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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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	Feedback Comments

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mike.kinsella@deluxe.com 6/12/2008 10:46:00 AM
Testing for Developmenally Disabled Students
Please find a more fair and equitable test for our Autistic children. Thank you Mike Kinsella

Rreindeer@aol.com 6/12/2008 10:39:02 AM
Unfair Testing of Students
While my son receives high test scores (sometimes even of the range of superior and above), he is being "taught to the test" which in essence is little that will help meet his needs in the real world. A better way of way of measuring growth must be found!

rainaldi4@gmail.com 6/10/2008 9:03:14 PM
How can you do this?
How can anyone in their right mind think that a test used to mesure the abilities of non-disabled students, should or could be able to measure the abilities of students with disabilities. Sure we would like it if our students could function normally in the everyday classroom but reality is they can not. They are on special IEP''s and are granted special time to finish work, have special teachers to help them with work, have "special time" away from the class when things become to frustrating or they are beginning to have a "melt down". But it is required , "OK" and acceptable for them to take the same tests with the same time limits and guidelines as non-disabled students? There is something very wrong with this thinking. I would suggest that a lawmaker come and spend some time with disabled students. Perhaps then, they would have a clearer view on things.

sageyandmommy@msn.com 6/9/2008 10:14:01 PM
fair testing
Children with disabilities deserve to be tested by a process that highlights their strength and showcases their talents. One child may be brilliant in math but struggle with reading. It is unfair to measure these children''s by what the rest of the world deems typical. Why damage their self-esteem further by putting an arbitrary number on their learning ability?

mark.schweitzer@gmail.com 6/9/2008 11:36:14 AM
testing
Each year, students with learning disabilities are essentially told that they don''t "measure up" - thanks to a biased and unfair test that wasn t designed to give us an accurate picture of what they really know. It''s time to find a new, more effective tool for measuring these students'' abilities and ensuring that schools with a high percentage of learning disabled students are treated fairly when determining accountability and AYP.

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