Night Elf Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 Okay another update about my 22 year old son. I checked his Kaiser account this morning and the psychiatrist has confirmed he still qualifies as high functioning autistic. He's definitely on the spectrum. So now it's time to find someone to do more extensive testing. He and I will start looking at that today. My DH's work has an EAP (employee assistance program) that pays for 8 visits to a provider for various mental health conditions. I'm fairly certain they won't pay for the actual testing but they might pay for the visits to go in and get it all set up. The question I have is what testing will they do on an adult and what results am I looking for? School: He applied to one of the state technical schools. He'll be going for a 2-year Network Specialists degree. From what we've found out through research, he thinks he could be good at it and might even enjoy the work. We completed his file and they took his SAT scores in lieu of the placement testing they suggest. So now we're just waiting on an acceptance letter. When we get that, I'll have him call and set up and appointment with an adviser so we can see how his 4 college classes will transfer in and what classes he should register for in January. Driving: He's doing so well!! He is still enthusiastic and is looking forward to passing his test and getting his own car. We've been taking him out almost every day and putting him in different situations and so far the only thing that has given him trouble is turning right at an intersection. He needs to be aware of who has the green light. He'll see the oncoming cars stopping so he thinks he can go but he's forgetting about the cars that are turning left onto the road he's about to turn right onto and he ends up pulling in front of someone. It's only happened a couple of times and the last two times he's done much better. I've already scheduled him for 6 hours of private driving lessons the first week of December. The instructor will go over everything and then focus on problem areas. I'm going to ask her to really focus on parking. I don't know how to teach him to park. His actual driving test is December 27th. I think he'll be ready. I asked him what did he think about driving now that he's been doing it every day for a month and he said it's become much easier and he feels good about it. He has self-confidence which he's never had before with regards to driving. So yay! I know this thread will devolve into if I'm doing too much for my ds, or it may go into what he should be doing. I think we have a good plan in place. Much better than him sitting around the house doing nothing. We will not require him to get a job while he's in school and he's agreed to go full-time. At his other college, he only took 2 classes each semester. I told him he was going to have to go full-time if he wanted to graduate in 2 years. It will be a challenge for him but we think he's bright and can knock out all his classes with passing grades. 21 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 This is a very positive update! Thank you! I'm glad an opportunity has finally come along that he is willing to embrace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 This is all wonderful news! Good job, mom! For testing, can you call the school and ask what they need to see? That way you can make sure everything is covered. Hopefully someone with adult testing experience can chime in with specifics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted October 31, 2018 Author Share Posted October 31, 2018 33 minutes ago, TechWife said: This is all wonderful news! Good job, mom! For testing, can you call the school and ask what they need to see? That way you can make sure everything is covered. Hopefully someone with adult testing experience can chime in with specifics. I wasn't planning on using the testing for any type of modification at school. He did superbly at his other college. He attended every class, followed along, took great notes, studied and did homework every day, and made A's on all his assignments and tests and end grades. He had no problem finishing tests in the time allotted and was usually one of the first to finish. I am wanting testing to see if it will help him in the future. Is he going for the right program? Will he be able to work as part of a team? Can he learn to take the initiative, i.e. self motivation. In other words, what are his weak areas and what are his strengths. Doesn't testing answer those questions or is the testing merely to get school modifications? If it won't help, I don't want to spend the money on it. It's going to be very expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storygirl Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 Will he live with you while he is in school? That would likely make a difference regarding what kind of support he will need. I agree to call the disability office at his prospective school to ask what kind of documents they are looking for. They will probably want a list of recommended academic supports, which you could get by having evaluations by an educational psychologist. We haven't reached college age yet, but some accommodations that I have seen others post about include taking tests in the testing center instead of in the classroom, having extra time on tests, working with someone who helps organize a study plan for the week. He could perhaps get a preferred parking spot, if you have a letter from the instructor saying that he needs it (just guessing on this one, but it seems like something a school could do). You may want to post on the college board or the Learning Challenges board, because I know there are posters over there with college aged kids who have accommodations. But they might not see your thread here on Chat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 I was so happy to read your update, Beth! The Network Specialists degree sounds like a great fit for him, and it’s wonderful to hear how well he is doing with the driving — it’s especially good that he’s feeling more and more confident on the road. I’m glad your son is willing to move forward with the testing, too! Great news all around — you have been a very busy mama! ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storygirl Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 We were posting at the same time. For the kinds of questions that you have, I think a neuropsychologist is a better choice than an educational psych. These are also the kinds of issues that Vocational Rehabilitation addresses. Now that his diagnosis is confirmed, I think it would be helpful for you to contact them to ask some questions. They should know what kind of documentation that is helpful and even may be able to direct you to recommended testers. I'm not saying that he should ask for services through Vocational Rehabilitation. I do think they could help him, but I seem to remember you or your son were hesitant about it previously. What I'm saying is that you can call them and ask questions. My son is younger, but we have found that our state has a great job skills program for teens, and we are connecting him to it, because we anticipate that he may have some employment hurdles. Over the next three summers, while he is 15, 16, and 17, they will give him job skills classes, give him a paying job with a small group and a job counselor, and then help him get his first independent job. I'm giving that as an example to show that resources like this can be available, though of course it varies by area. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted October 31, 2018 Author Share Posted October 31, 2018 Yes, he'll be living with us. That will cut down on expenses and we'll be able to pay for our part of his college fees and he'll probably graduate with no debt. The state scholarship fund will cover tuition. I already checked and the school website said that scholarship money is offered for 2-year degree programs. Anything shorter only gets a one time scholarship of about $500. That would be useless. This isn't a cheap degree. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmrich Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 This is so encouraging! I thank you for sharing your struggles. Everyone needs what they need. You have been trying so hard to find what your son needs. It has been a hard search for you. I applaud you for never giving up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 This update made my day!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 What a great update- so encouraging! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 1 hour ago, Night Elf said: I wasn't planning on using the testing for any type of modification at school. He did superbly at his other college. He attended every class, followed along, took great notes, studied and did homework every day, and made A's on all his assignments and tests and end grades. He had no problem finishing tests in the time allotted and was usually one of the first to finish. I am wanting testing to see if it will help him in the future. Is he going for the right program? Will he be able to work as part of a team? Can he learn to take the initiative, i.e. self motivation. In other words, what are his weak areas and what are his strengths. Doesn't testing answer those questions or is the testing merely to get school modifications? If it won't help, I don't want to spend the money on it. It's going to be very expensive. The testing we did with ds was geared towards educational needs. In that regard, it did assess strengths & weaknesses. I think adult testing is an entirely ballgame, though. I am not sure what it would show you. I do know that there are a lot of people who get tested as adults, so it must be beneficial. Hopefully someone with experience will chime in. I'd like to have this info, too, in case we need it for the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 So nice to hear! ❤️ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scholastica Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 What a great update!! This all sounds so positive. Good luck as you go through the next hoops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 Beth, if those 8 visits can be done with someone very familiar with different types of testing, they may be able to help him decide what, if any, further testing might be helpful. I'd also go in with the goal of making a plan for school: what are the likely obstacles? what will he do when he gets bored or frustrated? how can he keep the end goal in mind? If it's 8 visits per calendar year, I'd try to get him in lickety-split and maybe get a few 2018 sessions in. Lay down some rails and then he has 8 sessions in 2019 for ongoing support. Experience with adult ASD would trump all other qualifications for me. I would definitely get in touch with vocational rehab. I'd do that now and not wait just because he seems to have a plan in place. I'm glad he does have a plan, though! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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