First off, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

I attended the pre-eligibility conference yesterday. Everything has been rushed to get done before the Holiday. I did get some interesting information from the school psychologist. I tried to write everything down as she was dictating it to me, (she would not give me a written copy of the results ahead of the meeting). I may have missed a few things, but I think I got most of what she told me down. It seems like DD10 should get services for autism and possibly OT, but what specific goals should be focused on for her IEP? There is so much information to sift through. Is there anyone who has services for their child that could comment? I was surprised at how poorly DD10 scored on the BASC-2 and the CELF-5. Those results were really hard to hear. What do scores of severe on the SRS-II mean? I had always thought DD10 was rather high functioning. This makes me wonder. DD10 seemed to be doing much better this year. She is still very forgetful and needs a lot of help getting dressed and ready in the morning, but seems to be taking more responsibility for herself than she has in the past. I am just wondering what services I should request for DD10 this year?

BASC-2 (Behavior and Adaptive Behaviors)

Areas noted by all 3 teachers and parents:

1. Hyperactivity
2. Atypicality
3. Adaptability
4. Social Skills
5. Activities of Daily Living
6. Externalizing emotions
7. Depression
8. Withdrawal
9. Functional Communication
10.Somatization


BRIEF (for Executive Function)

The following areas of concern were noted on the questionnaire:

1. Inhibition
2. Shift
3. Emotional Control

These three summarize the Behavior Regulation Index which is elevated for DD10

4. Initiation
5. Working Memory
6. Planning and Organization
7. Monitoring

These four make up the Meta-Cognition Portion of the test, which was elevated for DD10.


Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS-II)

This questionnaire measures interpersonal communication, and autistic behaviors. Responses are listed in normal, mild, moderate and severe classifications.

4th Grade teacher: 68 (Moderate)

3rd Grade teacher: 80 (Severe)

Gifted teacher: Normal

Me: 80 (Severe)

DH: 80 (Severe)

Areas of Concern noted on questionnaire:

Social Awareness: (Recognizing Social Cues) It was noted that DD10 seemed comfortable being “out of step” with other children and unconcerned about fitting in with other kids. Also significant difficulty with modulating the volume of her voice and general inappropriate loud talking

Social Cognition: (The ability to interpret social signals) It was noted here that DD10 had difficulty with the typical back and forth of conversation.

Social Communication: It was noted here that DD10 had significant difficulty maintaining eye contact. She can initiate eye contact, but quickly looks away and will stare behind the person she is talking to.

Social Motivation: (The extent to which she engages peers). There were mixed responses to this from those filling out the questionnaire.

Restrictive and Repetitive Behaviors: It as noted that DD10 had many rigid, inflexible behaviors and difficulty with changes to routine.


Behavioral Observations

Behavioral observations of DD10 during various classroom activities and special classes (art, library) were completed by the school psychologist and the Language Diagnostician.

DD10 was observed during library and was seen arguing with another child. Her interactions with other children were observed and it was noted that DD10 experienced frequent rejection by peers when she initiated attempts to interact with them.

DD10 was also observed during art class. DD10 had missed several art classes due to being pulled out of class for testing. While she had been absent, the art teacher had rearranged the seating. When DD10 came to class, she noticed there was another student sitting in her seat. DD10 was very distressed and looked very confused. The teacher informed her of the change and directed her to her new seat. DD10 did eventually sit in her new seat, and seemed to accept the change. However, when she sat down, she turned to a student sitting near her and told him he was sitting in the wrong seat. The school psychologist also noted that although DD10 was capable of transitioning to a new activity, she did so very slowly and was always lagging behind everyone else in the class. DD10 can follow directions and did have some positive peer interactions during the observation period.


ADOS, Autism Diagnostic Observation Scales

The ADOS scales were administered by the language diagnostician and a speech pathologist. The school psychologist observed the administration of the ADOS. The ADOS looks at several criteria to diagnose autism: Social skills, Play Skills, Reciprocal Communication, and Restrictive and Repetitive Behaviors. It was noted that DD10 was happy, social and cooperative during the testing period. Several areas of concern were noted:

Eye contact: Although DD10 was capable of initiating eye contact, and seemed to realize that some amount of eye contact was necessary, she could not sustain eye contact and eye contact was fleeting during one on one conversation.

Conversation Skills: Although DD10 was eager to initiate conversation, her conversations were one-sided. When asked about her recent vacation with her Grandmother, DD10 was eager to discuss it. However, when the language diagnostician interrupted her and mentioned that she too had recently gone on a vacation, DD10 did not respond appropriately by asking about her vacation and went right back to discussing her own vacation experience.

Hyperactivity: DD10 had lots of movement during the evaluation period. She was seen to rub her leg against the table repeatedly during the test period and fidgeted in her seat. The language diagnostician noted that she felt this activity was sensory seeking and not necessarily a hyperactive behavior. Follow up from the Occupational Therapist was requested regarding a Sensory evaluation.

Play Skills: This was centered on DD10’s ability to participate in make-believe play. Although DD10 was eager to participate in the make-believe play, it was noted that she needed to control the play and dictated the roles and actions of the play participants.

CELF-5, Pragmatic Language Evaluation

The CELF-5 is a pragmatic language evaluation and looks at conversations skills and other communication methods (non-verbal communication). This test was administered by the language diagnostician and the responses were completed by DD10’s teacher. The scores are scaled, with an average score being 10. DD10 scored a 3 on this test, indicating a significant degree of difficulty with pragmatic language and basic conversation skills. Areas of concern identified on the test were:

Conversation Skills

1. Maintaining Eye Contact
2. Make relevant responses to conversation
3. Able to adjust language to follow conversation
4. Having a sense of humor and understanding jokes
5. Able to join or leave a conversation properly
6. Often make comments and respond to others actions appropriately
7. Responding to others when spoken to
8. Responding appropriately to directions
9. Give and ask for directions at an appropriate time
10. Ask permission to perform a task when necessary
11. Apologize when appropriate


Non-verbal Communication Skills

1. Read and interpret facial expressions
2. Greeting others appropriately
3. Interpreting tone of voice in conversation
4. Interpreting body language appropriately
5. Detecting voice intonation during conversation
6. Interpreting expressive gestures appropriately
7. Matching facial expression to her own verbal responses
8. Keeping an appropriate body distance with others and maintaining personal space

Fine Motor Skill and Gross Motor Skill


These evaluations are still pending. A fine motor skill evaluation has been completed, as well as, a gross motor evaluation. Results will be presented at the eligibility conference. There is still a sensory evaluation pending from the occupational therapist.