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I never expected this . .

Purpletop

Hi, I am new to this site and mum to 3 children.  My youngest is a highly articulate, sociable and extremely active 8 yr old boy.  He struggles badly with writing and is clearly underachieving so we requested an independent Ed Psych assessment.  Instead of the mild Dyslexic overlap that we were expecting, he was diagnosed with Non Verbal Learning Disorder and warned of the Asperger features he exhibits - apparently there is a significant NVLD/Aspergers overlap.  

Other than using a laptop, are there any tips that will help us and school understand and support him better?  He interacts comfortably with other children of all ages although he is prone to talking an awful lot.  He struggles with visual processing so even maths is really tough. He goes to an independent school and, whilst the school is extremely supportive, children with learning disabilities are few and teaching experience is therefore limited.

i have ordered a book but any useful links would be gratefully received - I feel a little lost.  Many thanks.

  • thank you for your advice and I agree with all that you say about provision.  My children are blissfully happy at their school thanks to the small classes, high staff ratio and the warm caring attitude.  It can be unnerving though when I feel more expert than the 'experts' in Learning Success.  My 10 yr old daughter with significant SPLD has had external expert support from 4 months of age and her success in mainstream school is testament to the importance of early intervention.  I'm a bit of a lioness when it comes to fighting for my children!

    I loved your comment about Eton and know the same to be true of most private schools.

  • Many thanks for taking the time to reply.  I have researched Tony Attwood and shall get hold of his book(s).  I have another child with learning difficulties - she has much greater needs but is a visual learner whereas my son is clearly not.  I shall have my work cut out!  The eldest of my 3, another son, has many many behavioural features of autism but no learning problems as such.  I know there can often be a familial link but I didn't think it would be my family!  Anyhow, knowledge is power and I now feel much more optimistic about the future.

    Thank you once again.

  • I would suggest making sure that the independent school has sufficient provision. The problem with selection is that such schools can avoid taking on special needs pupils, putting more pressure on state schools. As a result there is a risk the independent school isn't that well resourced. They might know a little bit about dyslexia.

    I did point out on another thread last year that Eton (from whence at one point most of the Cabinet came from) boasts having few special needs pupils, and their only advice on disabled access was for visitors. Selection just means you can avoid taking responsibility for the disabled, and let other schools take on the burden. Hence the Coalition Government seems to have little knowledge of disabled people - they went to schools where there weren't any!

  • Former Member
    Former Member

    Asperger's is a complex condition that needs a bit of thought and understanding. Unfortunately, there isn't a magic wand or piece of equipment or a simple thing that people can do to get over it.

    I would recommend that you read all about it - lots here on the website and its forum. Tony Attwoods comoplete guide to Aspergers is likely to be worth its weight in gold to you and the people that have to help him.

    An independent school can be good for a child with ASD as they will probably be more structured and better disciplned than some other schools. If they have no idea though, you may want to look at finding a school that really does understand this disorder. There are some state schools that are very good at this. Others are terrible so you need to be very careful if you do decide to move him.