fifermom

Hi everyone. We're new here! Over the past few months, our daughter has been saying that she wants to be a Librarian and wants to go to SUNY Albany. She has an official Dx of Asperger's which manifests itself in executive functioning difficulties/organization issues. Consequently, her grades are not what they could be according to IQ tests and the like. She maintains a GPA in the low 90s-high 80s with no advanced courses. She currenly has a 70 in Spanish and I was hoping after this year she might become FL exempt. (I don't know how that works, though). She takes concerta for suspected ADD, and she says it does help her focus.

In addition, she is musical and is in a regional chorus and ESYO String Ensemble. Her social skills are OK, although there is always room for improvement.

What advice do you have for us?

Thank you!

Knowitsome

Hi fifermom!

I see your daughter is in 8th grade, so you've got a lot of time to work things out. That being said, it's good to start the process now and put her in a position to succeed. Wanting to be a librarian sounds like a great fit for someone on the spectrum!

There's a LOT of information out there - more than anyone can post - so I'd start by reading some books about Aspergers kids and college. Get what you can from the library, and purchase the one(s) you find most helpful. Since all our kids are different, I won't recommend any particular book, but here's what Amazon lists for the subject:

Books from Amazon.com on Aspergers and college

From our experience, the most important issue was/is balancing academic needs with learning social skills. If I had to do things over (DS is a freshman in college), I'd have placed more emphasis on social skill development than we did, as it can derail even the most academically advanced student when they have to do so much more on their own once in college. Make sure you address these transition skills in your IEP, develop them at home, and once you get closer to school selection, keep your child's ability to navigate their new environment (with or without supports) first and foremost in your thought process.

In our case, DS was always a high achiever academically, and we didn't want to shortchange him. Thus, he followed a college prep track with the other future NMFs. Even so, until around his junior year, we didn't feel he was ready to leave home and attend a four year college. However, he made so much progress in social development that we looked at schools within a day's drive, one of which he now attends. With a much lower level of support (meaning much less parental involvement - we're mostly pleased with disability services), he's struggling. Still, we're taking the position that he needs to work through the adjustment phase, much like many other freshmen, and figure out time management and study skills using the available supports. Not easy for us (or him!), but we hope it will serve him best in the long run.

Not sure how much help this was - hope you get more answers (here and elsewhere) to your questions!