Does anyone else think Lilo has AS (Asperger's Syndrome)?

[Owlzindabarn]

Well, Alan, you need to have a serious talk with that teacher and explain to him/her the issue. If they don't understand, you must keep going up through the administration until someone does understand. I know it's a painful process but you can't let something like this interfere with your grade. I was marked down many times because I "didn't partcipate" in class. I most certainly did participate; I just felt that by asking questions and challenging the teacher's logic I'd be disrupting the class. It never occurred to me to speak in class; I was a good listener.

[Alan]

Well, Alan, you need to have a serious talk with that teacher and explain to him/her the issue. If they don't understand, you must keep going up through the administration until someone does understand. I know it's a painful process but you can't let something like this interfere with your grade. I was marked down many times because I "didn't partcipate" in class. I most certainly did participate; I just felt that by asking questions and challenging the teacher's logic I'd be disrupting the class. It never occurred to me to speak in class; I was a good listener.

Well on the rubric he gave us he said "If you don't like your participation grade, come talk with me. W can talk about setting some goals for you".

I participate daily in class, I'm never disruptive, I'm a good listener, and he gives me a C+ in participation so far. Participation shouldn't be a part of the grade. Some people are quiet, some people like to talk. Its part of their personality, and teachers can't change it.

[memnv]

Why should Participation not be part of the grade. In some classes Particiapation is a very big part of class. Spanish is one of them,You have to be able to say the words, not just be able to read and write them, You have to remember school is preping you for the rest of your life, What are you going to do if you ever have to give a speach or run a conference or your in a debate. Particapation helps you prepare for this.

[ryaxnb2]

AS (Asperger's Syndrome) is a lot like autism.

I have it and it doesn't seem a lot like autism to me.

[Owlzindabarn]

memnv--with all due respect you're not following the thread, now are you. We're talking about Asperger's Syndrome, which makes it difficult for one to initiate conversation.

Asperger's and autism are both degrees of the same disorder, but both are marked by different symptoms. Severely autistic children can almost wholly retreat from reality to the point where their i.q.'s are so low they can be classified as retarded. Asperger's people can have genius level i.q.s but suffer from certain social barriers, that I tried my best to describe in the earlier post. Generally, autistic people wind up institutionalized or at best highly supervised; Asperger's people can function very well in society but there's lots of challenges. I could go on and on but I'll stop here.

[Alan]

Well, Alan, you need to have a serious talk with that teacher and explain to him/her the issue. If they don't understand, you must keep going up through the administration until someone does understand. I know it's a painful process but you can't let something like this interfere with your grade. I was marked down many times because I "didn't partcipate" in class. I most certainly did participate; I just felt that by asking questions and challenging the teacher's logic I'd be disrupting the class. It never occurred to me to speak in class; I was a good listener.

Yeah, its also a problem in english. My english teacher is really mean to some kids, especially for people who participate a lot. On the progress report, he said I "rarely participates" in class. I do participate. I listen, I take good notes. Its a different type of participation.

I do not feel comfortable "participating". in the teacher's terms, in class. I don't really like him, and am too afraid to participate in class, and people might deride me in case I make a stupid statement. Plus, I usually don't have anything meaningful to say. I don't have AS, but I'm quite quiet in class.

[Today4U]

Where I teach you *can't* grade behavior, such as participation. If the Spanish teacher wanted you to speak the words, that's his right, and could be a graded assignment. But just a general, no rubric "participation" grade is not allowed. As for the person with Asperger's who say it's counting against him/her in class, do you have an IEP or 504? IEPs and 504s fall under federal law, and give you the accommodations to succeed in class, despite the "disability." If a teacher refuses to offer accommodations (as specified in the IEP or 504), the teacher will be fired (I've seen it happen). If diagnosed as having Asperger's, have a parent/guardian bring the documentation to the school, and set up a meeting with the ESE specialist. During the meeting, discuss the challenges faced by the participation grade. As someone else stated, you obviously need to know how to *speak* Spanish (not just read and write it), and you will need to prove that during class. The IEP would only alter the manner in which you are assessed.

As for Lilo, she definitely does not have Asperger's. I mean, not even close. At first, I was offended at such a thought (I thought this thread would be picking on Asperger's -- a la calling someone "retarded"), but then I realized it was a serious discussion... it's just so off-target that I thought it was a cruel joke. Perhaps an interesting discussion would be why Disney avoids making lead characters with varying exceptionalities. Although Lilo is a nice start at branching out from the traditional white hero/heroine.