DS now has ASD diagnosis (Asperger's type), ADHD-combined type, and very thorough NP report. I received it yesterday so am just now processing this via "emotion" and need a quick-start into "advocacy" before 504 today.

Thankfully, the neuropsych recommends he continues in gifted programming while receiving services. She said with his cognitive profile, we do not want to encourage accommodations or programming that "lets him off the hook" and he will best develop skills for managing EF deficits and social communication in context of challenging curriculum and gifted peers.

Whew! Now if I can convince the school.

Glad you finally got the report. Does it say anything about school services, for example for social skills or organizational skills? Because then you probably need an IEP. I hope your meeting goes well.

Yes, it specifically states IEP eligibility should be discussed and makes recommendations for services.

Does the school have to conduct their own eval or can they use this report? I mean, if I can get them to agree to consider IEP.

eco, I'm glad you finally have a diagnosis and a strong report to back it up. I hope that it helps you in advocating with your school (it should!) - and I hope your advocacy will help your ds' teachers understand him better this year.


You need to throw away the doubt ("If I can get them to consider") - they have to consider a request by a parent. You need to put in a written request for an evaluation for *eligibility* for an IEP based on ____ (each and all of your concerns). You can include the diagnosis and report in your request. The school will then *have* to call an eligibility team meeting at which they will discuss whether or not they feel it's appropriate to evaluate your ds for services under an IEP. Then they evaluate and decide if he is eligible (unless they don't feel he needs to be evaluated, in which case you appeal). And if they evaluate and find him not eligible you still have avenues to appeal. It's also quite possible that given the report you have, the school might at least agree right off that they will evaluate him or they could even potentially go straight to giving him an IEP without a further evaluation.

I'd make the written request right away - because IEP evaluation processes can take time. The school district has deadlines for evaluations (the length of time depends up on the state and school district policies), but even with a "short" timeframe it still usually takes time to pull together a meeting with the full team, and to get testing/etc scheduled if the team feels further info is needed for the evaluation.

Good luck!

polarbear

School districts are required to consider the results of any independent eval a parent has done (whether it's paid for by the district or something the parent obtains privately and pays for themselves).

Our district is unfortuantely run by a slew of incompetent people and we had a private neuropsych report on DS after he had a brain injury. It had abnormal test findings and a bunch of diagnosis codes and recommendations. Our district completely ignored the report and told me he would never qualify for anything (without even evaluating him themselves). I could have filed a complaint for "child find" violations, and/or taken them to due process. I called the State and the district was aware of this, and luckily for them, turned things around before I did anything.

They can use the report and the scores, but will probably want to do their own eval as well. There are certain things that have to be documented for the State. It depends on what category they are assessing or trying to make him eligible for, but they may need to do classroom observations, achievement testing that wasn't done, checklists, etc.

Our district specifically asked if they could use the IQ scores we had obtained previously (privately) for both kids, and I'm glad, because otherwise they would have given them the CogAT. The reason they wanted to use those scores is to minimize the amount of testing they had to do themselves. If they had it their way, they wouldn't have done any eval at all.

Eco, to echo (ha!) the others: If you request it, they *must* evaluate for an IEP. They also must do their own evaluation, but they can choose to include your external evaluation in place of their own testing.

Just to add on to blackcat's experience - and I hope this doesn't happen to you, but something to be aware of. We had a similar experience with a school that simply wanted to tell us "no" repeatedly to any and every request. It was *really* helpful to consult with an outside advocate rather than just accepting what the school had to say - we found out in the course of advocating for IEP services for our ds that our school was actually in trouble for previous violations of Federal Law re IEP/504 denials and was close to actually losing their Federal Funding. The advocate gave us the words to use to make the requests we were seeking, and having those specific words really helped. wrightslaw advice really helps too - if you haven't read "From Emotions to Advocacy" I'd get a copy.

Best wishes,

polarbear

In my experience, IEP teams have been very happy to accept outside evals in lieu of school-based testing. The schools I've worked in typically add classroom observation, teacher reports, and record review. In my state, the submission of a comprehensive outside eval also starts the clock for a team meeting, just as completion of a school-based eval does, which then must be convened within 10 school days. Your state regs may vary.

Also be sure to point out that your testing was recent so if they want to do their own testing that may affect their ability to stay within your state's timing requirements. Aeh can provide more info but they would probably need at least 6 months until they can retest using the same instruments.

When you go to your child's 504 meeting, to discuss his non-existent executive function...and find out you wrote down the wrong date.

Yes, really.

Last time I went for 504, walked in (empty) classroom and found DS' eyeglasses on the floor.

The poor kid never stood a chance.

The meeting is actually Monday, the 24th.

There is a whole lot of "teacher data" in the report. Both narrative and results of BRIEF and BASC, maybe some other things--I'm kind of fried and don't remember it all. I don't think any reasonable person could look at what the teachers reported and claim his disability isn't having an effect on his education.

Also, this evaluation was done on recommendation of both program coordinator and program counselor, using a person they recommend. That should help, I think.

I know they have to do something, but the two previous times I asked for evaluation it was turned down based on "record review." As far as I can tell, that just means the process coordinator looked at his grades and test scores and said NO. Maybe I'm missing something.

Both times I asked were in response to teachers telling me there were concerns about DS and both times they already had some outside evidence (psych eval and multiple DSM diagnoses, from two different sources).

I do think having had hell year last year should help. Before, DS seemed to be pretty well-received and the behaviors were all ADHD type things but not seriously problematic, well controlled with medication. He always performed well before and everyone seemed to like him.

I would call a parent advocate if you have a group in your state, and review the history of advocating you've been through so far. I'd also submit your written request for an IEP eligibility evaluation. They *can* turn your request down, but the school district should have some type of appeal process in place. Advice from a local advocate was beyond invaluable for us when we were advocating for an IEP. We found our group by looking through the yellowpages at wrightslaw.org

Best wishes,

polarbear

I have an advocate through local non-profit. I met with her today and then dragged her to the meeting (that wasn't scheduled). She is really helpful already and didn't even mind my epic scheduling fail. She said when you have a kid like hers (ha!), you learn to take a broader perspective on things like little schedule mess-ups.

I am still kind of in an OMG-did-I-really-do-that space. My brain isn't running on full throttle, evidently.

Splorf!!

At least you arrived too early, instead of too late. Good luck on Monday.

Eco, oh, my. Love to you and DS, the tree and the apple that didn't fall too far.

Yay! More time to digest the report! Fabulous.



Silver linings and all that.

OK, since you now have a bit more time with the data and report, contemplate the following exercise.

Write down each difficulty you see your DS having. Try and make it as concise as possible, like "Difficulty interpreting written directions."
Next to it, list all the evidence you have for that difficulty. Start with testing, go to teacher data, direct quotes from the neuropsych report, and finish with anecdotal comments starting with teachers then yours (include dates and direct quotes). Move to the next difficulty, and repeat the process.

When I have anecdotal evidence in my list from emails, I keep a printout of the email
in a separate stack with the date and sender highlighted, organized in date order, so that I can find each one in turn.

I did this to get a math goal in an IEP for a child whose WJ math scores are the highest scores in all of the IQ and WJ testing.

The minimum retest interval is 2 years for cognitive and some neuropsych instruments, and 6 months for achievement and most other assessments, except those specifically designed for progress monitoring.

Believe me, most assessment professionals in the schools are not looking to duplicate outside testing, if they can avoid it. We have enough to do already! 😀

Thank you, and I agree! I am never late anywhere but this may have been a little overboard.
<3

Yes, there is little possibility of a switched-at-birth scenario...
This was my thought process, absolutely. I wasn't ready for the meeting, still a little hijacked by the new dx. Even though I expected it, it's going to take a little time to process. The advocate was having me practice what I'll say and I was doing a lot of stammering--so this extension is a bonus.
I am going to do this, exactly. One thing I'm still mulling over is whether or not I should bring up some things that aren't exactly my son's struggles, but are about perceptions of/reactions to his more off-putting behaviors. Related to his difficulties but not his per se. I think his teachers were professional in their demeanor toward him last year, with one rather notable exception--that was out of control and abusive. I don't think that will ever happen again, but it's well-documented and I think it makes a good case for having a behavior plan in place.

As an aside: DS told me today that he thinks my email to one of his teachers "backfired" because she spent a good deal of time in class "showing him how to put a piece of paper in a folder." LOL! I told him I think that's great--it sounds like she is trying to support him and that he historically has not demonstrated this ability.

He is NOT amused. He told me it was entirely "patronizing." I asked him what he did--he just sat there saying, okay, okay, okay. I asked if he was embarrassed--nope. But he said that even his buddy agreed with him that it was "patronizing."

This is going to be a long road.

I am really trying to see the humor in some of this situation. My sister and I were reading through the NP report today and literally LOL'ing at some of his oddball statements during testing. Or, rather, at what the NP thought were good examples of oddball statements. For us, they all seemed pretty normal, par for the course in our experience (and in our family at-large).

I think addressing the off-putting behaviors is pretty important. Think about those sorts of behaviors carried into college or a professional setting. He needs better coping skills.

Depends on why he's behaving like this, could it be
"Difficulty adjusting his sense of humor to the situation."

or

"Difficulty positively advocating for his needs." ?

We also have a lot of problems with teachers figuring out how to aim their help for my kids. "Hey, my kid is anxious about X and the result is Y" ends up with the teacher being sickeningly sweet and reassuring, when really they just need to cough up information.

I do want the social behaviors addressed--what I meant was, do I even bring up the past stuff? Or just save it with my documentation if there is a need to provide evidence that bad things happen when people don't understand?

I don't even want to think about, much less talk about, last year. I am pretty sure DS is doing really well right now (yay!), though, so if they were to go into the classroom at this moment in time, not sure they'd see a significant need for support.

We need a plan for when things aren't going well...

I think ultimately what you want is an IEP with a BIP (behavior intervention plan). The BIP specifies how troubling behaviors are to be dealt with. Now, usually it's used for aggression or disruption, but it can also be used very effectively for the case of "teachers are perpetually annoyed."

Make yourself a chart: Problematic behavior (or SS deficit); what has happened in the past and ultimate result of that action; exactly how you think that behavior should be addressed in order that DS learn what he needs to learn.

This chart is not necessarily to share with the team (though you can if you phrase it just right)-- it's to get your head around what in the situation has to change to get the learning done and gradually make everyone feel better about everything.

The BIP is basically columns 1 and 3: how each unwanted behavior will be addressed by the school. What steps they will take to prevent it, if it occurs what they will do about it.

The nice side effect of a BIP is that when teachers are annoyed, it makes them feel their concerns are being taken seriously. But it also outlines steps they are obligated to follow when there is specified unwanted behavior. That is, it can contrain their negative reactions and teach them how to respond most productively.

How do I characterize "disrespectful" and "unsupportive" behaviors in terms of SS?

I was rarely able to extract concrete, specific examples from teachers last year. They'd say: he needs to be supportive of his classmates or he is rude and disrespectful but when I'd ask "in what ways" or "can you give me a specific example" would receive no response.

I do have some examples of problem behaviors but those are mostly about excessive talking, interrupting, or getting up from his seat.

One thing mentioned in report was that he does not exhibit behaviors that facilitate positive teacher interactions. NP told me in conversation that refers to not thanking or seeming grateful to teachers when they "go above and beyond" for DS. What do I call that?

P.S. I am trying to train DS to smile more. When he does, he is darling because he has dimples and is really cute. His normal school countenance is Resting B Face--very serious. This is partly due to medication.

Is there a way to teach smiling?

You would make a social language goal in the IEP (has to be specific and measurable). Objectives could look something like this:

--DS will thank a teacher who has helped him at the end of the interaction, measured in 3/5 trials over three periods of the day [could be specified; you want to specify settings that will be assessed]

--DS will wait until a teacher is available to speak to him in order to begin interaction appropriately, measured in 3/5 trials over three periods of the day

--DS will be out of his seat only once more than typical peers...

I don't know if you actually want to extinguish the last one right away. It may make everything worse. You may want to put into the plan that he can have three out of seat tickets per day, given him at the start of the day, and just has to hand one to the teacher to get a break.

Oh, here's one:

--When a teacher states that she is angry, DS will calmly ask for explanation of the situation in 3/5 trials...

--When DS understands that he has done something wrong [have to work on this one, it's not truly objective and measurable yet], DS will apologize using a calm tone of voice in 3/5 trials...

Thank you! You are exactly right, what we need is the BIP. According to my sources (other parents), it is possible to get the BIP with 504--but the 504 coordinator indicated they prefer to do that with IEP.

On a different-but-related note: I just sent my first "weekly check-in" yesterday, and received feedback from three of his teachers so far.

Here's what I heard, among other things, ALL POSITIVE --
"He is a pleasure to have in class."
"His interactions with me and classmates have all been positive and I am happy to have him in my class."
"He has been on task and engaged."
He currently has As in his classes, whew!

Honestly, after the year we had last year, I feel like framing these emails. I told DS his teacher said he was a pleasure, and DS said: "I don't know why, I'm just sitting there doing my work." LOL! I do think he liked hearing it, though, because he was smiley. His face is kind of his tell. He *does* want people to like him--NP said he told her when people don't like him, there's nothing he could do about it, so he opts not to care. I think I can use that information for a social language goal, about reciprocity, perhaps?

Now I have to wait and see what the other teachers have to say, but I'm feeling very encouraged. FWIW, I think this is mostly attributable to med changes, which are going very well.

eco, I'm so glad your ds has had good reports this school year and that things are going better! I hope things at school continue to improve


FWIW, my DCD ds has very flat facial expressions except when he's laughing. He also has a monotone voice and is difficult to hear when he speaks because he speaks so quietly. I don't know have any professional advice for you, but since your ds is in middle school (I think?) you might try just explaining to him what other people expect to see. That's part of the approach we take with our ds - the other part is he's been in speech therapy and his speech therapist worked with him on facial expressions also.

Best wishes,

polarbear

I don't think "what they expect to see" will mean a lot to DS (at least it hasn't so far) but I am really excited to see that facial expressions could be part of S/L therapy. I am going to ask for his pragmatic language skills to be evaluated (if the school won't accept NP report that is filled with social communication challenges). I'm assuming that is where the "facial expressions" piece would be filed?

This will be a key piece of learning for DS. Have a look at Michelle Garcia Winner's Social Thinking curriculum.

http://socialthinking.com/ -- search by age for middle school materials

A school or private SLP could (should) be working on this with him.

(obligatory disclaimer: I do not agree with Winner's positions against ABA therapy; but her curriculum materials are useful.)


Yes-- if you can find the right person to deliver the services.

Some school SLPs are trained to deal with articulation issues but not really social communication issues. In this regard, usually the fresher-out-of-school, the better.

ETA: p.s. In addition to direct instruction from the SLP, DS would benefit from having pushed-in services (could be SLP or Intervention Specialist) who would give him feedback on his interactions at various points in his day. This is needed in order to generalize the skills.

I am so excited for you and DS!

Looked at the Winner materials--is your suggestion that we do some of this (formal curriculum) at home, or that I find someone familiar with it to help, professionally?

There is a SLP program at the university here--they said they could work with DS on pragmatics, but at that time I was still waiting for the report. They didn't offer this information, but a teacher friend told me they will work on sliding scale (they don't accept insurance), so I may make further inquiries, once I find out what the school is willing to do.


I find his stories pretty amusing, too, and am noticing that he actually told me this (progress). I worry that he is non-receptive to the point of being surly and off-putting.

Thing is, DS really does need help with this--not to the level of showing him how paper fits in the notebook (ha ha) but in cueing him to do this.

He also seems to have no understanding of how to ask for and receive help. This happens in all environments.

He *really* has trouble when the class runs long, and time to pack up is rushed. Not sure if that is something that can be addressed by 504.

I really think he needs help in the context that causes the most trouble--school.

I received another feedback email, also positive, but it contained the phrase "he was good in class." Trying not to read too much into that, but the language bothers me. The hiring admin keeps hiring brand-new, first year teachers (the one referenced here is one)--which kind of drives me nuts, mostly because this program doesn't have a lot of oversight, so there is nobody to really mentor/monitor--and these kids are complicated!

I have already noticed two important things: the HS teachers are much more responsive and professional in their communication (and also have webpages with important documents and information). Also, the only "seasoned" MS teacher DS has (who has taught in the program for decades) was immediately responsive and professional.

Ideally, an SLP should be involved at school and do some 1:1 (teaching the curriculum) and some push-in service (generalizing the skills learned in the 1:1). Failing that, private SLP could at least teach the skills; in that case an Intervention Specialist could take responsibility for generalizing the skills at school.

Failing that, the parent gets the materials (used; they are very expensive) and does all the teaching. BTDT. I would say the latter is the last resort, because as you note, the place where the deficits are glaring is school. To make gains in that environment, you need support to build those skills and practice deploying them there.


Sounds useful to know.


Yes. He may think he's doing great on organization when he's really followed by a giant cloud of missing paper.

Building self-awareness about deficits without cultivating self-loathing is tricky, but very important. All humans make mistakes, all have weaknesses, but if we know ours at least we can work around them and use safeguards to make sure we turn stuff in. Ultimately this builds a sense of security and confidence in one's capabilities.


This can be learned. It is a hard skill because it has several parts: there is a self-awareness piece (recognizing that one is on the wrong track by comparing what one is doing to what's supposed to be done) and a social communication piece (asking for help appropriately). DS13 required direct instruction on this. We still prompt it sometimes. This can be a SLP or an IS job, or combination.


You can build in organizational skills support. e.g. every teacher checks his planner at the end of every class (and he has permission to be a minute late to the next class if need be); or there's time built in at the end of every day or in study hall where the IS goes through his planner and the gradebook with him to help HIM learn to assess where he is with work and what needs to be taken care of.


Absolutely.


As in, he has a reputation? Wasn't expecting him to be "good", and he was?


HS teachers tend to be more subject-matter specialists than middle school teachers are. They are invested in the kid's learning the actual material they are interested in. A kid who excels in learning the subject matter may be appreciated more by HS teachers than by MS teachers.

However, HS teachers can also have expectations that all the organizational/social learning is already in place: they can be baffled by a kid who needs support in these ways. It can work, but it may require some conversations.

Yes, this makes sense.


Describes last year exactly--we nicknamed him Pigpen (from Peanuts) but the cloud was paper. Ha!

He has always been "okay" with the ADHD diagnosis--but is struggling with the new one, because he thinks of it as a "slur." I think we'll get there: historically, his self-concept is pretty intact. I think this is partly because of the social issues, ironically. Not being aware of others' perceptions can be protective, in a sense.

Yes, the "reputation" thing is troubling. I'm also not crazy about using the word "good" because it implies if he'd had difficulties (I asked about engagement and assignments, social interactions), he'd be viewed as "bad." I'm trying not to worry too much...the perception of him as rotten is the part of this that is most difficult for me. Breathing, letting go...

This is the vibe I'm getting, so far. I shared a brief "challenges and strengths" re: Asperger's kids and so far the teachers are commenting they see the strengths. I can't even explain how happy this makes me--before last year, I'd always had a lot of good feedback to help even out the difficult stuff. It's helpful to be able to share positives with DS, as well.

I hope. Thank you so much for your help!

This has been our experience - although the teachers aren't always necessarily "baffled" - many times with our hs teachers the issue is time - they have anywhere from 4-7 different classes per week with at least 20 students in each class, so they don't want to be bothered with a student who has organizational challenges. Not accepting late work, having everything done a specific way, etc are tools they use to manage a large amount of paper-grading. And things that can be highly challenging to organizationally challenged students

On the flip side, I've found that for the most part our high school teachers are also much more used to having students with accommodations in their classes, and don't argue the "small" stuff like using a cell phone to take a picture of the board, using a laptop to type in place of handwriting / etc.

polarbear

So we had the 504 meeting yesterday. I asked for teachers to check planner (or phone picture) and that was deemed unreasonable because of what you reference above (so many students, etc.) That even with HS science teacher sitting there saying she does that anyway with lots of kids, informally, who have organizational challenges. DS is supposed to write down assignments and get initials but it's his responsibility. We will see how that goes.

Compromise: DS has a study hall period at the end of the day and that teacher will check planner and send DS to classes to get assignments/initials where he hasn't. I think that will work.

Program coordinator said (and I agree) that by keeping up on electronic gradebook, I should be aware of assignments and due dates. I was able to demonstrate the gradebook is not up to date. So it's now in 504 that teachers record assignments within 24 hours of making them. The program coordinator commented they should be doing that anyway--so she did not feel that's unreasonable. I like that accommodation, although the district 504 coordinator made a comment that "I was getting a lot of accommodations" as if I were being demanding.

Another accommodation is that teachers respond to my email within 24 hours. The assistant principal and program coordinator both stated that this one should be a no-brainer and is expected of teachers in any case. It's now in the 504, though.

IMO, the only accommodations on the 504 that are outside of ordinary good practice are extended time (two class periods) and sending DS to gather info at the end of day. Really, the only times we've utilized the extended time have been when I didn't know about things or they were lost--so it's a safety net, not something I want to encourage for DS. If he weren't at risk of being removed from the program, I'd probably just let him learn some "natural consequences" in many cases (smaller daily assignments, etc.)

I was really uncomfortable at many points in the 504 meeting, because it was clear that school people thought I was being "over the top" in wanting very specific wording about the communication accommodations. When I'd try the "last year this didn't happen and it caused problems" angle, at one point I was instructed to "lay last year to rest and start fresh." So I guess my communication was perceived as complaining, when I really meant it to be informative to the process.

I am also to immediately report non-compliance to the appropriate administrator (one at HS level, one at MS level).

Special Ed process coordinator attended and I handed her my request for eval letter. She took NP report and also made copious notes. She seems very practical and professional. I learned in this meeting that 504 can no longer include BIP.

One point I made in meeting was that medication helps with behavioral issues but does not aid DS in learning social communication or organizational skills. I hope I did a good job being assertive. I did my best to keep it factual--unfortunately, that included needing to correct statements that were not accurate, and that was uncomfortable.

At least it is over.

eco, you did a great job! Good work!


I totally understand how this feels uncomfortable - I've been in very similar situations in meetings with our school and it does feel really uncomfortable. It's important to just remind yourself that if it's feeling uncomfortable, the reason here is that the school staff didn't do *their* job last year - they want to "lay last year to rest" because you have evidence that things were not handled appropriately last year. In this case, with no previous 504, it's perhaps ok for the school to look at this as "a fresh start" - but if the 504 isn't followed or things don't work this year, keep notes and don't be intimidated into not bringing it up at future meetings - learning from what's happened in the past is a very important way of understanding how to provide FAPE to a student who has any type of challenge in the classroom.

Best wishes,

polarbear

Thank you. For clarification, he did in fact have a 504 last year and the school was out of compliance a majority of the year. I honestly didn't know what to do, and didn't handle it right (made a lot of assumptions, based on previous experience), that ended up being very harmful for my DS.

That was the ONLY reason I referred to "last year." I was trying to make the point that when 504 is not adhered to, some really bad things happen.

I am supposed to immediately report non-compliance. So I already have two reports, for crying out loud! I did not bring those up per se but asked for specific language so I would know what to consider compliance or non-compliance.

My example is: I sent weekly check in last Friday morning and have yet to hear from two of the teachers. I needed to know what a reasonable expectation is and now it's written in the 504 that 24 hours is the expectation.

The thing is--it is not my style to be rigid and I see no reason to report this stuff EXCEPT (and this is a huge exception) if there is critical information that I need about my DS that indicates he is not in good shape, mentally and emotionally.

I have a lot of things to do in my life besides hover over the electronic gradebook and take screenshots to make sure nobody's backdating stuff and make unnecessary reports about insignificant events.

I guess I am frustrated, can you tell? OTOH, I realize a lot of this is just a really steep learning curve and we are making a lot of adjustments as we go on.

Thank you for your help!

Thank you! And you are correct. My only objective in any of this is to make sure he is actually learning--both academically and developmentally. I am not "that parent" in wanting him to be a superstar, but I want him to actually learn.

It's a conundrum. He can handle difficult academic concepts but the EF stuff overwhelms him. TBH--it *is* totally overwhelming. Each teacher has their own system, multiple binders, lots of tabs, long term assignments, etc. etc., and that wouldn't be such a problem, except they get a lot of their grade from the ability to manage the systems.

I know he needs to learn this stuff--but it's bothersome it has the potential to exclude him from gifted services, because he could probably pass the midterms and finals with pretty solid percentages without all of the binders. He is an information sponge and really very functional, intellectually.

My high school son has one teacher who has admitted to being very OCD. I told him for heavens sake learn her system(s) of doing things perfectly. The woman luckily is very entertaining so I think he will want to please her (English teacher).

She had a funny story that all the teachers were getting moved around over the summer and she was waking up from nightmares about what if her blue organizational systems didn't match her new room? Was she going to paint? Was she going to have to buy all new stuff? That is what was keeping her up at night. Luckily her new room coordinates with her lovely blue storage boxes.

But yes learning 7 different ways of doing things can be overwhelming.

I just wonder if all the materials management is serving a useful purpose. I know it would be helpful and DS needs a lot of work in this area. But my oldest kid had an "organizational system" (ahem) that basically involved having a huge stack of papers on top of his binder at all times. He took all AP, graduated with 4.3 something, and had a 33 on his ACT. He also is a quick processor so that certainly played a part.

Totally different kid and DS12 would probably lose the stack, as well. But there does seem to be an awful lot of emphasis on the "how" and not the "what" and the "why."