I’m writing a book. My goal is have a finished rough draft by the end of June. This is an excerpt from Chapter Two, which discusses the transition time and mapping out options for the future. No paywall this week, but please subscribe to support my work.
The Full Barrage of Tests
In order to make the right choices for our kiddos, parents need an objective, accurate, comprehensive picture of their student. The first step is to ask the school district to conduct the following evaluations: academic, psychological, speech, a functional behavioral assessment, and an adaptive skills assessment. You should put that request in writing to your case manager. Schools should be conducting reevaluations every three years, so sync that testing time to the beginning of high school if possible.
It’s best to do these tests at the beginning of high school in order to set appropriate IEP goals for the high school, to supplement with after-school programming, and to start to formulate long term plans.
Keep in mind that scores, particularly in the functional/independent living area, will come out very low, because the kids are still young. Few freshman boys can make dinner for themselves. But we need that information to set the proper short term and long term goals for our kids. Then you’ll do the tests again in their senior year to help determine next steps for their transition years.
Let’s talk about each test — what they are, why they are important, and why they are not important.
Read more at The Great Leap, my autism newsletter
Apt. 11d 