It happenend again....more school disappointment

I am seriously at a loss for words. I see that my son, who is at the top of his class in math, gets a 61 on a math test and I can't help but be pissed. You know why he scored a 61? Because no one read him the instructions, which is part of his IEP! He has progressed to a 2nd grade reading level which is great, but I am constantly told "he loses focus." I have respect for teachers but I am struggling with the concept that they cannot see past their own noses and change up their teaching style for an exceptional kid. Trust me....my son is not the only one who needs help, but because he is the one with the dx, he is now labeled as "loses focus" and "hard to teach." As sassy as I can be, I have been patiently waiting for this to get resolved. The best part is when, in Joey's meeting, I am asked "Do you think you could help our Behavior Interventionist with other kids? She's new." Ummm no. Try helping my kid first. I guess I'm going to have to get loud and risk Joey not having his variance approved next year. But at this point, I don't even know if we'd stay at Parkridge. Feeling disappointed.

Bye bye Attention Deficit...look there's a chicken...

I make a joke because I am so scattered all the time. I even said, "Look there's a squirrel" in the middle of my vows. But truly a diagnosis is not a joke.

We had Joey's quarterly appointment with his developmental pediatrician at the Melmed Center today. In January, I went in armed with a good report card and a good IEP progress report, plus data from home, to prove to the doc that Joey did not need the Focalin 5 she prescribed in October, after data showed that a low dose of regular Focalin did nothing to improve Joey's attention.

In 2011, when he completed the TOVA assessment, he scored in the double digits on most of it, impulsively hitting buttons and showing low focus. His results were "suggestive of attention deficit disorder."

Tuesday (4/16). Joey scored in the single digits, with a total of -120 (I don't understand this result) and his results were "not suggestive of attention deficit disorder." She did note that although the test is boring, which it's supposed to be, he still paid attention to it. When he came back into the waiting room after the test, he said "It was so boring!" The proctor told me it wasn't supposed to be exciting so they could test how well the patients attend to non-interesting material.

The doc is no longer pushing meds which makes me happy. We will continue to monitor him closely. I know as a parent, I can do things better, like push no electronics after a certain point, and be adamant about an earlier bedtime. There is always something that could use improvement.

Attention is a tricky thing and is a very common issue with kids on the Autism Spectrum. Most get a dual diagnosis. But for Joe, I never felt that he was truly ADD, even if both his parents are.

The doc did say that she would like him to have a pediatric cardiologist do a complete work up on Joey to get a baseline for when he is older, based on his cruddy family heart history.

Other than that, Joey is healthy (53 lbs, same as last time / 4 ft. 1 ins., he grew 1.5 inches).

I am so proud of my big boy and how hard he is working!

ADHD and ABA

Behaviorbabe just posted this link on FB and I had to share:

Thank you for posting. I keep my son on a thin reinforcement schedule for homework. I've also broken it up over 5 days, instead of trying to do too much in 1 or 2 days. It helps minimize complaints and also doesn't make it such a huge task if we tried to do it all at once.

Here is the link: If you don't follow this blog, you need to!
http://appliedbehavioralstrategies.wordpress.com/2012/12/11/using-aba-to-address-adhd/

Using ABA to Address ADHD

December 11, 2012 by Applied Behavioral Strategies

After yesterday‘s post regarding the use of ABA to treat ADHD, readers expressed interest in learning more. So today, one intervention to address ADHD behaviors will be discussed.

Reinforcement

Readers should not be surprised to hear that reinforcement is a recommended intervention. Reinforcement is a key topic in almost every single post on this blog. The important thing to remember is that reinforcement must be individually designed and administered in order to obtain maximum results. Individualization is not easy for teachers or parents. However, if appropriate reinforcers and correct schedules of reinforcement are utilized, great changes in behavior will be observed.

Differential Reinforcement

There are many types of differential reinforcement:

• differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO)
• differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior (DRI)
• differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA)
• differential reinforcement of higher rates of behavior (DRH; designed to increase desirable behaviors!)
• differential reinforcement of lower rates of behavior (DRL)

Essentially, differential reinforcement is the use of reinforcement for one behavior and not for others. Differential reinforcement requires implementors to reinforce one behavior while withholding reinforcement for another.

Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior (DRA)

In this intervention, reinforcement is provided when an alternative behavior is observed but not when inappropriate behaviors are observed. Specifically, if a child is engaging in off task and distractable behaviors, alternative behaviors would be identified. It is important to know why (e.g., to get out of work, to get teacher attention, etc). An assessment must first be conducted to know why a behavior is occurring. To read more on assessment, check here, here, and here. Once the assessment has been completed, then alternative behaviors to obtain the same reinforcers are identified.
If a child is trying to get out of work, an alternative behavior is to work faster so that play and non-work time may be accessed. If a child is trying to gain teacher attention, then the child is taught to use appropriate behaviors to get teacher attention.
The next step is to reinforce the new/alternative behavior. If the child is working quickly, she needs to be reinforced with a nice long work break or play time. If the child appropriately recruits teacher attention, the teacher needs to come over quickly to give attention.

Thin Reinforcement

As with any intervention, the goal is to get appropriate behavior then to thin or reduce reinforcement so that the child may function like the rest of children in the class or home. It is important to thin reinforcement at a pace that will prevent the ADHD-type behaviors from escalating.
I hope this helps readers better understand one way that ABA may be used to address ADHD.

Best Report Card EVER

Yesterday, I received the best report card ever for Joey. I am so proud of him that I was almost in tears! I was with my Mom at the time and I think she got misty too!

Here's the lowdown:
P = High level of performance
I = Making steady and sufficient progress
N = Needs more time/practice/support

                                               1st quarter                      2nd quarter
Listening                                       N                                     P!!!
Speaking                                       N                                     I
Spelling                                        N                                     N
Writing                                         I                                       I
Reading                                        N                                     N
Math                                             I                                       P
Social Studies                               I                                       I
Science                                         I                                       P
Study/Social Skills                       I                                       P
Music                                                                                   P
Art                                                                                        P
PE                                                                                         P

He improved in completing assignments on time, exhibiting self control, and increasing dependability (all under study/social skills) and reads with understanding (reading). He also got a + for areas of strength in comprehending oral directions and messages read orally (both under listening). I am just amazed. He truly is amazing!!!

I am so beyond proud of Joey's report card. He got his standard P's in his specials (P=high level of performance), but he also got a P in math, science, study/social skills, and....wait for it...listening. His areas of strength were comprehending oral directions and messages read orally. This is truly amazing for my little dude. Back in October, his ped at Melmed wanted him on Focalin 5 for attention and compared his processing to that of a stroke victim. I refused to medicate him. His report validates my belief that medication isn't always the answer!