See, I realize that BUT my problem is I do not trust that "behavioral specialists" or psychs at the school district righ now to truly understand about my sons particular disabilities and how that affects behavior. It's the same reason I do not trust the psychologist. It's like these people have autism/adhd/odd colored glasses on and constantly see behavior through that lens and it's too easy to mislabel my son. For example, at the WISC when he couldn't do the block design and other visual perception tests. I observed. At the conference when we discussed out observations, I said "I don't think he is seeing properly - I think there is a vison issue or LD" and they kept saying - saying "oh, no, that's not it he is so rigid in his thinking, it shows us he can't see things from others' persepctive." I said basically "something is wrong like vision or dyslexia or something and his anxiety is coming out because he is so intelligent stuck inside a body with an LD that no one understands so he is being treated like he is a behavior disorder." The psych said to me "I have been doing this for twenty years, I know what I am talking about and I htink you are way off base." Well, guess who was right? I was. Because she hasn't been "doing this for twenty years" with my son - she saw him for 20 minutes. Same with the computer example above post. Oh, he is resistant to tasks because he is defiant. Then when I look at the situation, it's not because he is defiant - it's because his visual motor integration level is so low and he is frustrated and feeling dumb and the adults around him don;t undertsand what the problem is either. And you tell these people this stuff and they still don't seem to fully get it... "we don't understand why Ben is so resistant to copying from the board. He is defiant and refuses follow directions" This happens enough that I simply do not trust behavioral specialist and psychologists at all. I just do not trust them anymore. Does that make sense? If I could being in a vision and OT to be the "behavioral support" and educate the teahers and staff, I would do it in a second because they together they usually immediately see the true why behind the behavior and know how to support my DS. But the other people, seem to full of autism/ODD/ADHD.
Another example with reading, my son would become so frustrated with reading his eyes would hurt and tear and he would rub them. One assistant kept saying "stop rubbing your eyes Ben!" acting like he was purposely being defiant or purposely being frustrating - "to avoid the task he was given." She said if he would stop rubbing his eyes like he was told they wouldn't be bothering him. DS beicmes irriate at not being believed and being treated unfairly. He bgins to resent said assisnt, said assistnat thinks DS nneeds to learn how to comly and "follow directions." When that happened in his eye testing the vision therapist knew immediately it was eye strain and that he needed a break. Do you see what I am saying? The assistant treated him like he autism or defiance or ewhatever and lept pushing him to his breaking point. Whern he really needed someone to take 5 seonds to see the kid's eyes really did hurt and he needed a break! and to be tretaed with respect! Even his teacher now, She had trouble with him reading one day - he was skipping words and losing his place. I had wrote her a long detailed email about his vision issues and the accompanying behavior and what he needs. And she is wonderful I do not mean to disparage her. But she emails me and tells me about it and says DS is upset because I want ot bput him on lower readng level and she thinks he is on a lower level because he was skipppong workds and struggling, etc. (which upset DS... but he did not act out about it he was just sad). She ended by saying the "print was fairly big so I do not think it's a vision issue." SIGH. So, I had lead her through the the following questions, (which I had hoped after educating her she would know to ask herself): How late in the day was it and how long had they been doing close-proximity work? (late afternoon) Was he or she pointing at the words with a finger as he read? (no) I said did he use his EZC reader? (no) I told what was up and what to do - he was suffering from fatigue and eyestrain, so I told her give him a break and use EZ reader or finger. He read fluently after that. Fortunately, the teacher and I talked and I was able to intervene. What normally would have happened is teacher would have moved DS down, would not understand/accomodate properly for DS's vision and Ds would become resentful and angry at feeling stupid and being misundertsood and then the behavior charts come out and the school psych comes out to force Ds to be more cooperative. And when Ds further detriorates and then "it's oh he has ______ disorder and needs "behavioral therapy or whatever." It is sooooooo frustrating! Teacher has his reports and my email and still she couldn't see what was immediately obvious to me. If some "behavioral specialist" goes into that situation and "supports" by treating him like he has a disorder that he does not and without truly understandering the impact his intelligence and his physical limitations have on him, I think it could rerally be disasterous for DS.
Am I making sense?
Or am I crazy
