High IQ and Low social skills Main Stream???

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I am gearing up for a fight to help my son in NY public schools.
First let me say I am a male,41, have Aspergers, it was found in 1980 and they could do nothing for me in school.
So I failed or squeaked by until 1988 when NY decided maybe they might help. After repeated requests from teachers, superintendents to the state somehow The law changed.

Problem (lets take 8th grade)
I was mainstreamed in 8th
My intellectual ability was that of college level
My social ability was 5th grade
I had no practical use for most subjects so I was shutting down
I was bullied constantly so that caused massive anxiety attacks

So there was no way to put me with the grownups and noway yo put me with the younger children.
In 88 I received a helper and did somewhat better until I got a GED and a kick out the door.

Schools seem to struggle with the concept that there are children that split both sides of the line in comparison to the avg student. On one side I was a genius on the other side I was socially withdrawn and had little esteem.
From my personal experience I feel the only solution would be a separate education system all together Not main stream. Because my and several people I know have a very different mind structure.

I personally feel a separate school should be created for individuals of this configuration.
This way they would benefit from an entire different curriculum.
Learn to understand Asperger's and compare themselves to the outside.

My parents Have AS but back then who knew, so even today they struggle with themselves. Let alone try to explain AS to there kids and what it means. It is barely socially acceptable now.

Last but not least I fail to see how these teachers who are put under so much pressure could possible spend the time to figure out my son in 45 min intervals a day while conducting a class. They can't,won't and are aren't!

I think someone needs to ask for it and it might as well be a 41 Asperger kid that got jipped out of his education.
I mean we make a good team Aspies invent things everyone likes to use. Why not help them out?

What do you think?

More specifically, what's going on at his school?

The phenomenon is common, twice-exceptional they call it, and although they have a name for it, so far in my experience, the public school system here hasn't got a clue what to do with it. One thing that could help, IMHO, if schools had the courage enough to try would be to get rid of the age cohort model of education. Group kids based on their academic ability, within reason of course. I mean it probably wouldn't be a great idea to have highly advanced 2nd graders in with 6th graders who are below grade level. I think that would be better because then the teachers could teach academics to kids where the kids are at instead of having a group of same aged kids with a large disparity in academic abilities and the teacher struggling to meet the needs of different levels. Or not trying to meet anyone's needs and just teaching to the middle, leaving the advanced kids to wallow in boredom and abandoning the below grade level kids to failing grades.

How old is your son? My DS is 6.5 yo and in 1st grade. He is in the mainstream classroom more than 1/2 of the time with an aide. He is reading and doing math about 2 grade levels above his chronological age but generally has the emotional maturity of a preschooler. I got nowhere with the school last year and the beginning of this year. When I saw things this year going down the same path as they did last year (DS spent about 80% of his time at school in the "space place", by choice mind you) I decided I could not let that happen again. I contacted an advocate who has been around for a number of years. She has a great relationship with the director of spec ed services for the district. Within 2 weeks, I had an IEP meeting scheduled, a behavioral spec joined the team and pretty soon after that, an aide was assigned to work with DS on and off throughout the day. Things are really going well for DS now. I think the advocate made all the difference. It sounds pretty cynical but I honestly don't think that the district would have done 1/2 of what they are doing now if it hadn't been for the advocate's involvement. And you know what? It was really just the fact that I involved her. It wasn't that she showed up and insisted that they provide services or anything. She made one phone call to the director and sat in on 2 meetings with me at which she really didn't have to say very much.

Sorry for rambling... I guess all that was to say, if you can, find an advocate who knows the school system you are in or at least one who knows the state laws well. Good luck!

They do have "non-public" schools that claim to specialize in AS and ADHD and difficult behavior and other learning differences, that have very small classes and specially trained people on staff. We think that may utimately be the right place for our son, but these schools cost upwards of $30k a year, and we will likely have to go through a legal proceedings with our school district to get them to place him there and pay for it.

http://www.rosesforautism.com/

This is what one parent did for his kid--he started a vocational training program in Connecticut called Roses for Autism, where young adults learn a wide variety of workplace skills, including socializing with co-workers.

My school had a good solution for my 2e-ness in the 80s and 90s. I was in the mainstream classroom all day, and they set up a special education plan in which I studied most subjects on my own. That meant minimal hoooman interactions so social overload was not a problem. Also sensory overload was reduced, because I hyperfocused alone for most of the school day. Becaues I was gifted with good eggsecutive function, I was able to study on my own, that was how the school took advantage of the traits of the one eggseption and ameliorated the traits of the other. In retrospect, I call this the "Leave Me The Fark Alone" education plan, which seems about right for the high intelligence + total social inactivity/ineptitude combination.

My Son is twelve and although they admit the teachers reports indicated AS or HFA they would not help us until we received a full evaluation at our expense. No problem Anything for my kids
but later I learned it was supposed to be at theirs.

I have found private schools,20-30K but In this economy I don't think robbing banks would help much.

I was told in 1984 that I didn't fit anywhere.
I was also told that the reason why we had the industrial revolution was the popularization of the one room school house.
Mama teacher had to meet the children at each of their individual levels and attendance schedules. They had to work back then too. She had to addressed this,

Once we turned to the German education system we have now Aspergers and Autism show up more. and Our inventions went by the way side. Computers even the blackberry and internet were a dream of Nikola Tesla.
I can only imagine what would happen if we taught these minds in a way they would suit them best.

It seems so depressing, but I'm am going to at least formally ask for it.
Maybe I should do it with the light off so they understand the gifts these kids could bring the world.

I had very poor social skills and an above average IQ. I was never put into a special school or special education or given an IPP. I am thankful for it. My social skills have nothing to do with my academic ability, and I would be resentful right now to EVERYONE if I was held back just because my ability to make friends was absent. If you child is not disruptive, then he should be left alone. If he IS a constant disruption, then that is a different story. I never was, so I was left alone. If you child is not too, I can't understand why they would even consider moving him out of mainstream. That's all autistic children need: MORE isolation. *sigh*

First, send your school principal a formal letter in writing requesting an evaluation listing the reason you think your child needs one. Here is a sample: http://www.ldonline.org/article/14620/

Check Wrightslaw for more information on the law as it regards IEPs and other ways to support your child - and keep in mind that the schools don't always (sadly) know what the law is, but if you bring it to them, they will be more likely to follow it.

Second, see if you can find a local advocate who can come talk to the school with you. http://www.naanyc.org/legislative.html may be one place to start looking. Having an advocate is usually not free, but cheaper than a lawyer and well worth the cost - just make sure they understand both AS and special ed law.

Good luck! Once you access them, there are far more supports available to our kids than there were when we were children. Your child may do very well in a mainstream classroom provided that he has the support he needs from the school - or you may find that there are alternatives that work better for him. I hope you find what you need.

What if mainstream meant that you were in a class full of Autistic children just like you.
You learned in a way that suited you best.

My daughter did great in school,
my son is having the same experience I had
There is a recently vacated school on my community that could facilitate an autism school for Highly Intellegant Autistic and Asperger children.
That is what I would like to see.
I enjoy being with my Autistic friends

I'm going to try.
http://youtu.be/4g42ctUdYr0

where in ny ?