Thank you so very much for your reply! You probably just gave me the most insightful guidance and suggestions that I've ever received about my son. I can't begin to describe my feelings. I wasn't able to find any other kid like him in the local ASD group or gifted group. I have people telling me that I should stop labeling my smart kid with a disability, and also people who are completely dismayed by his behaviors, and think that he "chooses" to misbehave. Thank you for reminding me again that every 2e is different. At least now I know my struggles are being understood here.
The disparities within cluster areas are interesting. I did notice the 25th percentile vs. 95th within working memory, but as you pointed out, the other intra cluster differences are notable too. His inconsistency and unpredictability is something we've been struggling with. He sometimes appears to have "lost" a skill that he had mastered a few months back, e.g. the same puzzle that he had solved with ease before, or a word that he used to know how to spell. Again, I understand he's still very young, and that's probably normal. Similarly, there isn't one single strategy that works well with him, or a single area of topic/activity that will always interest him. It requires a lot of creativity to engage him.
Thank you for theorizing why he'd avoid writing. Do you think we should ask for accommodation to reduce the demands of writing? I understand this would help his behavior and that it's not his fault to feel frustrated, but somehow this request feels "wrong" to me. As you know, letter formation/writing is a large part of the kindergarten curriculum. As kids get older, the requirement for writing (or typing) will only become more demanding, and he may never catch up. In contrast, I don't mind not attending to all of his academic/cognitive needs right now, because I know he can quickly catch up on those later.
The scheduled adult check-in suggestion is a very interesting idea! I will definitely mention that and see if it works.
He is in an "inclusion" classroom with another special needs kid and 20+ others, half day kindergarten. He will be getting small group pragmatics speech services 30 min a week and one-on-one resource room pull-out twice a week, 30 min each to complete tasks that he refuses to do in class. I absolutely agree that he needs ongoing support throughout the day, on the spot social guidance in the natural setting. We will ask for that.
He will get a positive behavior intervention plan, details remain to be hashed out. Currently, he is being "left alone" as long as he's not causing safety concerns or property damage. He is effectively "allowed" to run around, or scream, or sit idle without doing any work, and he quickly figured out that he has to escalate his behaviors to get the attention he wants from adults. Staff are overwhelmed by him and are not able to respond proactively. I'd imagine his destructive behaviors are also causing emotional responses, and people forget that this is his way of telling us that he actually needs help. Instead, some think that he needs to be given a more serious consequence for misbehavior. We really need the behavior intervention to be positive and preventative.
I know successful intervention really depends on the details of the behavior intervention plan, on the person who will implement the plan, on specific strategies used. It will require a lot of mental power, creativity, and proper training. I am anxious to say the least :S
