Dillon
Well-Known Member
This has crossed my mind lately just thinking of how a school system should be accommodating students who are on the spectrum in a modern society. I don’t know how schools were to you or how the the environment and structure was like but for me I didn’t like it that much as I had some experiences I’m glad I don’t have to live through again as far as grade school goes.
Based on past experiences, I remember back in elementary school I had to take speech therapy due to me not sounding out certain words right and all that other good stuff. During that time the admin at my elementary school took of the coating of aspergers entirely and claiming that aspergers does not fit under the autism spectrum. They claimed that my aspergers has just magically gone away on its own and I would no longer be needing any services provided such as the speech therapy. Well a few weeks later after that I started stuttering to the point I couldn’t get the first syllable out of my mouth and that’s when they claimed “oh you do have aspergers and it never went away”.
in middle school I was put in what was called Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence (ABC) class where I was put in there for extra help that did me no good anyway since I was stuck with other kids who mostly had the capability of a 4 year old (not to be rude but was true) mainly for behavioral problems. The school claimed that I was not adaptable with the other kids and that aspergers was labeled as “mentally challenged” with “behavioral problems”. It made no sense when during most of middle school I had been in all honors advanced classes like in science and math being social and physically capable like everyone else yet and never been disciplined or caused trouble at school yet I’m classified as intellectually disabled and “slow in catching up”.
Highschool was not any better either as there were many times I needed academic accommodations on exams and such but was never given that opportunity cause once I got to highschool they took the aspergers coating off again and basically said I was no longer eligible for services. I did have several teachers who understood what I was going through during that time and was able to help me out anyway they can which really helped me out in a way.
I guess I’m saying all of this cause I notice the public school system even today seem to lack the understanding of what being on the spectrum is and different levels of being on the spectrum. It’s like the thinking of the school saying that “oh you’re on the spectrum therefore you’re never going to live up to the capacity as other students who are not on the spectrum” which that is bias in my opinion. The other point of them saying “ you don’t seem to have aspergers and look like you don’t need extra academic help therefore you no longer need services” in which I’ve need some help before in the past but have been refused; both things feel kind of counterintuitive. I do not like of labels and being categorized based on a “condition” and claiming that all people on the spectrum have extreme mental challenges. I am wondering if anyone else has had experiences like this in their lives or what your opinion is over the matter?
Based on past experiences, I remember back in elementary school I had to take speech therapy due to me not sounding out certain words right and all that other good stuff. During that time the admin at my elementary school took of the coating of aspergers entirely and claiming that aspergers does not fit under the autism spectrum. They claimed that my aspergers has just magically gone away on its own and I would no longer be needing any services provided such as the speech therapy. Well a few weeks later after that I started stuttering to the point I couldn’t get the first syllable out of my mouth and that’s when they claimed “oh you do have aspergers and it never went away”.
in middle school I was put in what was called Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence (ABC) class where I was put in there for extra help that did me no good anyway since I was stuck with other kids who mostly had the capability of a 4 year old (not to be rude but was true) mainly for behavioral problems. The school claimed that I was not adaptable with the other kids and that aspergers was labeled as “mentally challenged” with “behavioral problems”. It made no sense when during most of middle school I had been in all honors advanced classes like in science and math being social and physically capable like everyone else yet and never been disciplined or caused trouble at school yet I’m classified as intellectually disabled and “slow in catching up”.
Highschool was not any better either as there were many times I needed academic accommodations on exams and such but was never given that opportunity cause once I got to highschool they took the aspergers coating off again and basically said I was no longer eligible for services. I did have several teachers who understood what I was going through during that time and was able to help me out anyway they can which really helped me out in a way.
I guess I’m saying all of this cause I notice the public school system even today seem to lack the understanding of what being on the spectrum is and different levels of being on the spectrum. It’s like the thinking of the school saying that “oh you’re on the spectrum therefore you’re never going to live up to the capacity as other students who are not on the spectrum” which that is bias in my opinion. The other point of them saying “ you don’t seem to have aspergers and look like you don’t need extra academic help therefore you no longer need services” in which I’ve need some help before in the past but have been refused; both things feel kind of counterintuitive. I do not like of labels and being categorized based on a “condition” and claiming that all people on the spectrum have extreme mental challenges. I am wondering if anyone else has had experiences like this in their lives or what your opinion is over the matter?
