New here, frustrated with school!!!!

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-11-2007
New here, frustrated with school!!!!
6
Fri, 04-27-2007 - 12:46pm
Hi,
I have been lurking for a little while here, just sort of figuring all this stuff out. My nine year old was recently diagnosed with PDD NOS at UofM. I took the letter the doctor told me to write to the school request IQ and Achievement test and classifying his as AI, or now ASD, also as EI because he believes he has an anxiety disorder as well. I met with the school once, they decided to do their own testing that they have to do etc... I went again yesterday, they did checklists, for, get this, Asperger's. I know he doesn't have Asperger's, he has PDD NOS. She tells me, "I don't think he has Asperger's, why don't we just test him for ADHD?" Hello, I KNOW he doesn't have Asperger's!!!!!! The only reason she is going with ADHS is because the doc put him on Adderall to help him concentrate on school work. He also wants to start him on Prozac soon. I'm really not sure how I feel about that. I am just so incredibly frustrated with the school. They have never heard of PDD NOS, so they are going to just ignore it. I asked, how can you just ignore a doctor's dx, she said if they didn't feel that it fit, they could ignore it. Her reasoning is that they at the school spend more time with him, and the doctor didn't spend enough time with him. Again, HELLO, I spend the most time with him, and I AGREE with the dx!!! ARgh!! I know I have an uphill battle. I just don't know what to do. OH, her other suggestion would be to hold him back in 4th grade again, to give him a year to mature. The kid hasn't changed AT ALL maturity wise, in over 2 years. Academically he would be ok, if he would do the work, the work he does is great! He is just so socially behind. Any adivice would be great.
Carey
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-03-2004
Fri, 04-27-2007 - 1:32pm

Hi there and welcome to the board! My son is also 9 and PDD-NOS. But (when we were in school, right now we are homeschooling, LONG story), our ds was not listed as PDD-NOS as that is not an educational category. And autism isn't really a completely appropriate educational category for him, either. Our ds was placed under speech and language delay, which as receptive language is where he trips up (he has great spoken language, VERY verbal) -- anyways, the SL category at least gives teachers a head's up as to where he will be stuggling most, also sensory, but as we know they don't use that as a category at all. So weird, this whole system.

Anyways, back to you and your ds -- the most important thing here is that he be tested in ALL AREAS OF SUSPECTED DISABILITY. NOT just for ADHD, which as you said he does not have. He needs OT, Speech, Attention, Behavioral and PT, if appropriate, they need to write an Individual Education Plan based on his specific challenges (and it should most definitely include social goals) -- so that appropriate supports can be put in place. So, in a way, the educational category may not be the issue. The bigger picture of how this school will help your child to be successful with the supports HE NEEDS is key. And as he is not ADHD, which is treated differently, they do need to know this.

Others here will be better at giving you more specific advice. Because I live in a school system where special ed is completely failing, we have always had ds in private specialized schools and even there (with experts) we have had trouble getting trained teachers to teach our son appropriate to his strengths and weaknesses, hence the homeschooling. Sigh.

Sara
ilovemalcolm

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-11-2007
Fri, 04-27-2007 - 1:42pm
Sara,
My ds has been getting Speech/Language Services for almost 3 years now. They have him down as a receptive language disorder as well. The problem that we now have is, it is not enough. He can't handle the school setting as it is, and with just a receptive language disorder on his IEP, they won't do anything more to help him. He needs more support. The school system is just so rigid, they do not want to give anymore than they absolutely have to, not matter how much it may actually benefit a child. I'm just a bit angry because the social worker wouldn't listen to a word I had to say, I'm not sure what she thinks my motives are. I have taken my ds to a private christian school's open house to check it out, and am seriously considering having him go there. I am just so fed up. Thank you for some good advice though. I will keep it in mind.
Carey
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Fri, 04-27-2007 - 2:56pm

Hi, and welcome. My son will be entering kindergarten in the fall and his diagnosis is PDD-NOS. He qualifies for special-ed under the autism category.

You should have received a copy of procedural safeguards at the beginning of your evaluation process. They explain what you can do if you aren't satisfied with what has happened. If you didn't get them, check for them online at your state's special education website.

It is unfortunate that a school district is not required to agree with a doctor's dx or even take it into consideration when they do their evaluation.

As for holding him back...I really don't approve of holding a child back for social reasons. If he can academically do the work then his social issues can be addressed in other ways. That is one of the reasons that I would want an IEP and I would want social skills included as goals.

Please let us know how its going.

Heather

                                

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-03-2004
Fri, 04-27-2007 - 3:47pm

Dear Carey,

I so hear ya. Shame on them. Have you considered going the route of getting an advocate or even a lawyer? This school district is breaking the law here. Shame, shame on them! But so many of us here have had these kinds of problems, this really is a country-wide (even world-wide) outrage.

Actually, the social worker is not legally the final word on this testing, and maybe you'd better hop on over to the Special Education Plans Board here at iVillage and run all this by Steph and the other mom/experts 'cuz they can give you serious advice on how to get the school district to follow the law... which IS on your side, even if your sd doesn't think so.

Stay in touch,

Sara

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-06-2006
Fri, 04-27-2007 - 4:36pm
I don't have much advice, as I am new to this, and we have had no problems with school.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 06-25-2003
Fri, 04-27-2007 - 7:34pm

Hello Carey and welcome,


Well, Sara gave you some very good advice, already.

-Paula

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