And ANOTHER thing!

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-25-2003
And ANOTHER thing!
7
Wed, 04-05-2006 - 10:01pm

Siobhan's teacher is recommending she lose ALL of her services except Speech next year.

Quoi?

I know she has been doing well with a lot of support, but that does not mean you remove it all in a 'one-er'. Whatever happened to cutting back slowly?

Grrrr. They want to drug my son and remove all support from my daughter.

I'm NOT HAPPY >:(

-Paula

Who is not happy.

-Paula

visit my blog at www.onesickmother.com
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Wed, 04-05-2006 - 10:37pm

Definitely insist that they cut back slowly. I know you know it doesn't mean a hill of beans what they recomend cause you have to agree to it.

But just the same it is nice when they are a bit more helpful and supportive.

Did you tell them the magic rule? Only one child can be in crisis at a time. They are not allowed to give you trouble with both at the same time. So there!

Renee

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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-26-2005
Wed, 04-05-2006 - 11:08pm
Paula,
Wow, that's nuts! In one way it's good because it means she's doing well but to totally take away everything at once could sent both of you into a tail spin. How old is she now?
Teresa
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-25-2003
Thu, 04-06-2006 - 1:35pm

(responding to everyone again)

I think they think keeping Speech twice per week, although she probably doesn't need it, is their concession against a 'cold turkey' cutoff. I looooove her ST, but I hardly consider that 'support'. Also in our (very rich) SD you don't need an IEP for just Speech, so she loses her IDEA protection. Not good.

To be fair: They have a case: her aide is less than useless -no support there. I think the SpecEd teacher who works with her each day adds a lot of value tho. I might ask to lose the aide and keep the teacher...

Other than that, I am not sure where to go with this one. I could try to have her evaluated outside, but have a stong suspicion the DX will be ADD/SID, and that will only re-enforce the SD's case that Peter has ADHD! UGH!!!!

What to do? what to do?

-Paula
Did I mention I'm not happy?

P.S. Teresa: she will be 6 next month. (I can't believe it! But she refused to defer her birthday I have asked and even offered sumptuous gifts...)

-Paula

visit my blog at www.onesickmother.com
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-06-2006
Thu, 04-06-2006 - 2:45pm

Do you have a diagnosis from an outside doc? The reason I ask is that if you do.... you can insist on a 504. Get those accomodations in writing, especially for behaviors that might occur when the support is yanked.

I know that a 504 is not the same as a solid IEP. But many times just asking for one will magically make a child eligible for spec ed services. I did it myself when my son was transitioning into K and was told he no longer qualified. He was too "high functioning".

The reason for the switch in the schools position is a 504 comes with no federal $$. So if the school is going to have to accomodate anyway.......... they figure they might as well get the $$.

I saw your other post as well and I hope you don't feel i am too pushy just jumping in here. Are you going to these meetings alone or are you taking someone else with you? It doesn't matter who you take really, just a "witness" often helps. I am going to assume your son has a medical diagnosis and that trumps the school psych any day. He didn't got to med school, nor do they ever spend enough time observing a child. I bet he never interviewed you either. Can't get a complete picture of a student without it.

I had a school psych try and tell me my son had ADHD too. I handed him the evaluation be the pediatric psychiatrist based on 6 weeks of observation and testing. Told him basically that trumps his 30 min meeting with my son. An ADHD diagnosis is based on behaviors outside of the classroom as well as inside. The fact that your guy can sit down at home and do his work sound more like a sensory issue, and he would benefit from OT not meds. And an adapted environment. Maybe some quiet space.

My guy cannot take a spelling test in the classroom. All those pencils scratching and squeeking make him nuts. He needs a one on one prompt to get him started on any assignment. He cannot hear his teacher when she is in the front of the room, he is too busy trying to filter out all the stuff written on the board.

Looks like you got some really great feedback from everyone here. Hope you don't mind me butting in.
theresa

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 04-06-2006 - 6:44pm

Kind of sounds like where i was at with Dave a year ago. Ask them for an IEP at least during this transition period to be sure she doesn't crash and burn without the supports and that the supports be faded slowly.

They actually were pretty darn accepting of that idea as a compromise and we kept the IEP for an additional year. This year the RSP hasn't been very helpful and his teacher is great so we were ok with removing it. Only because I know the teachers and principal well and know I can get needed supports. It that wasn't the case I would have fought to keep him on an IEP.

Renee

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iVillage Member
Registered: 06-25-2003
Thu, 04-06-2006 - 11:02pm


Theresa,

Thanks for the input. I do appreciate it.

Good call on the 504, although I don't think there are any accomodations which will really help her. I think she needs that one-on-one. It is the thing which pulled her out of a slump in the past two years. I feel without it, she will fall back in.

The best DX she has is from an IEE funded by the School district: "At Risk for Aspergers Syndrome". I now suspect that DX is wrong and my fear is that an outside DX now would impact her brother, who is Aspie (not ADHD), and just start them pushing for meds, which I am against in her case (I am not against meds. -I take ADHD meds, but I am against them in her case).

My DH and I go to the meetings together. We are in our sixth year of this, and we have excellent relationships with the SD -having both served as patent members on the CPSE and CSE. I don;t feel the need to bring a third party.

However, this year I struggling to find an arguement for either child which will not impact the other. I know they are supposed to treat each case individually, but they are human, and conclusions will be drawn.

-Paula

-Paula

visit my blog at www.onesickmother.com
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-06-2006
Thu, 04-06-2006 - 11:33pm

I hear you on the med worry. I am a firm believer in meds only when a student is getting in his/her way. NOT to make it easier for the rest of us, teachers included. There was some talk about meds for my guy at one point until I pointed out it would increase his zone outs not make him sit still.

I don't know what the laws are where you live. But our state actually has a law prohibiting school employees from even mentioning meds. The reason being only a medical doc can prescribe meds. A psychologist does not hold a medical degree.

I understand the importance of having a working relationship with the district. One thing you can do is get someone from the district office to sit in on the team. Not to pull rank but to maybe act as an "interpretor" for both sides of the issue. I have found this useful from time to time.

I am a little unclear why a change in her diagnosis would change their position on your son. This is inate not a virus.

The main accomadation to put in the 504 if that is the route you end up needing to go, would be to make sure any behaviors that may develop as a result of her disability. Right now she has enough supports in place that she isn't getting too overwhelmed, or isn't getting too lost. She has an aide that reads her body language and her moods and knows when to step back. Without that person running interferance, she could begin acting out in ways she hasn't up until now. And this will be tied to her hard wiring and not a choice. I would spell that out so there is no confusion later on.

These are just things I have tried with my kids, bio and extended. Keeping in mind the only experts on your babies are you. So use or ignore my words at will.
theresa