Best Schools for Children with Aspergers Syndrome

Best Schools for Children with Aspergers Syndrome In recent years, more and more children have been diagnosed with autism or autistic spectrum disorders, including high-functioning autism or Aspergers Syndrome. Students who are non-verbal generally need special-education settings, but when it comes to educating those students who are high functioning yet still on the autistic spectrum, it can often be harder to find the appropriate learning environment due to their specific needs both in and out of the classroom. How Aspergers Students Learn Students with Aspergers or high-functioning autism may seem gifted in certain areas, and many of these children are quite bright. By definition, they have above-average intelligence, and they may also show talents such as a well-developed vocabulary or the ability to do math. Aspergers kids often also have an area of great interest, which may be in a restricted area, such as subway cars or certain kinds of animals. However, they may need a great deal of structure and routine, and they may react negatively to changes in schedules. They tend to have trouble making transitions, and they may need advanced warning when their schedules are going to change, as change can be a trigger that negatively impacts their abilities to cope with a situation. They may also have sensory issues that make them sensitive to loud noises or to smells or textures. Finally, many students with Aspergers have difficulty communicating about their wants and needs. Even though their vocabularies may be sophisticat ed, they may struggle with the practical aspects of language. The Accommodations Aspergers Students Need While Aspergers students are often bright, they may need accommodations or changes in their curriculum or classroom, including changes that are reflected in their Individual Education Plan, or IEP. While public schools are required to grant students with learning issues or other disabilities accommodations, private and parochial schools that do not receive public funding are not required to grant students these accommodations. However, with the proper documentation, including a professional evaluation, private schools may often grant students certain accommodations that can help these students handle the curriculum. Aspergers students may require accommodations such as speech and language therapy to improve their ability to communicate and to help them understand when to use pragmatic expressions such as how are you? They may also need occupational therapy for autism, which helps them make sense of the information coming in through their senses and integrate it. Occupational and speech and language therapists can also help students with Aspergers play better with other kids and understand how to navigate the classroom. In addition, students with Aspergers may benefit from counseling to help them process their emotions. Best Placement for Students with Aspergers Aspergers students can thrive in a range of schools, and to determine the best school you may need the assistance of an educational consultant who has experience working with students with special needs, including Aspergers. Some students may do well in a mainstream private or public school setting, with additional services such as counseling or occupational or speech and language therapy provided in school or outside of school. Other students may benefit from placement in a special education school. There are schools designed to meet the needs of students with autistic spectrum disorder; some special-education schools are for lower-functioning kids, while others are for higher-functioning kids. Placing a higher-functioning child with Aspergers requires parents to visit the school to make sure that the school can offer the right academic program. Often, special-education schools are so small that they can offer individualized instruction to meet the needs of a child with Aspergers. In other words, these types of schools can offer a student a higher-level class in an area in which he or she excels, such as math, while still providing other services the child requires, such as speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, counseling, and social skills training to help students improve their ability to interact with other children and teachers. With these types of services, students with Aspergers and other forms of autistic spectrum disorders can often be very successful in school.

The Idatarod Essays - Sports In Alaska, Dog Sledding, Free Essays

The Idatarod Essays - Sports In Alaska, Dog Sledding, Free Essays The Idatarod Picture this: You are going to travel over one thousand miles across Alaska-by car? by train? by plane? NO!! You are travelling by dogsled - your only companions on this journey will be eleven to fourteen of the most honest, loyal and strong dogs that you can find. For over six grueling months, you and your carefully selected dogs have been training, and now it is up to you and your canine companions. For sledders (or "mushers") this is a dream come true because they are about to start the Iditarod - a name possibly derived from the Indian word "Ingalik" meaning "diezt place". Only half of the starting team of dogs will finish. Those with the strongest heart and the will to go on against overwhelming odds will complete the race. The Iditarod is a dogsled race that takes place in Alaska every year. It goes from Anchorage (Alaska's largest city) to Nome, stretching over 1,000 miles of icy, snow-covered ground. The Iditarod was begun in the 1960's when people tried to restore tradition to Alaska. It was first run to commemorate a trip that took place in 1925 to deliver medicine to Nome. The race has two routes, the Northern and the Southern. In even-numbered years, the Northern route is used and in odd-numbered years, the Southern route is used. The Iditarod is the hardest and toughest dogsled race there is. Sometimes the mushers get so tired, they hallucinate. What makes the race so demanding? Three features: time, temperature and diezce. The temperature in Alaska is so cold that it can reach up to 40 degrees below zero during the running of the race. Because it gets so cold, the mushers have to wear several layers of clothing. One of the major sponsors (Timberland) has made specially-designed clothes to keep them warm, including sleeping bags, snowshores, special long underwear, boots for wet and dry surfaces, water resiezt climbing suits, and mittens made out of beaver skin. Other equipment includes dog "booties" for the dogs' feet, and a six foot long 28 pound tobaggan. One tobaggan, made by North Star is called the "Ferrari " of dogsleds. More than one sled is used. As the land gets flatter and icier, a new sled with flat runners is used. This sled is easier for the dogs to pull on the icy surface. For training, the dogs are split up into two teams for three days of workout and one day of rest. It is critical that the dogs be able to maintain their pace even when they are exhausted. The dogs get a few days off before the "big day". Sometimes accidents can happen. For example, when training, Bruce Johnsen, Canada's top musher, plunged through the ice of a frozen lake where he and his eight dog team died. The mushers and their team can get attacked by a moose, like when Susan Butcher got attacked by a near 500 pound moose, killing two of her dogs and injuring one. Mushers are now starting to carry weapons to defend themselves from moose. While the team is on the trail, the mushers drive the team for six to eight hours at a time, then they take a break and feed the dogs (beaver and horsemeat, plus beef). They also rest or sleep. During the first couple of miles out of Anchorage, the dogs go about 14 miles an hour, but after that they slow down slightly to 11 or 12 miles per hour. The starting positions are drawn based upon when a person enters. To enter the race, you must complete a 200 mile race. When the race starts, each team has a one day supply of food. Also on the trail are 25 checkpoints that each team must check in at. At some checkpoints, veterinarians check the dogs. Some mushers pick up fresh dogs and leave the tired ones at the checkpoint. For some mushers, the prize money at the end of the race is enough to keep them going ($50,000 to the winner, and $150,000 split among the next ten finishers). But for others it is an honor just to finish the trail. IDITAROD FACTS: Mushers rely on voice commands. Among them are: Mush! - Let's go! Gee! - Turn right! Haw! - Turn Left! Whoa! - Stop! SUPPLIES: - Snowhoes,