UK calling California for advice please?

Post Reply New Topic

Hello everyone. My post is specific to everyone who has experience with the education system in California.

I believe that a close relative of mine who lives in California and is 16yrs old may be Aspergers Syndrome...actually I am pretty sure...but mum is resistant and in denial although lad is desperate to know who he is. He is refusing to go to school...it is English that is causing the problem...and the homework. He has a sensory processing disorder in my opinion and he is not able to read at any speed. He is being drowned with course work, assignments that he is finding totally overwhelming. His refusal to go to school is causing major problems with his mother...and now she is ready to give up on him.

I am not sure of the system there? Can anyone help. This lad is terrified to go into school, it is all far too overhwhelming for him and he is struggling. He gets anxiety and panic attacks regularly and finds expressing his emotions difficult. He can't hug anyone except a couple of people and even then it is only once....he has many food fads and a whole host of sensory differences...

He is HIGHLY intelligent.....but is finding some classes too boring ...some too difficult and can't cope so now refuses to go...mum is all over the place and wants him to go live with his Dad abroad! Dad says no and lad feels totally alone?

Mum calls him bad and mad....I call him lonely and sad.....what to do, how to advise? He is asking me for help? He isn't learning disabled and is frightened he will get put into lower grade groups with the Special Ed's? If he refuses to go to English he doesn't graduate? Yet he is a genius in so many other areas. He scored 32 on the AQ test.

What to do, can you help? I can't ignore it, it is family.....groan and also I am trained in Autism....not to diagnose but definitely to signpost....I was asked for my advice...I answered and gave MY opinion and now it has caused chaos....help! Please ....

I was put through the Napa Valley Unified School District and most school districts are all the same in California. Has he tried for an IEP or 504 plan? That would be the safest path, the school must know he has sensory issues and what they can do to help. Most of the time they will stick kids that are struggling with grades in a class devoted to doing homework with a teacher that will not completely help with the homework but will give hints. If you nip it in the bud and do that maybe his grades will improve.

There is an alternative too, in most California high schools there are english classes that give college credits and those that do not, and of course the special ed english class. If he is in the college credit english class they tend to be a bit more challenging and require more emotion in the work as well as group work.

I think in most schools you have to do 4 years of english to graduate high school, but if you fail a semester you can always make it up in the summer in summer school which most schools offer, may not be the same school he goes to though.

There may be more ways to mess around with the system but this is what I know off the top of my head. Hope this helps.

There is almost nothing that can be done without a formal diagnosis. It's sad that this wasn't done very early on in the young man's educational career, but it's imperative that it happen now. He's only got one or two years of schooling left at the public's expense - unless he can qualify for a special program. So, recommend as strongly as possible that he have a very thorough evaluation and then recommend that the parent(s) be as forceful as possible to get the boy what he needs as far as the IEP. A private practic psychiatrist may be a good resource for an evaluation (it will cost a few thousand dollars, probably) although the parent(s) should check with the school district to see precisely what they require. No sense wasting the money for a diagnosis if they insist that their own person be used. Depending on the district, it could take up quite a bit of what time the boy has left in school, waiting for the evaluation.

He will have to pass English (in some form) to graduate. It might be good if his mother started looking at vocational/technical schools for him. The community colleges are reasonably priced and he may find a way to be able to earn a living there.

The very best of luck to them all.

If you find someone who has one, would you please ask on my behalf if I could borrow it for a bit?

This kid needs a break .... and since he is a relative, can your family take him in and give him the nurturing that he needs to grow up as an independent adult?