What can your Autistic child teach my deaf child?

[~cassie]

Aidan(almost 3) is at a 21 mth old level for communication and is supposed to start preschool in an special education class this Fall. The prek coordinator said that she didn't think this was the LRE for Aidan b/c there are 4 autistic kids in the class, don't know what the rest of the makeup is yet.

So when I heard 4 autistic kids I shied away and felt like this class would not have the peer models he needs. I know there should be at least 3-4 more kids and will find out the full makeup in a few weeks but I was wondering, is this really a bad placement for a child that is only language delayed?

I'm not really worried about letting him experience "different" kids as he is around different kinds of kids. Anyway, anyone with an autistic child--can you ease my fears/worries and tell me how your child interacts with other kids? I do worry that some of the other kids will pull at his implants bc they may not understand not to. I will admit that I have never been around an autistic child so I am only assuming and thinking that the teacher will have to give the other children more attention due to their needs and mine will get less--he really needs a lot of verbal stimulation in his face, to gain language so I am just not sure he would get it.

This is long enough and I feel like I am rambling

[Fay]

My autistic son loved having classmates with significant speech delays! He avoided kids who talked too much, because their noise confused him and hurt his ears. My DS1 was hyperlexic, so he was reading as a toddler and loved to recite from his favorite books. He would sit next to an apraxic classmate, talk about books, do puzzles or art projects together, do simple pre-math projects with numbers, etc. The quiet kids taught him all kinds of great non-verbal & pre-verbal relationship skills, and he taught his quiet friends how to use words and participate in a pre-academic environment. The best special ed teachers know how to match kids with complementary needs -- that's exactly what helped my DS1 thrive in preschool. But the autism spectrum is so wide that you never really know what types of symptoms will present themselves. Perhaps you could ask the teacher how the children will be paired up for classroom activities, and how your son's strengths will be balanced with the other children's needs.

[pearlyjo]

Sign language users

LRE means he shld be in a class with peers that are similar to him. I have two deaf kids and my almost three yrs old is superior/ gifted in communications and language because they use sign language with their classmates and the teachers. It is the way to go n u can contact me for more info. Some locations doesn't have as great services as others so we had to make decisions.

[CarrieMF]

It depends. Are the Autism kids high functioning, low functioning or in the middle. Do they have other issues(SPD for instance & most likely they do).

I work with 1 Autistic boy who is very low functioning, non-verbal. he's 8 & developmentally 13months. he does not interact with other kids at all. He only interacts with adults if you make him. he could help teach your son the PEC system

His brother is also Autistic, but high functioning. I know he does socialize some with the other kids. I don't work with him so I don't know much more about him.

I have worked with another Autistic kid who nobody knows how he ever got labelled Autistic as he shows no signs of typical Autism. Best guess is when he was younger(he's in Grade 2) he did & it was really something else causing the symptoms. He is behind academically & his "diagnosis" does get him an aide so nobody questions the diagnosis.

[Linda on the move]

I agree that it really depends on what is going on with the kids with autism. My DD with high functioning autism (now an asperger's dx) has alwasy been super gentle with other kids and very quiet. She's never sought out intereaction with other kids, so pulling on them is the opposite of how she would have behaved at any point in her life. Because she was so quiet, so rather than getting *more* attention, she could easily end up with less.

<<he really needs a lot of verbal stimulation in his face>> This is also what my DD needed at that age. To me, the same classroom seeking to meet that need would make sense for both kids.

My DD also has always preferred calmer, quieter kids to *normal* kids, who tend to freak her out.

[2boyzmama]

Is it an integrated class? Are there typicals in the room too? My sons' rooms are 8 special needs and 8 typicals, that way everyone gets the peer models they need. And to be honest, it's sometimes hard to differentiate who is an IEP kid and who is a typical!

As far as attention...the good teachers should be able to divvy it out well. The more involved kids will have their own aides anyway, so the teacher won't have to figure out how to keep the other kids from touching his implants all by herself, she'll have the help of the aides in the room.

Does Aiden sign? I forget... That's the only thing missing from Connor's environment is signing peers. I love his teacher, love his interpreter, love the program as a whole; but he is the only signing child and he could really use some signing friends at school. We make sure he gets lots of exposure outside of school through playdates, Deaf community events, etc.

[~cassie]

She didn't tell me the severity level of the children, just that there were 4 autistic kids and that she didn't think it would be the best environment. I plan to ask her at his IEP meeting and am going to see if I can meet the teacher so maybe she can explain how she will meet the needs of all the kids. I just don't see it happening, and my kid is one that will shrink back from interaction at times, so that worries me.

There are no "typical" children in the class. They are all going to be autistic, I believe one is down syndrome, mine is deaf, and then I believe there is a few other children that I don't know their specific issues. When he is 4 he will go into an integrated classroom and have pullout for speech(we hope he is there by that point).

He does sign and I do plan to talk about that when there as well and find out if any of the other kids sign/if the teacher will use sign with him.

[KCMichigan]

It would totally depend on the class.

It sounds like a cross-categorical mixed SpecEd classroom. The + s are that the OT, speech, PT and other therapudic teachers may be more available and/or do a lot more in the class both individually and as a group.

As PP stated, it depends on how verbal the other kids are. Some ASD kids are non-verbal, some are very verbal but have social/sensory delays. ASD is such a wide category that it would depend on the kids/teacher/ and severity of the other childrens needs. Some ASD kids would be great verbal models, but others may barely speak. It is too broad of a category to be too specific on skills that an child with autism could share without getting to individuals.

It may be the *only* placement they can offer right now if he is 3. Our area has Spec.Ed preschool starting at age 3, but at age 4 higher functioning Spec.Ed kids can be included in Reg ed preschool (our free county for 'at risk' kids has a mix of Spec.Ed/REg ed. kids but is a REg ed classroom for PreK.

My DD was in that program, but she did not qualify for the inclusively Spec.Ed preschool at 3 for high needs kids only. However, at 4 she went into LRE on an IEP at the local county run preschool.

I would ask to talk about the level of functioning in the class. Will it meet his cognitive, social, and physical needs as well as his communication needs? If it does not meet his other needs as well- it may not be LRE and he may do better in a GenEd placement with an aide or adaptations.

Is there a speech/language program for kids in your area? Ours also has a Fri only Speech/communication disorder PreK for kids age 4 from 9-12 where they exclusively work on language and speech for kids the year before Kindergarten.

[PatchChild]

Is he using sign language as his primary form of communication? If so, I would really push the school district to place him somewhere with signing peers. Using an interpreter isn't the same as having same language peers.

[~cassie]

No, he uses verbal communication and then will help me understand him by using sign, if needed. He knows more signs than me though and I forget which signs are which sometimes

[fairejour]

If your child has only a hearing loss and is delayed in no other way that a language delay, I don't think this would be an appropriate setting. A child with a hearing loss (if you want a spoken language outcome) needs to be surrounded by fluent spoken language and good language models. They need to be immersed in good language so they can soak it all up!

A better setting would be in a classroom with a teacher of the deaf, or, if the child has less than a 2 year language delay, a mainstream setting with proper supports.

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by fairejour

A child with a hearing loss (if you want a spoken language outcome) needs to be surrounded by fluent spoken language and good language models. They need to be immersed in good language so they can soak it all up!

then that wouldn't be a setting with peers at all.

[~cassie]

Originally Posted by fairejour

If your child has only a hearing loss and is delayed in no other way that a language delay, I don't think this would be an appropriate setting. A child with a hearing loss (if you want a spoken language outcome) needs to be surrounded by fluent spoken language and good language models. They need to be immersed in good language so they can soak it all up!

A better setting would be in a classroom with a teacher of the deaf, or, if the child has less than a 2 year language delay, a mainstream setting with proper supports.

These are my thoughts as well. His language is around a 21 mth old, right on target for his hearing age, which leaves him nearly 15 mths delayed.

[fairejour]

Originally Posted by Linda on the move

then that wouldn't be a setting with peers at all.

No! Typically developing kids are volcanos of language!! I was so excited when my daughter cam home and said "Scooch over", that wasn't taught why a teacher, that was overheard, assimilated, and used appropriatly!

[fairejour]

Originally Posted by ~cassie

These are my thoughts as well. His language is around a 21 mth old, right on target for his hearing age, which leaves him nearly 15 mths delayed.

Is he gaining greater than a year's worth of language in 12 months time?

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by fairejour

No! Typically developing kids are volcanos of language!!

This is a two year old. Typically developing 2 (or 3) year olds often aren't great models for language.

I don't think the right question is "What can your Autistic child teach my deaf child" but "Is is possible that the best placement for my deaf child is also the best placement for an autistic child?"

That's a harder question to answer, and the OPer would need to learn more about this class as well as her other options to figure that out. A class that works intensely on language development could very well be best for both kids.

I've no idea what the right answer is -- I find figuring out what is best for my own child to be very complex.

[fairejour]

Originally Posted by Linda on the move

This is a two year old. Typically developing 2 (or 3) year olds often aren't great models for language.

I don't think the right question is "What can your Autistic child teach my deaf child" but "Is is possible that the best placement for my deaf child is also the best placement for an autistic child?"

That's a harder question to answer, and the OPer would need to learn more about this class as well as her other options to figure that out. A class that works intensely on language development could very well be best for both kids.

I've no idea what the right answer is -- I find figuring out what is best for my own child to be very complex.

He's transitioning to preschool, which means he is 3. His language is only that of a two year old, but that is because he is delayed. He would be in a class of 3-4 year olds.

[~cassie]

Originally Posted by fairejour

Is he gaining greater than a year's worth of language in 12 months time?

Yes, so far it seems he has. That 2nd implant really sped his learning up, so we are hoping to have him fully caught up by the time he starts kindergarten. Which is why his placement is so important.

I think we are leaning towards 2 days a week in this class along with 3 days a week at preschool with typical peers and see how it goes.

[fairejour]

Originally Posted by ~cassie

Yes, so far it seems he has. That 2nd implant really sped his learning up, so we are hoping to have him fully caught up by the time he starts kindergarten. Which is why his placement is so important.

I think we are leaning towards 2 days a week in this class along with 3 days a week at preschool with typical peers and see how it goes.

What would this placement add? How will it help him reach his IEP goals? Those are the questions that you would need ask it determine if it is the right place for him.