Squeezing the aspergers kid into the sandwich of mainstream education

^{How does point A relate to point B on the graph and how did you come to this conclusion? What can you tell about the different types of pizza related to the origin of yeast in Italy according to what Sally and Harry had for dinner last night? Say what? "How do I do this mom?" "Sorry, Josh.. I have no clue."}

^{When did Language become such an important part of Math? Well, last year was a challenge for Joshua even with a program called Everyday Math. He did get by though. You see, my son was diagnosed with Aspergers syndrome at age 8, after a childhood of confusion, at least for his parents. The problem came with understanding why Josh was so different than the kids around him. Since then, I don't believe any teacher or school has known exactly what to do for him or with him. He had been getting good grades, especially in Math under a traditional program. I thought the public school would have even more to offer than the private one he had been attending for 3 years. The results seemed to prove me wrong.}

^{This year, Josh has been drafted into a program called Connected Math. It involves answering many questions in written form and making conclusions based on the evidence given. It is preparation for Middle school Math. Well, Josh is doing a miserable job organizing the notebook and answering all the questions. Let me ask a question.. do they make you add the pages in your reading book or graph the amount of times Romeo kissed Juliet? Why do we have to blend everything? Must the cookie have milk with it, or can we substitute juice if this works better?}

^{How can a program like this make sense for an Aspergers child, being mainstreamed into a typical classroom? The school is aware that Josh has Aspergers syndrome, yet I am not convinced anyone truly knows what this means. He can and will solve concrete Math problems, this has never been a problem for him.. but he has problems in Reading Comprehension and Abstract thinking. He will not keep an organized notebook without a lot of help and reminders, yet he is not getting these things.}

^{I received the progress report for the first quarter recently, and he is failing three subjects, including Math. I do not believe that this is because of inability, yet because of the poor choice that the school has made in choosing the program. What are the options? Josh may be sent to the resource room for their Math class. Why? he doesn't need 3rd grade math. He is in the sixth grade. Should he be forced to do remedial Math because he has difficulty with connnections?}

^{This experience has opened my eyes. There is so much information out there, a world of it. 1 in every 100 kids is diaganosed with Autism. More adjustments need to be made and teachers just cannot be misinformed. All schools need to be sensitive in their curriculum choices. It's 2009, we can't box up education anymore based on our typical set of expectations. I see a bright future ahead for my 11 year old son. It won't be long before the records of his grades will become more important to his career path. The way the school chooses its program is supposed to be based on the whole child. I don't want my child to reach half of his potential, made to squeeze in to the sandwich of mainstream education.}