Mom22ns Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 I don't post on this board very often anymore. My ds has labels like ASD, ADD, Hyperlexic, and dysgraphia. He is also very smart with a great quirky sense of humor. He's been doing great academically for a long time. This past year has been one of tremendous social growth for him and it has been so fun to watch. This fall, I had ds take the PLAN test. It is a pre-ACT sort of thing given in the sophomore year of high school for those of you who don't know. I had him go in cold, no prep and no accommodations. Frankly it was my test to see if he would need accommodations for the ACT. This weekend, I got his score report in the mail and he did very well. I was thrilled and it told me that he can do the ACT without accommodations, something I never would have believed possible a few years ago. Today, I got more good news. His score is high enough to allow him to enroll at the local State University next fall. He is going to take Japanese there! I know there are kids all over tWTM boards that go to college at 16. Many are far more impressive than mine. That is why I needed to come here to share, because you will understand what a victory this is for ds! I am so excited for him! Thanks for letting me share. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Fantastic! I am so excited for your ds's victory, and yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer-72 Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 That is wonderful! :party: Thanks for sharing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tokyomarie Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Congratulations! These stories help us all to remember that labels don't define our children and, more importantly, should not be used to predict what children will ultimately be capable of doing in the distant future. I'm sure a lot of hard work, sweat, and tears went into helping your son be successful at this stage in his life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mukmuk Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Congratulations to you and your son! I echo Marie - the sweat and tears that must have gone in! Thank you for providing inspiration. Every step is hard earned for us, and all the more, the fruits of the reward are so sweet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted December 18, 2012 Author Share Posted December 18, 2012 Thanks so much everyone! You are so right, it has been a lot of sweat and tears. There was so much fear when he was little. It makes it so sweet to see it start to pay off! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Love to hear family stories like this! Congratulations to you and your boy :) ! :party: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Congratulation to your ds and you and the whole family!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DyslexicParent Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 Congrats. What were the most helpful treatments for his ASD, ADD, etc? The school has warned us that DD in Grade 6 will be put in the lowest pathway in high school (no diploma) if we don't get her caught up by Grade 8. My ds has labels like ASD, ADD, Hyperlexic, and dysgraphia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merry gardens Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 :hurray: Yes, as far as I'm concerned you can brag here, if your bragging serves to encourage and motivate us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbgrace Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 Yay! Congratulations to both of you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted January 5, 2013 Author Share Posted January 5, 2013 Congrats. What were the most helpful treatments for his ASD, ADD, etc? The school has warned us that DD in Grade 6 will be put in the lowest pathway in high school (no diploma) if we don't get her caught up by Grade 8. It is hard to say what was most effective. I think OT including metronome training was big. No electronics and constant interaction was really important through the younger years. Oh, gluten and casein free diet - I don't think he would ever have made it without that. Homeschooling probably wins the number one spot though. We pulled out of ps at 6th grade. Being able to move at his pace, working long and hard, but not past the point of what he could tolerate. Patience, patience and more patience. The therapies when he was young helped him gain functionality. Homeschooling took him from functional to excelling. I'll update this thread to add he got his driver's permit New Year's Eve! That was a pretty big thing too. Now can his focus really be good enough to drive alone? At least I never run out of things to worry about :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 Congratulations!! So can I ask a couple questions? How do you connect with this test, and is it generally useful for other kids? And did it have a writing component? So you did it with no accommodations? Do you think they (the College Board or whoever) would have been antsy if you had asked for accommodations after having already done it without? That's something we're going to have to think through in the next couple years as well. Well that's awesome! I took a number of language classes at a university when I was in high school. What an awesome opportunity! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted January 6, 2013 Author Share Posted January 6, 2013 Congratulations!! So can I ask a couple questions? How do you connect with this test, and is it generally useful for other kids? And did it have a writing component? So you did it with no accommodations? Do you think they (the College Board or whoever) would have been antsy if you had asked for accommodations after having already done it without? That's something we're going to have to think through in the next couple years as well. Well that's awesome! I took a number of language classes at a university when I was in high school. What an awesome opportunity! :) I found out about the test on the ACT website where it is billed as ACT prep. It is given only to sophomores. Then I saw it is a qualifying exam for the local university. I had just been in touch with a counselor at our local public high school about some other questions, so I sent him an email and asked about it. It turned out it was scheduled the next day! He offered to proctor the test for ds the day after that (no cost). There is no writing component to the test. I really wanted to use it as a test. If ds did terribly, I would have started working on documentation to request accommodations for the ACT. I was afraid of him taking the ACT then finding he needed accommodations and then having trouble getting them. i thought doing a different but similar test might not have that same problem, but I don't know for sure if that was true. ETA: The test is given in the fall. It was October here, you'll have to check with your local school district to get an exact date. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted February 5, 2013 Author Share Posted February 5, 2013 Update: Ds got his official acceptance from the State U in the mail last week. It made him feel SO good to get that first college acceptance letter! I admit it, it made me feel good too. :party: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specialmama Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 It is hard to say what was most effective. I think OT including metronome training was big. No electronics and constant interaction was really important through the younger years. Oh, gluten and casein free diet - I don't think he would ever have made it without that. Homeschooling probably wins the number one spot though. We pulled out of ps at 6th grade. Being able to move at his pace, working long and hard, but not past the point of what he could tolerate. Patience, patience and more patience. The therapies when he was young helped him gain functionality. Homeschooling took him from functional to excelling. I'll update this thread to add he got his driver's permit New Year's Eve! That was a pretty big thing too. Now can his focus really be good enough to drive alone? At least I never run out of things to worry about :) Update: Ds got his official acceptance from the State U in the mail last week. It made him feel SO good to get that first college acceptance letter! I admit it, it made me feel good too. :party: Debbie, I am so glad for you and your son! Way to go!!! All that hard work DOES pay off! My son has moderate-to-severe "classic" autism, OCD and hyperlexia. He excels at foreign languages and logo and font design, and we're bringing him home out of ps at the end of 6th grade, in a few months. Your story (and your son's story!) have deeply encouraged me! Thank you thank you for sharing!!! Karyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted February 5, 2013 Author Share Posted February 5, 2013 Debbie, I am so glad for you and your son! Way to go!!! All that hard work DOES pay off! My son has moderate-to-severe "classic" autism, OCD and hyperlexia. He excels at foreign languages and logo and font design, and we're bringing him home out of ps at the end of 6th grade, in a few months. Your story (and your son's story!) have deeply encouraged me! Thank you thank you for sharing!!! Karyn You are very welcome. Your ds is similar to mine. We brought ds home a few weeks into 6th, so even your timing to start HSing is similar :). I hope it works out as well for you as it has for us and let me know if I can answer any questions that might help along the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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