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Asperger's Syndrome, ADHD and PDD-NOS

Learning Challenges

 An old-fashioned phrase that Summit Academy understands well is "making allowances." We understand the challenges faced by students with Asperger's Syndrome, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) and take those challenges into account in our daily interactions with students.

Many of our students exhibit:

     *Trouble with organizational skills, so we use visual strategies to help them stay organized.

     *Problems with abstract thinking, so we use experiential learning to teach new concepts.

     *A low tolerance for change, so we keep to a predictable schedule and teach tolerance for the unexpected in small doses.

     *Difficulties in perspective taking, so we offer explicit instruction in reading the thoughts and feelings of others.

     *Challenging behaviors, so we support children learning to cope with the effects of disabilities while we work with them to help them understand more acceptable ways of communicating their feelings.

At Summit Academy, we celebrate the successes our children have and appreciate the wonderful people that they are!

    

 
  
 
Feedback: Speak Out About Fair Testing for Our Students!
Currently, students with learning disabilities like ADHD, Asperger's, High-Functioning Autism, PDD-NOS and related disorders are given the same standardized test (The Ohio Achievement Test) as non-disabled students. This test clearly discriminates against students with these types of Learning Disabilities, is biased and penalizes them unfairly, and is abusive toward them.

We invite you to leave your comments about this situation and how it unjustly treats our students and our schools. We ask you to urge the Governor's Administration, State Legislators and ODE officials to provide a more useful and accurate measure of academic growth, and provide a more appropriate assessment of academic accountability.





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anisha1124@yahoo.com    8/6/2008 2:44:08 PM
Fair Testing for you and me and that special child
I have a 5yr old son the was recentley diagnosed with aspergers and I cant tell you in words how it makes me feel when I think of how he will perform in school. I myself was a decent student growing up and I had a hard time sitting through those long test. I can not imagine how my son will do having to sit through a test like that when his attention span is so short. I truley believe something needs to be done about this and give our children of the future hope that although they are diffrent they can still strive to be at the top too.
erem@cinci.rr.com    8/6/2008 9:05:40 AM
Fair Testing
Our son is entering third grade at Summit Academy. In our experience, K-12 students with ADHD are poorly served in general education in Ohio our son spent two years in a school district rated "Excellent" and while he did learn adequately there, he was in constant trouble with his teachers and administrators due to his being distracted, hyperactive, and quite frankly, bored. At Summit Academy, he is given personalized attention by his specially-trained teachers, he is taught to his specific learning style, and the instruction he receives is geared to accommodate his attention deficits. As a result, our son is thriving at Summit. Research proves that students with ADHD are at high risk for failing their classes and ping out of school. The consequences of improper education for these children are grave. On the other hand, given the chance to obtain an education specifically tailored to their needs, today''s children with ADHD, such as Einstein and Edison in the past, can thriv
bltms@cinci.rr.com    8/5/2008 12:30:24 AM
state test
I believe all the test accomplish is creating an anxious and unpleasant environment in schools. Children are being judged from a very early age and are "tracked" and often limited due to these test. I was not a great tester in school, but I managed to graduate from college with a Bachelor in nursing, and have remained a competent practitioner for the past 20 years. If I let testing affect my self esteem and limit me, where would I be now. Let teachers teach, and children will learn to love the process of obtaining knowledge. Not just anxiety over tests and often limit there abilities, self-esteem and prospects in life.
deejay777@msn.com    7/30/2008 12:38:30 PM
Fair Testing
I have a 13-year old daughter with Asperger''s, ADHD, and early onset Bipolar Disorder. It took me five years to even get her school to acknowledge that she wasn''t just having "a behavior problem" or wasn''t "being uncooperative." After multiple letters from her doctor and therapist, we were finally able to obtain a 504 and then it took another year to get her IEP!! Because she was "high-functioning" they didn''t want to acknowledge her disabilities. I feel strongly that the current academic and standardized tests unfairly penalize our children. My daughter has only passed ONE of her academic tests in her 8 years of school! The other children talk of their scores, as she is, once again, reminded that she cannot "keep up" with the mainstream. Something must be done to assist our children with disabilities in their educational process. I have found these tests to be more of a hindrance in her educational wellbeing than a help. Let''s make our children feel more accomplished
mrsjones032704@sbcglobal.net    7/28/2008 3:52:43 PM
Ohio Achievement Test
My 7 year daughter was tested this past year in the first grade. She scored above average, even though she cried uncontrollably during most of the test due to anxiety and the fear of failing. Her teacher allowed her additional time to take the test and calm down. She has ADHD, Asperger''s and undiagnosed ODD. According to her IEP for this coming year, she will be allowed additional time to take the test with verbal instructions, if needed. I still worry though, especially when it comes to math, because it has been very difficult for her to master the concept of time and money. I don''t know what the future brings but I can imagine the test will only get more difficult. Accomodations (i.e., more time to take the test, verbal instructions, and visual prompts) are definitely needed in order for her to pass the test.
mamccaffrey@sbcglobal.net    7/17/2008 11:31:44 PM
standardized tests
administering standardized tests to children w/adhd or an asd only serves to perpetuate myths that they are not capable or are " less than "somehow... These tests speak to their deficits and any educated neorpsych or school psych can tell you so...
fidget44035@alltel.net    7/11/2008 3:00:08 PM
Can not say enough good!
My daughter has been with Summit ONE year and the diffrence is night and day! The public school would never test her and the kids never talked to her. Now she is getting the help she needs and has friends for the first time ever and she is 12! I am in the Lorain County area and it is worth the drive. To me it is Summit or nothing!
strait32@aol.com    7/11/2008 9:31:17 AM
unfair testing
I DO BELIEVE THAT THESE CHILDREN WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES HAVE A HARDER TIME DOING THE STATE TESTS THAN THE REGULAR CHILDREN. YOU NEED TO MAKE IT A LITTLE BIT EASIER FOR THESE KIDS TO DO THEM WITHOUT BEING SO HARD TO DO.
julebug71@yahoo.com    7/10/2008 4:19:41 PM

my son is adhd and a 2nd grader, i am also adhd, while i did pretty well in most aspects of the testing, my sons ld''s are a lot more complex i dont believe in treating him any different than any other child, but i also wont have him left behind or held back because of the way the testing system works these days, he has yet to take any of these tests but i as a parent dread the thought as to how he will fare.
tojuliej@hotmail.com    6/16/2008 8:46:08 PM
Speaking out
My son is not school aged yet, but will be next year. He has a lot of trouble following directions especially multi step directions. However, he''s very intellegent. It would be a shame if his intellegence was missinterperated because of a "standard" test. Perhaps it is time to take a look at how testing is done with certain learning styles. We may learn we have many more tallented students in Ohio than we realized. Thank You!
  
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