<p>My son had an epic fail his first college semester. Current GPA is .12 ! And, he passed with a C- one class this semester, a "gimmee" dean's seminar, failing 4 other classes.</p>
<p>Back ground info:My son graduated HS with honors, started at a good private school in the honor's program, computer science major. He transferred in 23 college credits earned in HS, again with a terrific GPA. He doesn't drink or do drugs (no, roll eyes, not kidding myself about this the kid has lectured me for poor habits) and there is no girl involved, and he swears no video game addiction. His mid-term grades were terrific. He completely fell apart when he had multiple projects due and multiple exams.
He's always been a bit different- not social, hardly talking. Rarely made eye contact until we worked on it with him last year, and didn't know that people expect words like "hi" or "bye". He started college classes at 13 and did well in them except for when he failed to turn in his work. </p>
<p>We suspect high functioning autism, specifically Executive Function disorder. His high school didn't test for that, we live in a rural area. His college doesn't have testing for it either, only AD and ADHD. </p>
<p>Has anyone else experienced this? What worked to fix/fill in for needed higher function skills?</p>
<p>How much help did he get from you when completing assignments while living under your roof? I know quite a few parents who have been “surprised” at the failure of their HS Honors children in college while living away from home. Sometimes, they’re in denial about the percentage of “help” they gave to their children regarding HS assignments. I’m not saying this applies to your situation, but it is something to consider.</p>
<p>Does he have an explanation as to why he did so terribly?</p>
<p>It does sound like an executive function problem (falling apart when he had multiple competing priorities, failing to turn in work), but only time/testing will tell whether it’s a disorder or whether he just never had experience breaking things down into pieces, setting intermediate due dates, and then forcing himself to do the work, even if it’s not due yet.</p>
<p>Did you realize there was a problem before final grades came out?</p>
<p>It seems strange that he had no problems in the first half of the semester (you said mid-term grades were terrific). Things do normally get worse from a scheduling perspective in the second half, but I’m surprised that they got that much worse.</p>
<p>Was he attending class at the end? Was he in any study groups (which would give him peer support in planning time)? Is there any possibility of depression? </p>
<p>I’ve heard of executive function coaches that teach these skills. It might be something that could be done long distance.</p>
<p>Is your son going back to college this semester, or is this a mandatory semester off?</p>
<p>If you suspect “high functioning autism” you may be talking about Asperger Syndrome which is a milder form of autism. Individuals with Aspergers have high IQs and tend to be quirky or different with poor or limited social skills. Have him evaluated by a Neurologist to confirm or rule out a diagnosis. They can also assess for executive functioning disorders or ADHD. Many kids with Aspergers are initially misdiagnosed with ADHD. If he does have a disorder he may be entitled to accommodations in colleges such as extra time,etc. Every college has an office of disabilities so look into that, as well. Good luck!</p>
<p>What courses did he take this semester?</p>
<p>What courses transferred in?</p>
<p>I have a nephew with Executive Function problems but he went into a one-year program that explicitly deals with it and now is in their regular college and doing well. I’m not sure that this is what your son has. Perhaps he bit off too much first semester. It does happen.</p>
<p>S has had Executive Function problems since Kindergarten (not autism), and it sounds nothing like what you are describing. I think there is something else at work here.</p>
<p>Is this the S that was home-schooled? Did you actually SEE mid-term grades, or did he just tell you? What were the courses he failed?</p>
<p>Did your pediatrician ever suggest something neurological during check-ups? Even in a rural area, a doctor who regularly sees neuro-typical child development might have picked up on something over the years. Was his affect or personality something you were concerned about before he left for college???</p>
<p>You should get your son evaluated by an educational psychologist. Expect a multi-hour evaluation, including many psychological tests. </p>
<p>Everything you say about him is consistent with an autism syndrome disorder like Aspergers. In fact, everything you say about him is the classic way that kids with Aspergers crash and burn when they get to college. But there are other possible explanations as well, and we are just people on the Internet. You should have him seen by a professional.</p>
<p>It is not strange that he was doing well for the first half of the semester, and then fell apart. As organizational demands get bigger, the person with executive function problems can’t manage. Everything falls apart. [A neurotypical might say-- but why does everything fall apart? Why don’t just some things fall apart? Why doesn’t the person prioritize, and get some things done? BECAUSE THEY HAVE EXECUTIVE FUNCTION DISORDER, that’s why.] It would also not be unheard-of for the student to minimize his difficulties until the truth had to come out.</p>
<p>Also, (((hugs))). The exact same thing happened to me three years ago: bright son went away to college with high hopes, then crashed. It’s not easy or fun to be involved in it. You’re entitled to be sad. If your son has Aspergers or some other kind of executive function disorder, it is not your fault, and it is not his fault.</p>
<p>Can we get more background?</p>
<p>If he started college courses at 13 how old is he now?</p>
<p>He had no IEP in highschool? You never suspected autism until now? </p>
<p>“He completely fell apart when he had multiple projects due and multiple exams.”</p>
<p>Interesting, but this couldnt have been the first time in his academic career he had multiple projects due at the end of the semester. How has he coped with this in the past? </p>
<p>What were the course he failed? If he had done so much CC prework in highschool was he taking all CS courses? There is a limit to how much programing you can have floating around in your brain before the threads start mixing up. I used to keep the programs in my head and let them gestate, mulling over approaches and then do the keying all at once. This works well, except if you have three projects due in one week, in which case its painful.</p>
<p>I would be very aggressive in finding treatment for your son. Not to be completely alarmist but the onset of schizophrenia or bi-polar disorder (for instance) typically happens around your son’s current age and some of his symptoms are consistent with their onset. I would start with a neurologist, not an educational psychologist which would be would be too narrow and their services are typically very expensive and not covered by insurance (if that is a concern).</p>
<p>I agree with several of the points here. I would spend the time and money getting him evaluated by a psychiatrist who has experience with teens and young adults. I’m alarmed by the statement "he started college classes at 13. How old is your son? I also think you should do some soul searching about how much were you supporting him through high school when he had to multi-task. Hopefully if you tackle both ends of this you can find the path. Are you keeping him home after the holidays or is he heading back to his college?</p>
<p>Why a neurologist? If it’s schizophrenia or bipolar wouldn’t you want a psychiatrist or psychologist? And if it’s autism, you definitely want a psychiatrist or psychologist.</p>
<p>There may be some other medical problems that a neurologist could rule out before or concurrent with using other specialists.</p>
<p>A neuropsychologist can do a diagnostic evaluation and complete battery of tests.</p>
<p>^^Agree with Cardinal Fang.</p>
<p>I hate to say this, because you want to give him another chance, but… you should not send him back to college right now.</p>
<p>At this point you may want to speak with his medical doctor first who can then refer you to the proper professional. It could be a Neuro-psychologist or a neuro-psychiatrist or even a developmental pediatrician. He may need a complete Psychological and Educational evaluation. There are no medical tests for Aspergers Disorder. It is diagnosed based on clinical assessment, parent report, and rating scales completed by parents and teachers. It’s important to get the proper diagnosis because that will affect the treatment plan and subsequent recommendations. I’m a School Psychologist for the past 25 years, by the way.</p>
<p>I would not send him back for the Spring semester. Request a leave of absence and figure out what’s going on with him. </p>
<p>According to past posts, you home schooled him because of your dissatisfaction with your district’s HS program. By chance, did they recommend an evaluation while he was attending the school?</p>
<p>carly135, when you say “clinical assessment,” that will include standardized tests, right? At least, when my son was diagnosed with Aspergers as a teenager, they used parent reports, rating scales completed by us, a rating scale completed by him, an interview or two and a battery of psychological tests (IQ tests and some other kinds of standard tests). Usually they’d use teacher reports as well, though that didn’t apply for us because we were homeschooling.</p>
<p>When the OP said her son started taking college classes at age 13, I thought he might be a homeschooler. It’s usual for bright homeschoolers to start taking college classes starting at 13, 14 or 15. There’s nothing surprising about that.</p>