Sweeby, I know this is so hard for you AND for your son. As a special ed teacher, I can throw out a couple ideas that have worked for me with some of my kiddoes. I have had everything from ID (the old MR), LD, ED, PDD, autism... One thing I would ask him if he says that he is not intelligent is what he thinks that means. Introduce him to Howard Gardner's "Seven Intelligences" and he will be able to see which kind of intelligence he has. He needs to know that just because he is not strong on linguistic intelligence or whatever, he may be "people smart" or "art smart" or "music smart" as we explain it to our elementary school kids. There are so many careers that he should be able to find something he loves. His teacher/case manager should already be focusing on vocational goals for/with him Next, I am assuming that he has an IEP, so I would be sure it is addressing not only his academic needs, but also his social, emotional, and transition to work needs. If you don't feel it is doing that, request a meeting. An IEP is a document that can be rewritten at any time if changes are needed. Once a student hits 14, transition planning is a required element of the IEP process. Special education operates under Federal mandates and those are very clear. Some districts do a great job, some...well, not even acceptable. He should be allowed accommodations such as extended time on tests. Our state tests are untimed, but for timed tests, most of my students get extra time-at least time and a half and sometimes more. Check with your state DOE to make sure the school is just not wanting to take the easy way out here. I am not saying they would, but it takes a lot more scheduling time to administer tests to our sped kiddoes since you need extra teachers to administer the tests when not everyone is receiving the same accommodations. For instance, if some get extra time and read-aloud, they need to be in a separate group from those who get only extended time. It is a nightmare for the test coordinator, but it is necessary to ensure that my students receive what has been agreed to on the IEP. Also, the school psychologist and/or counselor may run something like friendship groups during lunch or at other times that can offer specific, direct instruction in a social setting for kids who need help navigating the world of human interactions. Don't be afraid to push back if your son isn't getting what you believe he needs. Every district should have a monitoring and compliance division for parents and students whose concerns are not addressed at the school level. Knowing that he may have to work longer and harder than some others is a good lesson, but it can also be extremely frustrating and discouraging if he realizes his entire life may be one of always having to work longer and harder and never achieving as much. He needs to find his passion and then everyone can work together to see that he can incorporate that into his future in some way.

Once again Bravo! And shame on OMM! Come on, OMM, aren't there some hungry children to feed or some homeless to shelter? Isn't it time to stop wasting so much time and energy over who someone loves? After all, if this really is about God, he is about love. And I don't think he'd be thrilled with your hateful behavior. Besides, this is setting a terrible example for your children. Since it's them you claim to protect, shouldn't you be teaching them that everyone is equal and God loves all his little children? The time to come together is now. This stuff is a foolish diversion. Here is a link that might be useful: Penney's Father's Day ad

First let me preface this by saying that I am a speech-language pathologist who works with very young children (18 months up to age 5). It is good that the first child is getting some help. He may need additional help to succeed in school, however. His parents need to keep an eye on his progression and seek additional services if he needs them. That may even include some special education as he tends to have some memory retention issues. He sounds dyspraxic, but the learning issues are altogether a different thing. Both children should be seen by a Pediatric Neurologist to get an official diagnosis. ADD, ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, and autistic spectrum disorders tend to run in families. They are now finding a genetic link in autistic spectrum disorders. The second child needs to have a complete early intervention evaluation completed. This is usually a free evaluation. He sounds to be on the autistic spectrum with sensory disorders and like his older sibling may have some motot planning issues, as well. His social skills are lacking and his ability to communicate are hindered. The sooner his treatment begins the better. I have worked with children as young as 18 months with communication disorders. Sensory integration disorders can be specifically diagnosed by an Occupational Therapist who specializes in these disorders. There are tests that can access this area. These are the kids that may walk on their toes to avoid touching sand or other surfaces, dislike certain foods or textures, may have trouble sleeping, may be very active getting into everything or avoid touching things altogether. These are the kids that may crash into things or people or have trouble keeping their hands to themselves. They may have trouble controlling their emotions. They often have trouble playing appropriately with toys, too. ALL children in the autistic spectrum have sensory integration disorders, but some children can be diagnosed with only sensory integration disorders and have no autistic symptoms. (generally the autisist child tends to be less social with others). Autistic children also can be dyspraxic, but some children are ONLY dyspraxic. Dyspraxia (sometimes called apraxia) is a motor plannning disorder mainly that needs specific treatment for the child. These are the children who cannot imitate words or sounds, but may come out with words spontaneously at times. Some cannot hum, blow bubbles or imitate funny faces. These children eventually do learn to speak. But have more troubles with longer utterances and multi-syllabic words. They may always have some difficulties learning new fine motor skills. I have often seen a number of dyspraxic children with normal intelligence who have above average gross motor skills, but poor fine motor and speech skills. Any child who is having suspected difficulties should be fully tested as early as possible. A parent ALWAYS knows there is a problem, but may not always seek help right away due to denial. PLEASE KNOW that early intervention is very effective. The earlier I get my hands on a child with speech delays the better it will be for that child. The same is true for any child with sensory integration difficulties.

My oldest child, a boy, had autism spectrum disorder. it began to manifest itself at age 18 months and was diagnosed at age 3. Therapists at that time did not trust early age diagnosis because of other diseases masquerading as autism. For our case, a definite diagonsis was decalred at age 3. We had a heartbreaking time of it. We could not afford proper treatment and insurance did not cover "mystery" diseases. Our kid was antisocial and clever. He exhibited two personalities: one when he was in our presence and another when he was beyond our control or knowlege. He strove to keep these two lives separated, but when the two spheres of existance happened to meet, he tried to shrink into nothing like trying to melt into the floor. For example, one time he was with us when we were standing in line at the village hall to vote. Suddently, he dropped to the floor and covered his head. We were puzzled. The problem: He had spied his school teacher in the line next to us. We had never met this treacher, but we happened to say a casual hello to each other. We had another problem with school. He was an odd-ball at school and others began to either shun or tease him. His anger was held until it spilled over the break point and he would explode on someone. Sometimes, it was not the proper object, but another child who was nearby and whom he knew he could best. The second and major problem was the attitude of school personnel. This problem was festering and they never contacted us until it had gotten out of control. One day, he split he lip of a little girl and chipped her tooth. I beleive her parents were threatening legal action against the school, and it was at this point when the school authorities first contacted us. We were hauled in to inform us our son was being thrown out of school. This was the first time the school contacted us, and it was the first time we became aware of the problem. He had just become a 1st grader and was being tossed out. Nothing was ever done about teasing. There is more to this story and parental tears, but I'll wrap it up with the outcome. We moved to a different school system and when he came to live with us again, he entered his freshman year in high school. At graduation, he won the "most improved" student. He's now 45 years old, living away from home, and managing to hold a job to earn barely enough to pay his rent and food. He still has a couple of personal demons to resist, but these affect only him. One demon he has defeated. We are proud of his progress. It is much more than the progonosis of his childhood. It has taken much support tempered with iron will from his parents. On thing I will say is never give up, and do not accept inappropriate behavior. Do not respond to inappropriate behavior, but always be alert and always respond positivetly to appropriate behavior. As an adult, maintain contact and include him in the family circle. Make a point to visit with him on...