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Archive for January 21st, 2011

First Published Tuesday, 2 June 2009

Clinton High School, Mississippi

Barbara Gauntt/The Clarion-Ledger


Clinton graduate Joseph Upton worked through the many obstacles posed by Asperger’s syndrome to make it through high school. The aspiring animator hopes to go to art school.


Joseph Upton has been in school full time since he was 3 1/2 years old. He has spent hours after school catching up on the school work he couldn’t finish during the day. Then he would spend about four hours on his homework each school night. But Upton, who has Asperger’s syndrome, has graduated from Clinton High School despite the obstacles presented by the disorder, part of a group of conditions called autism spectrum disorders.


“My disorder makes things a little bit complicated for me to understand,” said Upton, 19. For example, sometimes he is unable to write fast enough to get lecture notes. In Mississippi, 23.16 percent of students with disabilities completed school with a traditional diploma during the 2007-08 school year, according to the state Department of Education. Students with disabilities can complete school by receiving a traditional diploma, but to do so they must meet the same state graduation requirements as other students. Students with disabilities also may receive an occupational diploma, a certificate or a GED. Asked why her son pursued a diploma, Marilyn Upton said, “I think he’s capable. I felt all the time that he could do it, and I pushed him, I guess.” She said she taught her children to not quit what they have started.


“You never reach a goal without working to get there,” Marilyn Upton said. Unlike children with autism, those with Asperger’s syndrome “never really have a language problem,” said Kimberly Bellipanni, a behavioral specialist and certified school psychologist at the University of Southern Mississippi’s Children’s Center for Communication and Development. Children with Asperger’s syndrome have cognitive development on par with most other children, and some are “really highly functioning, really bright,” she said.


Children with Asperger’s also have very rigid behavior and can be routine-oriented, Bellipanni said. They may not listen to everyone else, or may have trouble initiating or continuing a conversation. They may have an anger outburst or not be socially aware, she said. Joseph Upton’s third-grade teacher had a class of gifted students similar to Joseph, and some who were worse, Marilyn Upton said. But the teacher, Ginger Vandeventer, “catered to the educational level of every one of them,” she said.


The students all worked on the same tasks, but at a different pace. Vandeventer would write assignments on the board, and had enrichment activities for those who finished early. That left more time to work with the children who needed extra help, she said. Joseph “was easily distracted,” Vandeventer said. If she told him to get back to work, he would “get mad, and everything would come to a halt,” she said. He would “talk back or stop or not want to do anything. … It took him awhile to cool off.” Instead of calling for him to focus, Vandeventer said she would walk by and tap on his desk. Doing so “got the same point across, but it was a passive thing,” she said. Vandeventer also learned Joseph was motivated by the animals she kept in her classroom – fish, lizards, even a snake. Clinton High School special education teacher Regina Britt, who worked with Joseph, called him a hard worker. “He always tried his best and was always concerned about his grades,” Britt said in an e-mail. “Joseph loves art and karate.


These activities allow Joseph to express himself.” Joseph worked hard on his school assignments during the week, and the family made the most of weekends, Marilyn Upton said. Another outlet for Joseph was TEAAM’s Camp Kaleidoscope, where he went every year until he was 15. But when Joseph became a teenager, he felt the camp staff was treating him like a baby. “It’s like saying I can’t do things normal people do,” he said. In school, Joseph struggled with the state English test but eventually passed it. He called his mother, who was away at Camp Shelby, to tell her the good news. “You want to see a soldier look like an idiot? I was standing there bawling,” said Marilyn Upton, an air defense officer in the National Guard. “I was so excited for him. I was so happy.” On May 22, Joseph donned a red cap and gown and marched with Clinton High School’s Class of 2009. “One of my greatest teaching moments was when I saw Joseph, dressed in his cap and gown, receive his high school diploma,” Britt said. Asked how he felt about the ceremony, Joseph said, “I was kind of nervous, but I was good.”


His family raved about him. His father, Jeffrey Upton, called him “amazing.” “His work ethic is absolutely astonishing,” Jeffrey Upton said. “It’s been a long wait, but I’m glad,” said Rebekah Upton, Joseph’s 16-year-old sister. “He’s had to struggle through school.” Joseph now wants to attend college in Savannah, Ga., and hopes one day to be an animator. Earlier, when asked what it meant for her son to graduate, Marilyn Upton said, “To say that a child has been in school full-time since they were 3 1/2 years old, I don’t know if anybody can really comprehend that. “To think that somebody has had to put forth that much work to get a high school diploma … he’s just amazing.”


Source:   http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009905300352



First Published Tuesday 2 June, 2009.

By Amanda Genge, Staff Writer, my OptumHealth


Parents delight in hearing their child’s first words blossom into full conversation. Some children, though, run into problems when learning to speak.  There are babies who don’t babble at all, and toddlers and preschoolers who have trouble forming words. These children may have speech or language disorders.


Some of these disorders are the result of oral-motor problems. This means a child has trouble using the parts of his mouth that form words and sounds. Others may be caused by broader developmental disorders like autism. Chronic ear infections or hearing loss could also be a factor.


It’s important for parents to understand that speech and language are not the same thing. Speech is how words are formed and spoken. Language is the meaningful exchange of information by expressing or understanding an idea, either through spoken or written words or gestures. A child may have trouble with one or both of these areas.


Speech and language disorders



These disorders are usually diagnosed by a speech-language pathologist (SLP) after a thorough evaluation. This specialist can also arrange sessions to work with your child to improve needed skills. Some speech and language disorders include:


*Expressive language disorder. This is marked by limited vocabulary for the child’s age, errors in tense or problems with recalling words. Using the wrong names for objects or people may occur.


* Mixed receptive-expressive language disorder. These symptoms tend to overlap with expressive language disorder. Also, the child may have trouble understanding words or phrases, or may just repeat words after hearing them. Answers to questions – especially those that ask “who, what or where” or “when, why or how” – may not make sense.


*Orofacial myofunctional disorders. A child with this problem may pronounce sounds incorrectly – “s” may come out sounding like “th”, for instance. The tongue moves too far forward while talking and swallowing. At other times, the tongue may stick out from between the teeth. Open-mouth posture is common.


*Speech sound disorders. These are problems with forming and articulating sounds and words. A young child who does not outgrow this speech pattern may need speech therapy.


*Stuttering.  Stutterers repeat whole words or parts of words, or prolong certain sounds in a word. This can make a child’s speech hard to understand. Stress may make the problem worse.


*Maturational delay. “Late bloomer” or “late talker” syndrome. Sometimes a child will be slow to start speaking, but will have no problems forming or understanding words. This occurs more often in boys than girls, and tends to run in families. Doctors and speech-language pathologists do not make this diagnosisunless they are certain that there are no other possible causes of the delay. Once the child does start to speak, he or she will typically continue to develop language skills in a normal way.


*Childhood apraxia of speech. This is a less common motor disorder in which children have trouble forming sounds and words. They know what they want to say, but the brain can’t coordinate the muscles needed to say it. Very early symptoms are lack of babbling during infancy, late first words with missing sounds, limited sound rang and problems combining sounds.  Older children may struggle to speak in general, especially with long words and phrases. They can also usually understand much more than they can say.


If you think your child has a speech or language problem, talk to a doctor about your concerns. He or she may suggest having your child evaluated by a speech-language pathologist. Check with your health insurance provider. This service may not be covered.


If your child is under age 3, you can also contact your state’s Early Intervention Program for an assessment. Studies have shown that the earlier speech or language therapy is started, the better the outcome for the child.


SOURCES:

Simms MD.  Language disorders in children: classification and clinical syndromes. Pediatric Clinics of North America. 2007;54 (3):437-467.


American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.  Child speech and language.


National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Apraxia of speech.


Also on the web


A Head Start for Children With Autism
Baby Steps and Other Milestones: Developmental Goals and Signs of Delays
Q&A: Help for Stuttering Children
Signs of Dyslexia