Acceptance, Access, Achievement: Case study of a Louisiana student’s PK-12

experiences, high school graduation and transition to Northwestern State University

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Take one boy with Asperger’s, add in Oppositional Defiance (ODD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and ADHD.

Mix with inclusion in a regular classroom.

What makes for a winning formula for child, parent, teacher, staff, and administrators?

How can we be partners in success for everyone?

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A whirlwind of activity

and the unexpected

Quest for Understanding

Effect on Family Members

Changing Needs

Successes & Future

Concerns

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Has always “marched to his own beat”; trying to understand what’s going on in his head

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Infancy to Toddler

• Rigid baby • Did NOT like to be rocked, held • Did not sleep! • By 18 months, speech therapy • By 2 evaluated for autistic-like behaviors, language delay, lack of social interactions • By 3 in developmental nursery school

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• So adorable, so difficult! • Easily angered: hard to read to him, would tear up pages in a book • Would “neigh” like a horse; answered questions with fractured or nonsensical responses • Tested at least a full year behind peers in verbal skills

Developmental Nursery School, Jawonio, in New York

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Pre-School & Kindergarten

Issues compounded: • Noise, sensory • Defiance • Meltdowns • Fine motor skills • Social skills • Sleep patterns • Eating habits • Do we medicate him??

Diagnosed with “alphabet soup”; conundrum for family, teachers, medical professionals

No official diagnosis of Asperger’s until 3rd grade by LSU Children’s Center in Shreveport

Best experience: 2nd grade teacher

Worst experience: 4th grade

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Proximity

Greetings

Eye Contact

Turn Taking

Using Names

Waiting

Requesting

Listening to others

Showing &

Accepting Affection

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Homework on the run or skateboard!

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Principal who set climate for understanding and rewarding Taylor for his strengths; set conditions to minimize his challenges and challenging days

Teachers who actually seemed to like Taylor and his quirky habits and insights

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“I use my vocabulary as my shield or weapon”

“I like making people laugh”

Not “reverent”

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“I’m at the peak of everything that Asperger’s is supposed to disable such as facial expressions, tones of people’s voices, and awareness of my environment and social instincts.”

“I have an advantage because when I’m really interested in something, Asperger’s can help me focus and concentrate on it.”

“I’m getting better at not letting things bug me like idiotic questions students ask in school.”

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Appropriate Commenting

Initiating Conversations Developing Age-

appropriate hobbies Apologizing Seeking assistance

when needed Ignoring others/

inappropriate behavior Introducing self and

others

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Taylor made and designed his

grandmother’s birthday cake!

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From “I Hate This School” to

“I Don’t Want to Leave”

Principal who understood Taylor, made personal connection

Teachers who connected to him and his “humor”

Social isolation and feeling different become heightened

Immaturity more noticeable

Paraprofessional key to navigating halls and high school culture!

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Goes alone Wants to be part of school life but recognizes his differences

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Writes disturbing journal entry in English class that could be interpreted as suicide note; parents called; psychiatric evaluation and clearance required

I’m better with math because a formula is a formula.

I’m getting better with English and am using metaphors.

Art is the most difficult for me because of my disgraphia and I’m not interested in it.

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. . .Love can be like a drug. Once you feel

love, you may have a hard time stopping.

Shakespeare alluded to this when he said

love can be like a fever that cannot be

cured. So, I agree that love can be like an

addiction that affects the body and

something you cannot control. It’s why it’s

called being “love sick.”

On the other hand, I disagree that love is

like an addiction or a fever because unlike

a disease there is no actual cure as there

is for malaria. Shakespeare is talking about

adult romantic love in his sonnet.

Teenagers are not adults. We are just a

work in progress. So, most of our love is

pseudo love. We are addicted to the game

of love.

Note issues with drawing/handwriting that belie far more sophisticated thinking.

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Although he went alone, his

Kung Fu headband attracted

attention!

Senior Year: No aide; verbal exchange

in a chemistry class led to student

“invading his space,” Taylor swatting at

student with paper and Taylor being

punched.

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Project allowed Taylor to explore and discover a talent for

digital media. He scored a 100 on the project, which

boosted his confidence in further college study and later

career options.

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Teachers & parents must communicate to work together

What are parents’ challenges? Child’s history? What has worked? Not worked?

Teachers: Please, let the parents/guardians know how they can help you and the child succeed.

You can’t discipline Asperger’s out of a child

Forgiveness required!

Reconsider why and how much homework is assigned

Reconsider how child’s understanding of material is assessed

Offer options to show content understanding

Consider tone and form of correspondence sent home

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1. Be strict; don’t be too strict;

2. Smile;

3. Add a joke now and then;

4. Make your explanations short and sweet. Put it in the simplest terms possible;

5. Break tests down into smaller parts;

6. Be open to comments and corrections; just because you’re the teacher doesn’t mean you’re right 100% of the time.

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What do you want all teachers to know about Asperger’s?

What part of school gets easier for you the longer you are in school?

What assignments work best for you? That is, what assignments show off your knowledge and skills, so the teacher knows you know the content?

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What would you like to tell your peers about yourself?

Which peers support you?

Do you get support in the school from your principal? teacher(s)? etc.?

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Completed TOPS curriculum

Entered NSU through “Summer Bridge Program”

Needed remedial math

Registered with NSU Office of Student Support Services

Problem classes: Anything online, art, speech

As in high school, some teachers and Taylor connect; others don’t

Commutes; takes 9 hours per semester

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Punctuality, if interested in the class;

Attention to Detail, if interested in the topic;

Good Memory, if interested in the content;

Staying on task, if interested in the topic.

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Taylor Furr

PSA Director for KNWD, NSU Student Radio Station

Taylor is a junior at NSU majoring in Liberal Arts

with a communications concentration. He

received an associate’s degree in General

Studies in May 2012.

Better understanding of disAbility and its impact on learning and relationships

Developing steps within Academic Plan to self-identify support services needed and how to hold discussions with staff members on appropriate strategies

Communicating with faculty about accommodations needed

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NSU Study Abroad Trip to Australia & New Zealand

Summer 2011

My identity is like gravity, a force that cannot be ignored or altered.

I put my faith in my own abilities and ignore the doubts of others.

I burn down the trees of orthodoxy with the flames of creativity.

I see reality for all that it is, for I never turn away from the truth.

I endure the pain as I force my way through the bramble weeds of life.

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Oasis @ MAAP: http://aspergersyndrome.org/

Autism Speaks: http://www.autismspeaks.org/family-services/resource-library/asperger-syndrome

Students with Asperger Syndrome: A Guide for College Personnel (2009) by Lorraine E. Wolf, Jane Thierfeld Brown, and Ruth Bork.

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