!
 
21%   As a literally thinker… he has trouble with cognitive flexibility and ‘theory of mind’. An aspect of social cognition, ‘theory of mind’ is the ability to understand that others have beliefs, opinions, and feelings different than your own. Jack however, thinks everyone sees and feels and likes the same things he does.
 
< My Thoughts >    “…everyone sees and feels and likes the same things he does.”
 
Thinking that another’s life duplicates yours in every way, with the same wants and needs. Thinking they are experiencing the same feelings, perceptions, and environmental setting as you are experiencing.
 
Even neuro-typical’s with undeveloped or underdeveloped ‘Theory of Mind’ will believe that others think, understand, and perceive the world ‘exactly’ as they do. They do not realize that different persons have different thoughts, desires, beliefs, and attitudes by which they make sense of the world they live in. 

Cariello, C. (2015)   23%   How do you increase a person’s ‘theory of mind’ and help them understand that others think and feel differently?
 
With the help of our psychologist, we…created a strategy to increase his (Jack’s) ability in each of the identified areas:

• Self-regulation
• Communication
• Cognitive ability

Essentially, we wanted him to learn to stretch himself, like a rubber band but also to have the skills he needed to identify his breaking point before he snapped.
 
< My Thoughts >       “…skills he needed…”
 
Neurotypical persons naturally develop the needed ‘survival’ skills to interpret, predict, intuit, and imagine what others in their world are thinking. Persons with autism are mostly ‘literal’ thinkers like Jack. They are so focused on ‘their’ world that there is no room for anyone or anything else.

​While neurotypicals sometimes find it difficult to see and/or accept another’s point of view; persons with autism often find it impossible. Besides, what purpose would it serve them? They see no need, because they are so intensely certain that their way is the true one.
 
Staff Writer (2008) states, “In his 1995 book, Mindblindness: An Essay on Autism and Theory of Mind," Simon Baron-Cohen explored what has become one of the central theoretical concepts of autism: theory of mind. Baron-Cohen proposed that children with autism suffer from ‘mindblindness’.

Already hampered by the inability to achieve ‘joint attention’ with others, they become unable to build on that fundamental step to ‘intuit’ what others are thinking, perceiving, intending, or believing. They become “blind” to others’ mental states.
 
Note: For further information on ‘cognition’, read online in my Free ASD Book: Know Autism, Know Your Child with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker. Found on website MENU. Please see under UNIT 3  What Is Most Concerning?  UNIT 3, CHAPTER 3  Cognition & Temperament/Personality
​APPENDIX B - Theory of Mind.

Staff Writer (2008) says that individuals with ASDs lack this ‘thinking ability’ to a staggering degree. They cannot read social cues; including facial expressions, body language, or tone of voice. Even higher functioning individuals who are trying to pay attention, who want to connect, constantly commit social mistakes, alienating their peers. They have a hard time noticing the social world and interpreting it.
 
Early problems with gaze and joint attention, it is believed, come to impact their ‘theory of mind’. ‘Theory of mind’ simply refers to the understanding that other people have their own thoughts, perceptions, and intentions separate from one’s own. It is part of seeing others as separate beings with their own agendas. To accommodate others, to predict their future behavior, to manipulate or please them, you must have this inbuilt capacity to guess something about who they are and what they might do or desire. Individuals with ASDs lack this ability to a staggering degree.
 
< My Thoughts >       “…other people…”
 
Who are these ‘other’ people? “…’blind’ to others’ mental states… to a staggering degree…” Our Sonny only seems to need ‘others’ when he can’t get to something, needs you to fix his TV, or wants to go somewhere. He has no indication that you may have any priorities at all. You are there to ‘serve’ him. Much like an infant’s early life is self-focused, so that you exist only when needed.
 
We are tolerated only when it serves Sonny’s purpose. Thus, asking him to stock blocks, work a puzzle, or turn the pages in a book, often leaves him confused; because it serves him no purpose.
 
As a mother, I know this; but, as a teacher working with a student in the classroom, I sometimes forget that. As a Special Education teacher, I try to follow the curriculum, teach lessons, and engage special needs students in instruction.

My students, however, are their primarily because they have been placed there against their will. Their day has been severely interrupted by delivering them to school. True, that on occasions, a ‘teachable moment’ occurs; fleeting as it may be. But basically, I am annoyingly intruding into their world, asking for behavior which serves no motivation to them.
 
Davide-Rivera, J. (2013)   92%    It took 38 years for me to be diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome (AS), as a form of high functioning autism – 38 years of confusing experiences.
 
53%   One of the first things that I learned about my Asperger’s diagnosis is that there are three core deficits that accompany this condition – the lack of theory of mind, executive dysfunction, and weak central coherence. There are also a host of other issues like sensory processing difficulties – being hyper or hypo sensitive to outside stimuli like to heat, cold, or pain.
 
< My Thoughts >     “…the lack of theory of mind …”
 
Lack of ‘theory of mind (ToM),’ is also thinking that everyone is having the same ‘sensory experience’ that you are. Believing that everyone’s’ world mirrors yours exactly.
 
Cariello, C. & Capell, J. (2015)   11%    I’ve often thought that Jack does not appear to experience a full range of emotions in the same way you or I might. His spectrum disorder seems to prohibit his emotional pendulum from swinging widely across a landscape of feelings that often include shame and humility and empathy and amusement. But after the initial shock of having broken his dad’s mug… the pendulum swung a little wider. He cycled a new set of emotions: sorrow, regret, and (to some degree) grief.
 
< My Thoughts >   “…the pendulum swung a little wider.”
 
Children with autism may fail formal ‘theory of mind’ tests, but at times, show real-time understanding of another’s perspective. Especially, when the person with ASD is intimately involved. They get a glimpse of ‘cause & effect’. Momentarily, they may understand that the one thing that happened, has caused another thing to happen. Jack intuited that because he had broken his father’s favorite morning coffee mug, his dad couldn’t start his day. Interruption of ‘routine’ is devastating to those with ASD. Jack had interrupted his father’s routine. Thus, Jack expected his father to be devastated, because he would have been.
 
Bogdashina, O. (2011) 45%  …believes that having a new experience gives perception a new and different emphasis. Like the same handful of sand that is formed into different patterns. She says that we learn how to restructure experiences in order to reflect what is needed from us in the environment. New interpretations give us many different perspectives of reality compared to the ‘bubble’ formed around us so we perceive only the reflection of our own world view; such as autistic individuals tend to do.
 
References:
 
Baron-Cohen, S. (1995). Mindblindness: An essay on autism and theory of mind. Cambridge, MA; London: The MIT Press.
 
Bogdashina, O.( 2011). Autism and the Edges of the Known World: Sensitivities, Language & Constructed Reality; eBook.
 
Cariello, C.(2015). What Color is Monday? How Autism Changed One Family for the Better; eBooks.
 
Cariello, C. & Capell, J. (2015). Someone I’m With Has Autism; eBook.

Davide-Rivera, J. (2013) Twirling Naked in the Streets & No One Noticed; Growing Up with Autism; eBook.

Staff Writer (2008). Social Issues; Kennedy Krieger Institute. Retrieved online from:
https://www.kennedykrieger.org › stories › social_issues


 
​