<p>Totally agree that it seems crazy to offer coaching to kids already in trouble instead of kids trying to stay OUT of trouble! Best of luck to you.</p>
<p>I think the most important thing is to figure out exactly what your child wants to study and capitalize on his/her strengths. Smaller classes are preferable. Go on some tours and see how your child reacts.</p>
<p>Another tip: Once Son started having problems in school, I realized that we had looked at exactly the wrong type of school. We considered only the small LAC ācolleges that change livesā type of schoolā¦son wanted a small environment and we agreed.</p>
<p>But the idea of an LAC is to give a well rounded education. Many people with Aspergerās are about as far from well rounded as you can get; many excel in one area and are pathetic at others. A college that requires 4 semesters of a foreign language is a disaster for a kid for whom foreign language is close to impossible.</p>
<p>Also, no matter what terrific schools your son can get in, consider the possiblity that less selective may be better. We visited one not-at-all-selective state U. It had a huge tutoriong center; students could sign up for a tutor for every single freshman class, free of charge. A tutor would even go to class with a student before a test to make sure they got good notes. This was all in place because due to the non-selective nature of the school, they have a lot of āat riskā students.</p>
<p>Sonās moderately selective school assumes that everyone they admit can make it there, so no formal tutoring available.</p>
<p>Missypieā¦Thanks for the article. It opened my eyes and boy did I see some familiar behaviors there. I donāt want to hy jack the thread but is executive function disorder mostly found in those on the spectrum?</p>
<p>executive function disorder is widespread among folks with ADHD.</p>
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<p>Iāve heard that it is also common among those with a diagnosis of ADD-Inattentive.</p>
<p>What Iām struggling with is having the diagnosis with no treatment or therapy offered. Itās like going to the doctor and being diagnosed with diabetes, then having the doctor shake your hand and walk out the door. Okay, weāve identified the problem. What do we DO about it?</p>
<p>This is just a personal observation, but if you look at the traits of ADHD-Inattentive, and the traits of Aspergers, they are pretty much the same. ADHD-Inattentive symptom lists emphasize the disorganization/executive function problems-- but ADHD-Inattentive folks also have social issues. Asperger symptom lists often emphasize the social problems-- but Aspies also frequently have executive function problems, as both Missypie and I can attest. To me it looks like if there is a difference, itās just a difference of degree. I expect to see ADHD-Inattentive folded into the autism spectrum in the future.</p>
<p>This suggests that people with Aspergers and people with ADHD-Inattentive may have different diagnoses, but they need pretty much the same treatment and support.</p>
<p>I have been diagnosed with ADHD-Inattentive. My son was first diagnosed with ADHD-Inattentive, then the Aspergerās diagnosis was added. We have the same issues, though his are a bit worse. Itās not easy being an ADHD parent of an Aspie: all that organization and structure that Iām supposed to provide for him, come on, I canāt even provide it for myself. Still, at least I have a good idea of what heās going through and what is going on in his mind.</p>
<p>Missypie- I think the problem with any treatment for executive function disorder is compliance. With Diabetes you can take insulin. Changing diet is difficult but not impossible. To treat executive function means hard work that needs to be applied to all areas of their lives. And for someone with ADD/LD, aspergers and executive function disorder making those changes is next to impossible without daily outside intervention.</p>
<p>My rising college senior who had a coach/tutor for his executive function disorder/LD/ADD and a great psychiatrist in HS has made it this far in college only through some good luck and a major that works for him. Picking the right major is important. If my son has gone with engineering or math which were two of his other options I think he would not have lasted a year away from home.
From what I have observed unless your child is the rare extremely motivated student these students will do best with a paid coach or at a school that has a separate paid program. My son has good help at this school but he doesnāt use it.</p>
<p>Mommathree: there is another LD called NVLD (Non-Verbal Learning Disability) that has executive function disorder as a big component. There is a lot of discussion in the psych community about this, as it isnāt currently in the DSM (which is used to diagnose) and the feeling is when the new edition comes out NVLD is going to be rolled up into Autism Spectrum Disorders (along with Aspergers.) Some professionals feel that shouldnāt be the case as NVLD present much more along the lines of a right brain trauma. FWIW, my D has both NVLD & ADHD-inattentive.</p>
<p>Missypie: I missed your question about what to do. D worked with a tutor through high school to learn how to manage her planner and other organizational skills. Once she started taking the ADHD meds she was able to focus enough to work through her executive function skills. An important caveat is the kid has to ābuy inā to dealing with the LDs; if theyāre not on board none of the supports you offer will work.</p>
<p>My D2 also has a NVLD, and the psychologist who did her recent testing also raised the possibility of Apsergers. From what I can tell from my research in the past few months, it can be VERY difficult to tease these two apart. We have not gotten her tested (yet) for the Aspergers, but I am considering doing it so we have a diagnosis for it if she needs to ask for accomdations in college.</p>
<p>Missypie, Iām with you, in some ways it feels better to have a ālabelā, but you run into a wall when you realize that there is no real treatment. RobD, it really is as if they have had a brain trauma of some kind that disrupts their executive functions. Mom60, due to that aspect (I think she literally canāt access some of those brain functions), it is not just an issue of hard workā¦ so I donāt see it as an issue of compliance or diligence on her part. In fact, the number of arguments and stress level for both of us went down a ton once I got past thinking that she could overcome her exec issues with more compliance or diligence. I guess that in that case, having a ālabelā and some more information on it helped us, even without a true treatment identified.</p>
<p>One thing we have been thinking about is that D2 may do better at a school with trimesters so she is juggling fewer classes at one time. We have a couple more years to consider her options, but I have been reading this thread with interest, and have added a few more colleges to the list I have already started!</p>
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<p>I donāt remember whether it is in his article or not, but Mitch Nagler told me that these kids should never take a āfull loadā in collegeā¦He said that if your student is made to register for 15-16, do it, then drop a class once school starts.</p>
<p>Of course, for those going to school on 8 semesters worth of merit aid, that can cause problemsā¦perhaps AP credits or community college summer school could fill in the gaps.</p>
<p>But that is one consideration: It is likely that your student will be on a 5-6 year plan. So make sure itās a school you can afford for that amount of time.</p>
<p>āThis is just a personal observation, but if you look at the traits of ADHD-Inattentive, and the traits of Aspergers, they are pretty much the same. ADHD-Inattentive symptom lists emphasize the disorganization/executive function problems-- but ADHD-Inattentive folks also have social issues. Asperger symptom lists often emphasize the social problems-- but Aspies also frequently have executive function problems, as both Missypie and I can attest. To me it looks like if there is a difference, itās just a difference of degree. I expect to see ADHD-Inattentive folded into the autism spectrum in the future.ā</p>
<p>thats just silly. Its like saying an ADHD person who lost a job, and so canāt afford a car, has ādrivingā issues the same as someone with a physical challenge that keeps them from driving.</p>
<p>ADHD-inattentive kids have social issues, but AFAICT its secondary to their other problems - they get problems cause friends get tired of them drifting off, or their randomness makes them seem āweirdā or whatever. But they can be just as attuned to social nuance as ānormalā kids, at least when social nuance manages to catch their attention. Indeed, in the right environment (with folks who tolerate the weirdness) they can look very socially adept.</p>
<p>re: the not taking a full course load. My D would absolutely balk. I recommended that she balance her course load as to not be too heavy in the areas that trip her up (i.e. math, foreign languages, science) but she took 4 APs as a senior & did just fine. I think it depends on how well your child accepts the challenges that come with their LD; D took full responsibility for it back in 9th grade & has worked hard on overcoming them since then. Itās second nature to her at this point, but we have reminded her that the school will offer some support services if needed & not to wait until thereās a āproblem.ā Guess weāll see how successful that is next month ;)</p>
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<p>My son took 5 APs junior year and 4 APs senior year and did just fine; but he crashed and burned in college. I wish your D all the best, but make sure she knows the drop date and that she can drop a class if she is in over her head.</p>
<p>Brooklyn, I know of a <em>lot</em> of cases where Aspies were first diagnosed as ADHD-Inattentive. You may think there is a chasm of difference between ADHD-I and Aspergers, but somehow clinicians are not seeing this difference. And, speaking as someone who has ADHD-I and who knows quite a few Aspies including my son and my brother, Iām not seeing it either.</p>
<p>My son was also diagnosed as NVLD, but his current therapist says that (at least in our area) thatās a diagnosis which is no longer given-- anyone formerly labelled with NVLD is now said to have Aspergers. And as RobD said, NVLD has never been in the DSM and seemingly wonāt be in the DSM in the future. </p>
<p>Iām sorry to say, it saddens me to see the parents of HS 2010 Aspies saying the same cheerful, optimistic things I said at this time last year.</p>
<p>Parents of 2010/2011 Aspies, donāt underestimate the support you are giving your child at home. You and the high school are providing a structure that wonāt be there in college.</p>
<p>āIām sorry to say, it saddens me to see the parents of HS 2010 Aspies saying the same cheerful, optimistic things I said at this time last yearā</p>
<p>Donāt be sad, everyoneās situation is different and things can work out well in the right environment. So far, after a year, everything has been better than we could have ever hoped for. An Aspie following their interests in a socially accepting environment can do exceedingly well.</p>
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<p>Would you say that your child has executive function issues? I know a young woman with the personality issues of Aspergerās, but with none of the executive function problems. She really doesnāt have friends and has never dated, but just graduated from a highly selective university with a terrific GPA.</p>
<p>āWould you say that your child has executive function issues?ā</p>
<p>I donāt think so. So much concentration, itās completely opposite of ADHD, as some Aspies are. Very smart, but generally only highly motivated by subjects that interest him. Not overly concerned with grades (to our dismay), but doing better in a challenging college than he was in high school. And much more social than he was in high school. When I say ādoing betterā, I mean on all countsā¦grades, social, friends, activities, interactions, happiness, self awareness and responsiveness.</p>