Alex

Meet Alex.
Grade: 7
Identification: Asperger’s Syndrome and Gifted
Strengths: Language, at a high school level in oral and written communication. Excels in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Curiosity about how and why things work.
Academic Challenges: getting stuck on details (hyperfocus), easily frustrated – especially in Math. Interested in Art, becomes frustrated when his work does not come out as planned.
Social Challenges: shy, stubborn, interrupts others, difficulty reading social cues, difficulty making eye-contact, empathy, he is self aware and knows that there are differences between him and the other classmates, but he does not know what to do about them. Often has one-sided conversations. Doesn’t know how to manage his frustrations.
Alex’s needs (issues stemming from social interactions, calling out, arguing, etc) often get him in trouble. His teacher spends much of her time calming him down and sorting out arguments, which leaves little time for him to challenge and extend his thinking by capitalizing on his academic strengths (giftedness).
Setting: Regular classroom placement, 6/7 split in his home school. Urban setting in Toronto, ON with over 500 students, active parent community. Resource Room but Alex does not like to visit.
Separate office area in the Resource Room – Alex feels comfortable here one-on-one

Wednesday, 9 March 2011

Diagnosis and Next Steps

Diagnosis: 
Alex received his Asperger’s diagnosis near the end of Grade Four. His diagnosis came later than is typical because his giftedness actually masked some of his symptoms. Teachers and parents saw his fixation on certain topics, and his ability to relate to adults better than his peers, as symptomatic of his high IQ. It was only as the social gap between himself and his peers continued to widen that some of his idiosyncrasies became more obvious.

Next Steps/Possible Interventions:
Applied Behaviour Analysis – Alex’s parents are willing to try any therapy that might help him. They are a little sceptical of ABA, worried that he might be too smart for some of the methods, but they also want him to learn some much needed social skills. ABA could be used with Alex to reinforce good social behaviours in the classroom. When Alex was younger, his parents were told by a therapist that he was too high-functioning for ABA to work.

Alex loves the card game Magic: The Gathering. His teacher taught him the game and Alex caught on very quickly. Other students in the class like the game as well and are interested. Alex’s skill and knowledge of the game offer him a possible social opening with his peers. Alex is able to teach the other students the skills, but his lecturing about the game bothers them. Alex also has difficulty putting the game away when recess is over
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)