Experiences with Schools: The Good and The Bad

Hi everyone,

Thanks all for sharing your experiences, it's been a very helpful read as our ASD diagnosed child is only 4 years old so we're still new to this.

Next year my son is getting 2 hours of specialized, individual aid at preschool each week to keep up with his peers in his last year at preschool.
I'm not sure this will be enough. With one year to go before kindergarten, I'm worried that he won't be able to pass the required test, meaning he would stay in preschool for one more year.
I'm afraid of the impact of him having to integrate in a new group of children. I really fear it could cause serious regression. We have been through an episode where he was very inward and hard to reach and I really want to everything possible to avoid going back to that.
OK He's not exactly popular in the group he's in now (haven't seen any b-day invites...) and his peers already notice he's different (e.g. talks about pirates a lot of the time), but at least he seems accepted.

When it comes to learning, although on the one hand he fluently speaks his two mother tongue languages, is very responsive (doesn't "zone out" much in his own world), talks the whole time (mostly 1-way though) and really never has any breakdowns or tantrums, it's a very frustrating experience to teach him how to do new things.
Yet on verbal intelligence tests, he scores above average. A lot of it is lack of concentration, in many cases likely caused by an overload of sensory input.
It's painful to see my 2-year old daughter count to ten, and see my 4-year old son struggling at it.
Or not being able to teach him how to take his water gun and hold it in the sea to suck up the water as he's just too excited and can't concentrate.

I wonder if any parents out there with an ASD child have had any luck with Ritalin, to help concentrating?
The doctors we're seeing are willing to give it a try.

Thanks for any insights
D's dad

Hi Domisdad. I was just going to say, as far as Ritalin, that we had a rather negative experience with it. Our son with Asperger's had a terrible time focusing in elementary school, and so we tried a bunch of what are basically ADHD meds: ritalin, strattera, dexedrine. None of them did much, and the ritalin made him get out-of-control obsessive, like making me re-read the same paragraph of a story again and again until I used the exact intonation he wanted. Eek.

Of course, each child is really different, so this might not be your experience at all.

He ended up later on the "atypical antipsychotics" (Abiify, and then Risperdal) which really, really helped him with meltdowns and attention, too.

Just a reminder to everyone about meds: responses to each type of medication are very individual. There is a trial and error process that, while not much fun, is how you and your psychiatrist figure out what works. It's important to keep this in mind. What is a miracle drug for one child may not work at all, or even have negative effects, in another. It's hard to be patient as you figure out what works for your own child, but hopefully it will help to understand that trying, observing, evaluating...and then trying something else, if necessary, is part of the process.

For a report on medications being used to treat ASD and related conditions by families participating in the IAN Research project, see our IAN Research Report, here: http://www.iancommunity.org/cs/ian_research_reports/treatment_series_medication

My Trenton is very high functioning, diagnosed Aspbergers. His pre-school was extremely helpful in developing skills he lacked. It was a mixture of children who were not afflicted with any type of disability, to children with autism, mental disorders and handicaps. Therapists came to the school daily or several times weekly to fulfill the IEP needs of each student. He made wonderful progress but was held back from starting kindergarten due to his immaturity. (I still remember stories his therapists would share with me). Starting a public school was a major adjustment for Trenton but we got through kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th grade. Over the summer the school district decided 5th grade students would start changing classrooms and have a locker, rather than wait until the 6th grade. I had no way to prepare Trenton not knowing of it until the 1st day of school myself. I received notes everyday from one teacher or another regarding one problem or another. During his IEP meeting, end of the prior school year, it was decided by the administration and teachers Trenton did not need an assistant. I let them know I had a problem with it but was overruled. I attended the 1st parent-teacher conference only to find out one of the schools new teachers didn't even know Trenton had an IEP. OUTRAGED, the superintendent assured me a meeting would be called by all Trenton's teachers to make sure all were on the same page. I had been receiving monthly reports noting all IEP requirements were being fulfilled. From the beginning of that school year I saw a very happy and excited boy go to very sad and unhappy. Every night it was hours and hours of homework, right up to bed time. When I would pick him up after school, his head would be hanging, a sad look on his face and his back pack was full. He served many detentions due to being late for classes. His locker was right in the middle of two classrooms doors with two much bigger boys than him on each side. Intimidated, Trenton would wait until the classroom was empty, stand in the doorway waiting for the hallway to clear out, and then go to his locker. By the time he got to his next class the 2nd bell had rung and he was late. Further discussions with the administrator fell on deaf ears. By spring Trenton had been overwhelmed with more than he could handle. He wrote a letter to the principal of how he thought it was wrong that kids were pushy, disrespectful, and rude, and he felt he was being bullied, which the school states they have ZERO tolerance of such behavior. One day he went to his math class with the wrong homework assignment. I thought I had everything covered by color coordinating each class with a book cover and matching color folder, of which he chose the color representing each class. Somehow the homework assignment got in the wrong color folder and he didn't have it. He asked permission to go to his locker to get it but the teacher denied the request and told him he was probably lying and he was going to get an "f" for the day. Trenton started to walk out of the classroom to prove to her he was not lying and he wasn't about to get an "f". She ordered him back to his seat in the back of the room. (It was stated in his IEP he was to have a front seat in every class because he is so easily distracted. I wasn't aware of this because according to my monthly IEP reports he had front row seats in every class.) He was so over come with anger he stopped, got right up into the teachers face and stated he was not a liar. She ordered him to sit down and told her no, not until she apologized for calling him a liar. This was the 1st time Trenton had ever lashed out to anyone verbally and all were left in shock by his outburst. The teacher left the classroom to confront the principal of this. In those few moments Trenton took his lunch card, which hung around his neck on a long string and tried to hang himself. He stood on her chair, put the string on a hook that was at the top of the black board and kicked the chair out from underneath him. Not realizing this really wasn't going to work because his head slipped out right away and fell to the floor. That is what the teacher saw when she walked back into the room. I was called to the school and found Trenton in the principal?s office who had been talking to Trenton before I got there. I found him calm but confused and when I asked Trenton why he tried to hang himself he said he couldn't deal with the kids and teachers anymore and just wanted to end it. I was advised to take Trenton home, take the rest of the week off and do what I had to do to get him through this and he'd be welcome back on Monday. We talked a lot and about many of things. Trenton told me about a dream he had of a perfect school and when he was able, he was going to invent this school. I called my Pastor who came and had a wonderful talk with Trenton and made him promise he would not do this again. Pastor continued to be an advocate for Trenton. I made a promise to Trenton if he could just hang in there for 2 1/2 more months, until the end of the school year, it would be the last time he would have to go to public school. Summer vacation started and Trenton went to visit his dad in Texas for several weeks. It took me all summer filling out aps and going through interviews with private schools only to be turned down because of his incident which they regarded as a behavior problem. Finally, I found a small Christian school that agreed to test Trenton to see if he qualified academically for their school. They said he had the 2nd highest score in the history of the school and welcomed him with opened arms. Trenton was thrilled because this was just like the school in his dream. A small classroom for up to 20 students, the same 2 to 3 teachers in the room at all times the whole day, no hallways, no changing class, no lockers, and he gets to sit in a booth where he is not disturbed by the other students. Church based, the students are more like family. The school rules are strict and enforced, and apply to every student. Trenton doesn?t have huge heavy books anymore. It?s based more on home schooling material where each child works at their own pace in every subject. With guidance from the teachers they set their own goals. This is the 3rd year he has attended and when I pick Trenton up from school now, I no longer see the sad, unhappy boy, he reminds me of the scarecrow on the ?Wizard of Oz?. Everyday he comes out the door running and jumping at the same time, with arms waving away in the air and the biggest smile on his face. Trenton was the 1st autistic student the school ever enrolled and they are more than willing to work closely with me, learning everything they can about him and how to teach him, as well as be on top of any changes in him and deal with any discipline problems in an appropriate manner. (They use paddling and I don?t agree with it). We both have been so blessed to have a school like this in our area. Since Trenton, the school has now admitted other autistic children as long as they do not have severe behavior problems because they don?t have the ways and means to be able to handle them. He has won so many awards, trophies and medallions for his accomplishments I have run out of room to put them. He is admired and respected by his classmates and teachers. They all like me could not be prouder of him. I can only pray for parents who are struggling with school systems. I know their frustration and pain but can you imagine what our children who can?t communicate that to us what they must have locked up on the inside. I can?t even begin to imagine. I pray all parents and children are blessed the way Trenton and I have been.

Welcome to IAN, Bonnisue, and thank you for sharing your story with us.

I am so sorry to hear what a struggle you and your son have gone through. It is amazing what impact changing a child with ASD's environment can have. Smaller classes, less chaos, a staff that is well briefed -- can make such a huge difference. Likewise, it is unsettling to see how badly a child can struggle, to the point of contemplating suicide, when the school environment is overwhelming and unsupportive. I am so glad that you were able to find a situation that worked so well for Trenton.

My 11 yo has not been formally diagnosed yet although he has been on an IEP since kindergarden as "a student with a Behavior Disorder due to difficulties with social interactions, coping skills, aggression, work completion and oppositional behaviors" and I have to say that my experience with the public schools has been very frustrating.

I truly believe that they have done everything with the very best of intentions and I think that the problems really are with the fact that my son is not what they are equipped to deal with.

He has had problems since preschool - to the point that I quit working thinking that I needed to do more with/for him. By kindergarden I had him tested and entered into speech services at the school thinking that this was the cause of his problems because he has very bad dental problems that caused him to either not speak at all or cover his mouth so people didn't see his teeth when he spoke. He had no self esteem because the other children tormented him. In hindsight, I think that this all masked the real root of his problems. At the same time it started very early intervention by what I call "the system".

He began running away from the classroom and lashing out at other students. The smallest slight would send him reeling and school parties/large gatherings put him in a frenzy. Anything and everything said to him was taken quite literally. Examples - he came home crying hysterically one day saying that my husband and I were trying to kill him. He was quite convinced and it took MUCH investigating to figure out that they had a DARE class at school that day and he was told that second hand smoke killed you. Since we smoke, he decided that meant we were doing it to kill him. Imagine his responses when a child his age would say anything - even in play. How my son would interpret it and respond was open to chance.

He developed "mystery" ailments and saw the school nurse on an almost weekly basis. Between this and his frequent runs to the resource room to cool himself down (not to mention the visits with the counselor/psychologist) I began to wonder if he had any time to do his schoolwork at all.

Because he was unable to successfully interact socially and would have the occasional outbursts he was put in after school programs, seeing the school counselor and psychologist as well as his resource teacher, taken to our family doctor and so many therapists I lost count.

Everyone had a different idea of what the problem was and how to deal with it. The diagnosis varied from Aspergers, ADHD, ODD, OCD - to anxiety, depression, and so on. Along with each new diagnosis came new suggestions on behavior modifications.

The problem was that my son was SOMETIMES able to behave completely normally and almost always if he was in a one-on-one or small group environment. At home we had no violent outbursts at all which really frustrated my husband and I. We began to think he was just being defiant (one of the therapists had insinuated that he was spoiled and that we just didn't discipline him enough). He would go for weeks with no problems whatsoever and then BOOM - he would strike a kid at school and we would start the ball rolling all over again.

It wasn't until recently that I was reading a book on Aspergers and realized that was the problem! We had went through more than 5 years of public school (I had taken him out to homeschool him for a year in 4th grade and had no problems but was worried that I was just avoiding the real problem and not helping it so put him back).

His triggers seem to be too much stimulation and environment change which is why we don't see it at home. I keep it pretty routine and organized even though one therapist said I was micromanaging his life and and not allowing him to learn how to be responsible for himself. If I don't though we run the risk of meltdown and failure to complete what he needs to such as chores and schoolwork.

I am wondering if public school is actually a good answer for him. If I should force him to learn to interact in that environment when I am not so sure he will ever be forced as an adult to deal with a crowded, bustling school-like atmosphere again if he doesn't choose to (which he won't).

On the same note I am not sure he CAN or ever will learn how to do this. After years of therapists, classes, behavior mods, etc, we still see exactly the same behaviors and I am wondering if anything we have tried has been anything but temporary solutions to a permanent problem. I also don't know that it is fair to expect the school to know how or have the resources to educate him.

Sorry for the rambling but the school year has just started and I sit on pins and needles every day waiting for a phone call. We can go weeks with no problems whatsoever but who knows when someone will make that random comment or something unexpected will happen.

My son's school just accidentally did a very good thing that other parents might want to suggest to their children's teachers. My son is in a technical program in high school. The class assignment was to prepare a PowerPoint presentation about themselves. My son's was well done. He had the class laughing with him rather than at him, and he talked about the fact that he has Asperger's Syndrome which makes it very hard for him to reach out to other people. He said he still wants to know them though, so he asked them to approach him. I don't know if it will work, but it's the first time in his life that he's reached out to other people which is huge. I'm so proud of him. It also gave his classmates some information about him that I'm sure is helpful. I was thinking that if other teachers gave similar assignments to their classes, it might give other kids with AS a way to explain their interests and to reach out too. A lot of schools introduce technology, like PowerPoint presentations, in elementary school these days, so it could be worked into the regular curriculum in a way that benefits all the kids.

Hi Suetois - and thank you for sharing this wonderful idea. I will be very interested to hear how things turn out.

And welcome to RhondaMR.

I am so sorry to hear of your son's struggles. As you can see from this forum, you and your family are not alone in this experience.

Some of the steps other families in similar situations have talked about in this forum, as well as in e-mails to us, or even in comments as they filled in their IAN Research questionnaires, include:

-- Taking steps to get a formal diagnosis, especially if you have come to be pretty certain that a specific diagnosis fits. Sometimes it's hard to find someone who is expert at diagnosing very high functioning, older children on the autism spectrum, but it is just such a person that you would need. Who could you ask? The key is to draw on local knowledge, whether it's a local mental health professional, someone working in special ed or the guidance office at school, or people involved in autism advocacy organizations (like your local Autism Society of America chapter) -- any of these may have ideas about who is expert at evaluating older children with autism spectrum disorders in the area.

-- Remember that you can always call an IEP and advocate for a program, or a school, that will better meet your child's needs. (This may be easier to do once you have an evaluation from a qualified professional.) It is tough when the school district has little choice to offer, or when access to a specific "dream" school would take a legal battle, but even so... The first step is to see what they DO have to offer. I know when my son with Asperger's was young and in crisis, I had no idea that the program he ended up in (and which helped him enormously) existed until I started asking for alternatives.

I hope our readers will leave some other suggestions for you, and I hope the situation improves soon!

Yesterday I was here to post about something good the school did for my teenager with AS. Today I'm back with something parents should watch out for. He got yet another one of those assignments where he's supposed to imagine that he's something that he's not. This is extremely difficult for him and many other people with AS. This time he was supposed to prepare a resume for a job that he currently has the skills to perform. In all honesty, he *doesn't* have the skills to work fast food or bag groceries like other kids his age. Once his teacher realized why he was having trouble, she just suggested that he *imagine* that he does have the skills. He can't do that either. He couldn't do the assignment and, after three days of trying, wound up in tears in class. That stressed him out even more. I hate having to educate every new set of teachers about common AS problems--and then having about half of them blow me off and insist that the kid has to do whatever the other kids do anyway. Of course the official answer is to call yet another IEP meeting, but you can't do that for every little thing. I just wish his caseworker would visit his teachers and give them a basic heads up as to what AS is like. It would make all of this so much easier. Instead, I'm emailing the teacher to explain the situation. Hopefully that will take care of this little glitch.

Hi Suetois, and so sorry to hear of this. It truly is exhausting, educating a whole new wave of people every year...and even having to re-educate some who didn't get it the first time. It seems to happen all too often that an IEP chair or resource teacher may know and understand a child's situation, but half the other teachers assigned to him or her are barely informed of it.

Hi,

I'm very new to IAN, so bear with me if I ramble! *smiles*

My son is 10 years old and in the 5th grade and was recently (in the last month) diagnosed with Asberger Syndrome. In the evaluation for Head Start, I asked the EC (exceptional child) expert if he had Autism (even high functioning),because it seemed as though he had no conscience, there was no consequence for his actions. She stated no, that he was far too social to be autistic. It didn't matter that he seemed not to comprehend you when you told him what would happen if he got into the candy, or got up out of his seat during instruction time. In retrospect, it seemed like he just could care less about what directives were given to him, and by all appearances, it looked like I just hadn't taught him right from wrong, when in fact, I had and was still doing so. The struggles with the school really started in kindergarten, when the teacher expected Tyler to conform to her class rules and demands, although he had an active IEP (for a diagnosis of ADHD at age 4 and various delays identified at age 2) and was not yet medicated for the ADHD. The teachers sent nasty notes home every day about behaviors such as inability to focus, not sitting still in class, not being quiet or laying down during nap time. I spoke numerous times with the teacher asking her if she would allow him to redirect with a book (the only thing I knew that could draw his attention away from bouncing all over the room, that didn't involve video games) and her response to me was "oh no, we can't do that, then all of my other students would want a book." Which way do you want it lady, do you want him quiet and focused on something or do you want him scattered all over the room? Her answer was "get this child on some medication." Sure. Okay, find a doctor that will put a 5 year old child on ADHD meds. Good luck with that! That process alone took 6 months and a child psychiatrist to see him (which in NC can take awhile). The Ritalin did help some, but didn't help with his inability to comprehend directives or consequences.

As time went on, Tyler excelled in some things, and not so much in others. He has had some exceptional teachers, and some not so much so, but the Exceptional Children's program (special education) has been the one that has messed with my son the most. When the first IEP was introduced, it was explained to me that as he mastered certain goals, other goals would be introduced and the IEP would be reviewed annually to make sure the IEP was meeting his specific needs. This went on until 3rd grade, where Tyler's education and my emotions went on a roller coaster which we are STILL on. It was time for his re-evaluation (they do psychological evaluations every 3 years for children identified with EC needs)at which his psychologist did an academic achievement test and decided that my son no longer qualified for EC, or for an IEP. He was taken from that and placed under a 504 plan, which gave him certain modifications but not the special education support. He struggled with this and failed his End of Grade testing the first time (by 2 points) and passed it the second time (by 2 points). Moving on to fourth grade, he had an exceptional teacher, who really wanted Tyler to excel. And in a number of things he did. He made tremendous growth throughout a tremendously tough year for him. Add to this he also had 2 surgical procedures which added to the struggle. (Tonsils, Adenoids and Tubes and a Lithotripsy) The teacher, seeing Tyler progressing through the physical struggles, decided Tyler was just "playing mom" and asked for a review of his 504 status. In this review, basically I was steamrolled and told that whatever problems I was having with him at home had nothing to do with his academic success, and that they couldn't keep him in 504 if he was proving he could keep up on grade level. My question was, how can they expect me to reinforce homework for him? Their result was to take his 504 modifications from him and mainstream him completely. I was livid, and let it be known that I was in the meeting. Especially when their reasoning for pulling him was that his being on Ritalin helped him keep on grade level, and therefore he didn't qualify for the accommodations. It came time for the End of Grade testing again and guess what happened? He failed. Twice. I appealed the retention committee. Something in me told me that keeping him back for a year would not help the situation and it would only serve to make him feel like he failed and I refused to do it. I'm going to get the results of the Asberger testing on Thursday and setting up another meeting with EC to discuss the new findings. I think that if they can give him at the very LEAST accommodations he would at least have a fighting chance, and he fights so hard to keep up it infuriates me that the school would dare hinder that.
Truth be told, my understanding of Asberger's is limited at best. I want to know if anyone knows anything about sensory therapy in schools through occupational therapy or is it only privately sought. I intend on pursuing this through the school system though, as I THINK this is supposed to be in the scope of practice for an occupational therapist, and if it's in their practice, why aren't they doing it for kids that need it IN SCHOOLS??

Again, I apologize for my ramblings.

Blessings,
Montie

Hi Montie, and welcome to IAN.

I'm so sorry to hear about what tremendous struggles you and your son have been through. It is so common for children with Asperger's not to be diagnosed for a long, long time...and have to struggle with no appropriate support for far too long. You can see this illustrated in our "state stats" -- scroll down to see the lag time between parent's concern and a diagnosis for children with autism, PDD-NOS, and Asperger's: http://dashboard.ianexchange.org/quickstats.aspx?A1=MD

It is clear from data submitted by families all over the U.S. that parents with a child with Asperger's wait nearly 5 years from the time of their first worry until they are able to get a diagnosis.

Getting a thorough evaluation by someone who is familiar with high functioning autism and Asperger's in an older child is one way to get back on track (and it sounds like you are heading in that direction). If your son does receive a formal autism spectrum diagnosis, he would then fall under the protections of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and would have the right to an IEP.

As you prepare for discussions with the school, or to meet with the person evaluating your son, you might be interested in our materials on Asperger's syndrome: http://www.iancommunity.org/cs/about_asds/aspergers_syndrome

(Sometimes people use these articles to educate personnel at the school, as well.)

Another article that might be of interest is our Back-to-School Report 2009; it contains some good resources about IEPs, etc.: http://www.iancommunity.org/cs/ian_research_reports/back_to_school_2009

I hope you are able to get an excellent evaluation of your soon very soon, and that it leads to a better situation for him at school.

Hello all! Im new to these boards. My 7 yr old son was diagnosed by a school psychiatrist with ADDHD
and PDD while we were living in Pennsylvania. We are in the process of moving to Maryland due to family medical issues. Ive hear an awful lot about the Kennedy Krieger. While in Pa my son has seen a different psychiatrist who also diagnosed my son with ADDHD and PDD. He put my son on abilify, clonidone, focalin, a generic brand of focalin, and busiprone. However the buspirone is used for anxiety per his school request. He was first diagnosed by the State of PA just prior to starting Head Start and he received Physical, Occupational, Special Occupational and Speech therapies from when he was 1 yr to 3yr and at age 4, when he was in kindergarten, his "special ed" teacher with only 5 total kids all with special needs, had my son transported to a special school about an hr away from where we were living (in Pa) due to behavioral issues my son displayed at school. According to the teacher, my son would sometimes hit, kick, throw tampertantrums and each time he did homework, even with me doing hand over hand with him as I was shown how to do, it did not satisfy the teacher. So in his new school, he did a lot better in the new school. But he did have his own pyschiatrist who gave him two different meds but that proved fruitless because, on average, at least 2x a week, my son would have to be restrained due to behavioral issues. At same time, his speech was slowly coming along. For the last 2 yrs he attended a school about 5 minutes away from home his speech remarkably improved but still isnt where it should be. His behavorial issues have to an extent calm down. He wakes up and is extremely hyper and very wild. The meds he takes takes about 30 min to calm down but at night his meds take an hr to take effect and I am wondering if it is due to his body having it in the system for so long--since Feb of 09. Sometimes at school he gets out of seat talks out of turn talks when he isnt suppose to. He also has had issues of being clingy too. Im just wondering how long does it take to get an appointment at Kennedy Krieger because I would like to have my son tested before I get him enrolled into the MD School System and Im also wondering how long before the school would do its own testing?

MB1977. I have friends who take their son to Kennedy Krieger. They're really good. But it does take a *long* time to get in. Then again, it seems like that's the case with all the people who specialize in our kids. I think it's a really good idea for you to take your son there, though. With his mental health background on his mother's side, it wouldn't be surprising if there were several things in play. For example, my children have Asperger's and ADHD and also are bipolar. The meds that make the ADHD better, make the bipolar-related behavior problems a lot worse. You really need an experienced professional to evaluate your son and help you decide how best to help him.

The other problem is going to be affording it. Our insurance balked at authorizing a neuro-developmental evaluation. They said it wasn't authorized because it was experimental. Horse hockey! What it was (and is) is expensive. Be prepared for a possible fight.

Good luck. For what it's worth, I hear good things about the special ed. services in Montgomery County in MD relative to some of the other school districts around here.

Hi MB1977, and welcome to IAN.

To add to the information Suetois provided, I made a call to the Kennedy Krieger referral line. They were very helpful. It is true that there can be a wait for an appointment, but the process is not hard.

First, you call the Kennedy Krieger referral line: 888 554-2080. At present, they offer a menu of choices, but you would press "1" if you are interested in an appointment. The person who answers the phone would then do a fairly extensive telephone intake process with you, asking you questions about your child's development and challenges. They provide this information to a treatment team that decides what types of professionals your child might need to see for an evaluation. Within 2-3 weeks or so you would usually get a call from someone associated with that team who would speak with you about an appointment and put you on the waiting list. At that time, they will let you know about how long the wait will be. (The wait time varies a great deal depending on a child's age and individual circumstances, so it's hard to estimate one here.) Shortly before the actual face-to-face appointment, you would get a call regarding your insurance coverage. Various plans, including some of the HMOs or plans under Medicaid, are accepted.

It might be a good idea to ask about the insurance during the intake phone call, just so you'd know if what you have is accepted... You might even have time to switch to different insurance if it's not, since there may be a waiting time. You do not need any specific insurance to go through the intake process or get on the waiting list. As I said, they will call and make sure the insurance is all in order shortly before the actual appointment date.

I hope this proves helpful, and that you are able to get your son evaluated, whether at Kennedy Krieger or by another knowlegeable professional or center, soon.