Accomidations

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I have a son who has difficulty applying what he learns and retaining the information.

Magically he does well on his homework and inclass work (they won't let him bring home his homework so I have no idea if he is comprehending it but from his test scores I would say no.)

He has one educational accomidation and that is getting pulled out for small group testing. They do not chunk his test.

Since the school has never heard of autism - I need some other ideas on what we can do to help him.

What do they do for you or your child.

Thanks

Roo

Resign yourself to pulling teeth, because administrators don't get hired to be accommodating, they're hired to make the school profitable, these days. Special programs cost money, and that's an administrator's #1 variable.

However, I would say, learn as much as you can about Autism, which you're probably already doing.
Create a list of challenges/challenging behaviors. Then take some time to bring out a positive attribute from each. All too often, we get bogged down by the negative, that the bright side is dulled from our awareness.

I teach at a military Child Development Center. I have a few kids who are likely on the spectrum, but whose parents are too worried about the impact of a child with official Special Needs to seek out the early intervention that could render their lives easier down the line. I feel for these kids, have been undiagnosed and thrown under the bus so much for my behaviors for 25 years.
So I work with my fellow teachers to create an environment of understanding and inclusion, despite having no official 'qualified' intervention. We've had much success, just in my brief discussion with other teachers about WHY a child behaves in a certain way, and how we can acknowledge the child's attempts of communication.

I think the more you know your son's triggers, the reasons for his behaviors, good and challenging, the better you'll be able to communicate with the front-line teachers who will do more to help your child than any administrator could ever mandate.

It's all about getting teachers to use their kids to teach the other kids about social understanding. Doing small things to make an autistic child feel like part of the community really makes a huge difference.

As far as test-taking and such, I wouldn't stress too much about such details that do little to improve circumstances. Usually, tests don't count significantly toward a final grade. So if he does well on the 80% that contributes to his final grade, and not so well on the remaining 20%, then that's where the effort should go.
That 80/20 rule has helped improve my quality of life immensely. It reduces frustration by making a bit of failure acceptable, which is only realistic.

So put in most of the effort on the 20% of work that will result in 80% of the success, and only worry about the other more tedious the it's when truly necessary, like if a certain test is absolutely required for progression, like a Constitution test, or something.

TL;DR: talk to teachers, not admins, about bringing out the positive in your son. Let him know that failure is an inevitable part of success, but he can concentrate on the things he's good at to make up for it.

I wish you and your son the best!

I found a really good article

Making Modifications, Accommodations and Variations for Student Success by www.jimrodslz.com

He breaks academics down pretty good the only thing I added to it was the math, being if he doesn't get the concept and gets less then a C then they have to reteach it to him. One on One.

I figure I am going to ask for the moon and if I get a bit of cheese then I am doing good. LOL

K

IMHO you should limit any special treatment for your son, let him rise or fall on his own. If he fails then he fails. Better to fail without special treatment a false success with special treatment.

What kind of school has never heard of autism?

Is this a US school? People with diagnoses on the spectrum usually should be eligible for accommodations through the ADA. I NEVER thought I'd want or need them, but I had a physics teacher convince me to give it a try.

(If I want) I get to take my tests in a quiet environment, and get 'time and-a-half' to complete them. I have permission to record lectures if necessary and advanced registration. When I was a kid in school, my grades were all over the place.

It's one thing to fail because you haven't learned something. It's another thing to fail because of time management problems or distractions.