Reading and written expression scores are all pretty much 3 or more standard deviations below her verbal IQ, which is a huge red flag for Specific Learning Disability in reading and writing. Spelling is quite low and drags down the written language cluster scores that include spelling. You'll need to get the whole report and interpretation before deciding your next steps, but I would definitely be asking for intervention. Reality often means that you'll have to seek intervention privately, either doing it yourself or hiring it done.

How were her scores on processing speed and working memory? Were there any scores on the WJ that were significantly lower than the others? What were her reading scores like- word attack, letter word ID, comprehension, fluency? Did the tester do any of the phonemic/phonological awareness or rapid naming tests from the WJ IV? Or do a GORT and/or the CTOPP? Those are some key tests to help you know where she stands with reading. At some point you'll probably find it helpful to have some private assessment and/or interpretation of test results. Most schools don't have a clue how to support 2E learners. If scores don't fall below the 10th percentile or so, most times they won't qualify for an IEP, though they can often receive accommodations under a 504 plan.

It's hard to say goodbye to a doctor you have really liked! And what is it with New Mexico? I lost my favorite ophthalmology specialist- in MI- who had been my doctor for 12 years, to a move to New Mexico.

I have used Hands On Equations and like it very much. It is a wonderfully concrete way to help a student understand that whatever one does to one side of an equation, the same thing needs to happen to the other side of the equation in order to keep the sides equal. Be aware that it is not a full Algebra program. It is a supplement to more traditional pre-algebra or algebra I curriculum materials. As for the cost, the $70 set includes the $35 set plus a DVD and the introductory verbal problems workbook. I have only used the basic set, because when I purchased it, the DVD and workbook were not available.

Speech/oral language is important, to be sure. But getting it coordinated appropriately with non-verbal language is even more important. Also, language has multiple functions. When a child with autism has NO appreciable verbal expression, getting some basic expressive language in place can make life a lot easier for parents and child. However, if language is only ever for instrumental means- getting needs met- the child will be missing all of the important relationship functions that language serves. Helping the child to develop these functions for language is a key purpose in RDI. I suspect that one reason the thousands of objectives have not been (at least in the past) visible to parents is to keep the whole program from being overwhelming to them. Keeping the focus on just the objective that is being worked on at that time keeps the overwhelm at bay. I can understand sbgrace's comment about being a big picture thinker. Those who need the big picture will feel frustrated if they don't get enough of the picture to know where the objective they are working on now fits in the whole puzzle and where they'll be headed in the future.

The $20/month access is for material about autism and RDI concepts. It does not include any access to the specific goals & objectives. That access is only available by working with a consultant. When a family commits to RDI, there is an initial time of learning for the parents. There is also a dynamic assessment process that gives the consultant a view of the child's levels of function and the parents' current abilities to engage the child in interaction. From the assessment (RDA), specific goals and objectives are chosen for that child and family. The consultant's role is help the parents to understand the process and learn to be a guide for their children as well as to help the parents learn how to navigate roadblocks to progress that become evident. Honestly, an RDI consultant would be able to explain the program and answer questions most accurately.

I agree with you, sbgrace, on wishing RDI material was more accessible. I experienced my own personal disappointment when new information about RDI and support for those who were trying to go it on their own for whatever reason suddenly became unavailable with the launch of the online system. (Just a clarification- my children do not have an ASD diagnosis, but did experience certain weaknesses in social learning/thinking that were helped by learning RDI principles.) I do respectfully disagree with your comment suggesting that it wouldn't be worthwhile for Elizabeth- or anyone else- to pay $20 to explore RDI more through the RDI Connect online community. I think this new option is a good step towards making material more accessible. There are hours worth of archived webinar videos and video clips, as well as explanations of concepts. I have personally been exploring them for professional reasons, but I am not connected with RDI in any other way. I believe it is a good way, in addition to reading The RDI Book, for those considering RDI to get a good introduction to RDI as it is currently conceived. Whether ABA, RDI, or any other therapy for neurodevelopmental disorders, I believe the best way to make an informed decision is to read recent books and watch videos and webinars by professionals in the field. Once a parent has developed a good introductory understanding of the therapy, then spending some time dialoguing with the best practitioner one can access is a good way to make a final decision on what intervention to use. Of course, the perspective of parents using different approaches is also very important, but as an adjunct to official information by professionals currently using the approach in their own work.

Elizabeth, if you are interested in exploring RDI a little more before committing to it, RDI now has made a portion of their online materials available for a monthly subscription fee of $19.99. The RDI objectives and the parts of the online platform that deal with implementing RDI for your own child are available only to those working with a consultant. What is available is a lot of the initial teaching material that helps you to better understand development in children with autism and RDI basics. You might subscribe even for one month to help you decide which direction to go. Vygotsky is one theorist- of several- whose work is integrated into RDI's theoretical base. You are on the right track to try to understand Vygotsy's thinking if you want to understand RDI. There are several other researchers and clinicians whose work is also important.

My college guy got home Wednesday night. Dh drove up on Tuesday & stayed overnight- it's a 530 mile drive from our house. Ds had his last final on Wednesday at 8am and then they started for home. He's only going to be home for a little over a week because he's going back up for summer classes. There are two classes he especially wants to take this summer to position himself well for staying on track to complete two majors and a minor. He's also going to take some PE classes. He needs 6 half-semester PE courses for graduation, but it can be hard to fit them in around all the other courses.

Thanks for sharing this title and more information in your other posts. I'll look up this book and also look through the presentation you mentioned in another post.

Back in the early 2000s, when RDI was really just getting established, there was a huge difference between RDI and ABA. ABA was still very focused on static, discrete skills- which ARE important. However, children with autism are missing a key piece of dynamic intelligence- things like being able to make decisions in the moment about what skills to use, having intrinsic motivation to act, having relationship between two people as a primary motivator for action, and all of the skills and abilities that are now talked about in the context of executive function. Way back when, ABA wasn't incorporating all of those later components of function. Interaction between the therapist and child felt to onlookers as cold and rigid. In fact, it was often recommended when a family was choosing to do RDI that they discontinue ABA services because the two were such opposite approaches. This is why I want to get a more updated view of ABA.

Do you have a favorite resource that explains ABA well, Crimson Wife?

Thanks for sharing this information. It looks like it could be a good program if I decide I want to focus specifically on dyslexia.

Crimson Wife- What do you find most helpful about ABA? What do you know about the ABA of today compared to, say, ABA the way it was 15 or 20 years ago? I don't know enough about ABA to have a clear opinion about its current implementation. I know some of the criticisms that were leveraged against ABA 12-15 years ago from a number of directions, but I don't know if they are still valid today. If one would like to consult one resource that truly explains ABA of today, what you suggest? I do know more about RDI. The RDI Book provides a good introduction to the concept of RDI, but isn't a framework for implementation. The earlier Gutstein books are no longer representative of RDI because RDI has undergone significant development since they were written, though they do provide some ideas that can be useful. To really understand how to implement RDI, one needs to work with a consultant. Recently, RDI has opened up parts of their online platform as a monthly subscription for parents and professionals who are considering RDI as a therapy. Anyone who wants to check out RDI further could subscribe, even for a short time to get more information before deciding whether to even contact a consultant. Go to RDIConnect and click on community. I am not affiliated with RDI but I do think it is a framework for intervention that can be very useful. RDI is implemented by parents under the guidance of consultants and is considered to be a developmentally based intervention. Another intervention with these qualities that is mainly for preschoolers is The PLAY Project, developed by Dr. Richard Solomon in Michigan. It has some similarities to DIR/Floortime, developed by Stanley Greenspan. I don't know the details about the PLAY Project, but one of my colleagues offers it in her clinic and really likes it. Just some questions and food for thought for any parents with young children on the autism spectrum.

Thanks for posting this list, Michele! A few of these are familiar, others are new to me. I LOVE Gordon Neufeld's Hold On to Your Kids.

Hi Michele!!!! So good to see you here! YES, YES, YES to strengths-based learning. Even for those of us who do spend some concentrated time on formal teaching of basic skills, we need to make sure our children have time to follow their passions and learn through participating in daily life. And YES again to seeing our children not as broken but as having a unique set of strengths and weaknesses. There are many different ways to target some of those weaknesses- especially executive function and processing of basic perceptual information. I was just having this conversation with another mom tonight. We were talking about how well our sons are doing now as young adults and how important helping them to develop their talents has been to the process.

I agree with others who have suggested to get a speech evaluation ASAP. We now know from brain neuroimaging and other studies that early intervention is the best and most appropriate thing to do. Children who don't get intervention during the preschool years fall further and further behind and often develop emotional and behavioral difficulties related to the lack of ability to communicate with others, particularly their peers. My own son was first evaluated at 3yrs 4mos. I tried to get him in to someone before he turned 3yo; unfortunately, the waiting list was quite long. At the time, we lived overseas, so we didn't have early intervention services available. This child, now a young man, is also very intelligent, but he wasn't picking up speech naturally- even with standard recommendations for parents to follow for those children who need a nudge. With a highly qualified speech therapist, his speech developed and within a year he was in a good place and more competent in peer relationships. My son has pretty severe dyslexia. We treated both: the speech/sound disorder with speech therapy and the dyslexia with appropriate educational interventions.

My son is staying on campus for summer term. He is subleasing an apartment from a friend at a quite reasonable rate. He'll be back in the dorm for his second year because a condition of his scholarship is that he live in the dorm for 2 years.

When designing an IEP, once weaknesses have been identified, goals should be developed next. Answer this question first: How is the student performing now? Then this one: What level of function are we aiming for- in each area of identified weakness? You can't decide what interventions to use or where those interventions will be implemented until you have a clear listing of present levels of performance and the target levels of performance for each area of weakness. After goals are set, you determine what interventions are necessary to meet those goals. You can't decide the setting for services until you know what interventions will be used and identify the options for implementing them.

Have you read the SSD portion of the College Board website yet? I went over all the detail with a fine tooth comb and compared the details to the testing that my son had done. I did the same with the accommodations portion of the ACT website. There are specific tests that are required as part of an evaluation and it depends on what the disability is and what accommodations are requested as to which testing needs to be included. Especially important is that the evaluation report link the relevant data to a requested accommodation. Also important are statements about specific functional limitations due to the disability and how they impact standardized testing. A clear history of the use of accommodations is also important. It seems to be true that both College Board and ACT are indeed scrutinizing requests more thoroughly. However, it's not a given that a student will always get denied and have to appeal. Careful documentation that includes all the test data requested, a solid narrative interpretation of the data and it's relevance for testing situations, and justification for particular accommodations may lead to approval on the first try. Approval on the first time does happen. As for the CAPD angle, more testing that documents the difficulty a student has in the listening task will add to the other data you already have and strengthen your case, if indeed it shows deficits. It may not be needed in order to get the accommodations you want, depending on what you are looking for. Again- specific diagnosis isn't what the testing organizations are looking for. They are looking for specific weaknesses, test data that indicates those weaknesses, and that those weaknesses impact the student's ability to take a test. Because one person with dyslexia, ADHD, or ASD doesn't necessarily have the same profile of strengths and weaknesses as another with the same diagnosis, a diagnosis alone doesn't tell what the student needs.

I have never received an invitation with College Registry links and I live in the Midwest. I've been to a lot of high school grad parties in the last few years because of my own kids (ds graduated last year). It is most customary for people to give money as a gift, unless they know the graduate quite well and either know what they would like or have created a special memory gift.

That sounds like a good combination! In the fall, I will be doing my internship for the UCR Educational Therapy Certificate. I'll also be applying to upgrade my AET membership from student to associate. With those in place, I'll be able to start building my practice a little more actively. However, in order to be eligible for board certification, I'll still need to go on for a full master's degree. I'm currently reviewing programs again to figure out which direction to go for my master's. It really needs to be online, because I don't have a school near me that really has what I want to study.

Sounds like a good idea to do it now and not wait. What a difficult day for you and your daughter!

Certainly lots to process! But the great thing is that you're getting therapies and dealing with all the needs from a young age. If this is what having the labels allows, then having the labels will be worth it. In the past (and still today in some places), the labels were an excuse to not train and educate a child properly. "Oh, she's special ed, she can't learn how to behave properly. She's not capable of learning how to read. Yada, yada, yada." We do the testing to find out where the glitches are and how best to approach working with that child so they do learn! (commenting from another post on this thread- I think). Especially when children are young, we want to focus hard on the weaker areas. No matter how well a child can decode words, do basic math, or even take an SAT/ACT, if the child cannot function well in a social setting and learn to work as part of a team, all the early academics in the world won't matter. They won't be able to hold a job commensurate with their intelligence. That's way down the road for you but addressing the social thinking/relationship needs now will give your son a better chance to actually use his gifts well.

Congratulations on your decision! Weren't you thinking of doing an ed therapy program? The speech/language emphasis will certainly help you with your own child!