SRL, I will definitely look into getting the Occupational Therapist (OT) involved with the recess issue. That's a really good idea. difficult child does have something written in his IEP about social skills, however, it's not substantial because those issues do not appear to be as significant as the other problems. I completely agree that extra help in the classroom would be SO beneficial for him.
Midwest Mom, Just wanted to mention that difficult child has received a comprehensive neuropsychologist evaluation from a reputable children's hospital team of professionals, and they told us his apraxia of speech is not consistent with autism and that he wasn't even on the spectrum for the disorder. He was tested for everything possible. They worked on testing his speech for days, and they told us it is definitely not the same as they see in autistic children; it is a rarer variety.
It wasn't until last summer that a local professional tested him and said that he was barely on the spectrum, but that he felt difficult child does in fact have some autistic traits. He said it is very mild, if he is even on the spectrum, but felt he could benefit from the same interventions autistic children receive. This was great news to us, because the more services we can find, the better.
All of the entire team of professionals difficult child has seen have diagnosed him with severe ADHD and ODD, including the autism professionals. ADHD can be very severe in its own right. Not all ADHD children are autistic spectrum.
The apraxia of speech probably relates to oxygen deprivation during birth. It is not physically related to his other problems. Kids who have apraxia can talk, but they have faulty neurological connections between the brain and their facial/mouth muscles, making it difficult to understand them. Their brains can develop new pathways with appropriate therapy and practice. My difficult child has been talking since a young age, but has been difficult to understand due to the apraxia. His speech has improved considerably over the past several years, with the help of daily speech therapy.
My point is that I don't care what the label is, really, I just want solutions to help my difficult child, and if Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) treatment will help him, then that's what I want. If you can be more specific as to the particulars regarding Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) treatment which could be helpful, that would be great. I am open to anything at this point.
Thanks,
StressBunny
