Son Struggling as Freshman in High School

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BluuAngel
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06 Jan 2019, 4:13 pm

My son is a freshman in high school diagnosed witg high functioning autism. He has struggled since September in most of his classes and needs to turn things around NOW. I have the same conversations with him over and over, but nothing changes. Basically, he isnt getting his work done. His grades are terrible, and I am very concerned for him. Husband is disabled and is no help; I work two jobs. I dont have much money but do have excellent insurance. Does anyone have any suggestions regarding what kind of help I should seek for him? He does have a 504 Plan, but dont see how that is helping him any. I am new here. I want to be proactive and get help, just am clueless as to the resources out there that are within my reach. I am desperate and determined to help him be successful!



Prometheus18
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06 Jan 2019, 4:16 pm

Typically, I don't think a child can be helped unless he wants to help himself. I speak from personal experience, because I was the same way at that age. Maybe think what incentives you could use to goad him into making more of an effort.



audball
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10 Jan 2019, 8:12 pm

I'm sorry you and your family are going through this. How did he do in middle school? Did he have a 504 at that time? I have generally found that IEPs are a little more helpful than 504s. I think 504s encourage teachers to help with some accommodations but IEPs make them mandatory. It requires more input from school professionals (speech language therapists, school psychologists, counselors, etc.) You didn't state when he was diagnosed. Do you currently have a therapist in place for him?

High school is a hard transition for many kids and he may be feeling overwhelmed. Did he make the move to high school with friends from middle school? It could be many things: distractions from more people in the school, the additional noises and movement he may have to cope with, the changing of classes, getting used to new teachers and schedules. When you say he has to turn things around now, is he under threat of being expelled due to his poor grades? I know there is some urgency in trying to help him before he falls further and further behind academically, but is there another reason for trying to get this resolved ASAP?

I would first contact his school counselor and then the person who is in charge of administering and maintaining his IEP. Usually that's a school psychologist or Special Education teacher. Go to the school's website and see if you can find their names and contact them by email and then by phone if you do not receive a response within 2 business days. Usually high schools have a vice-principal as well, and contacting him/her will demonstrate that you are serious about getting your son the help he needs.

More importantly, talk to your son about what he thinks he needs to help him. Does he need someone to help him with class notes? Does he have executive function challenges (meaning, organizational/working memory issues)? Is there a teacher he feels close to that he can speak with? If possible, I would also arrange to have a conference with his teachers to talk about how he is feeling and see if they have suggestions. At my daughter's high school, a few of her teachers offered her their notes - so it alleviated the pressure of note-taking (which is a real skill, btw!) when she first started. She was expected to still try and take notes and participate in class, but at least she had the information she needed to study from the teachers to fall back on.

ETA: Usually when making the transition from middle school to high school, there is a transition team in place to ensure that a student doesn't "fall through the cracks". Did anyone attempt to help him when he finished 8th grade?