She refused to let us pay.
We talked for almost 2 hrs. It was great fun. She is very enthusiastic about her field. She is teaching PE but has a background in general ed and Special Education. (You go where the $ is ...
)
She asked us a lot of questions and agreed with-the diagnosis (she's only met difficult child in passing, while picking up easy child to babysit) but between meeting him and reading the rept she was satisified. She also said it could change over time ... to leave ourselves open to add'l dxes.
She noted his gluten allergy and said there is a strong tie-in with-autism and gluten intolerance and no one knows why. She thinks the ODD is somewhat separate and not necessarily Asperger's. It can accompany many things.
She was shocked that he's attending the school we've got him in. It is very high-end college prep. I told her he is struggling, and he is a square peg in a round hole. We are changing him to a private, Catholic school next fall. They are not quite as academically challenging, but he will still get a lot of one-on-one and routine. She really liked that idea. She said it's a good idea to let up on the academics and to find something that works for him, specifically.
She suggested a cpl of things I hadn't thought of, for him to blow off steam. One thing she says the kids do in her school is wall pushups.
She also highly suggesed brushing, because what we've been doing with-shoulder massages and fingernails is not routine enough. She showed us how to count the strokes and talked about the pressure that is used. She also said that with-some kids, it calms them down, and other kids get revved up.
She agreed that his high scores on the psychoeducational testing are almost a bad thing, as they keep us out of the running for gov't svcs.
Also, he flew under the radar for a long time because he was able to fake his way through so many things.
We talked about fine motor control and his early development, and most of the issues he had when he was little he has outgrown or compensated for. (He didn't tie his shoes until he was 7, for example.)
She is religious and told us that God placed him with-us for a reason. She says most of the autistic or Asperger kids she sees have parents who are also low functioning and don't "get it." So to meet with-us, people who are not autistic and who are interested in education not just for our son, but also because we find knowledge stimulating, is a treat for her. She said she was just excited to talk to parents who will do something, as opposed to having her words fall on deaf ears.
We recommended that she watch Mozart and the Whale. She would really like it.
She recommended all the books I've already read, but have only summarized for husband because he isn't interested in becoming as engrossed in the whole reading issue like I am.
Oh, she said that when difficult child does his 3-way conversations on the phone with-his friends, as the conduit between boys and girls, that he probably doesn't really absorb the advice he's giving them; he's probably parroting easy child with-her friends. An aha! moment for husband.
And she explained what perseverance is. I just saw that in a note here yesterday! I thought it was pronounced differently, and just used as an adjective. She said it's a descriptive word for a particular behavior that difficult child exhibits. I can't recall exactly which behavior she noted ... maybe when I told her he follows me around and repeats himself when he wants to use the computer? At any rate, I was thankful that she validated that, because husband still has his doubts about the whole thing and he looked a bit shocked when she said it.
She has a little brother who is Learning Disability (LD) and she said her parents had serious issues with-it, because they have Masters and Ph.Ds and "MY child can't have an Learning Disability (LD)."
Frankly, my husband is a bit like that ...
****
husband and easy child just came in and she wanted to know if the lunch conversation was fruitful. I said yes. husband said no.
He thought it was just chatting and he wanted more specifics.
I suggested we visit the school where this teacher works and he wasn't keen on that.
talking about difficult child, while I'm enjoying a break away from him ...
