Child with a Disability

It took two years of testing before my son was diagnosed with nonverbal learning disorder. At first it was just called a mild learning disability, but nothing specific. He also has high IQ, exceptional verbal and reading skills, but at 9 years still cannot tie his shoes, ride a bike or add numbers. He had speech therapy for about four years but "graduated" from that this year. He has been getting OT for three years. We are also in New York State and have found the public educational system in NY to be exceptional. It may just be because your son is so young that you feel you are not getting what you need for him. Here in Erie County we have a program that is called Early Intervention that provides free services to pre-school children. Check with your county government to find out if there is Early Intervention services where you are. They will even send therapists to your home to work with your son. Other than that, just be sure that you attend every IEP meeting, request regular conferences with your child's teachers and therapists and ask lots and lots of questions. I have found they are hesitant to make suggestions, but if you ask they usually have answers. NYS public schools are required to provide your child with everything it takes to give them an education, but you have to be pushy and demand what you want and need for your child. Ask around (other parents and teachers are invaluable sources of information) and find out how your local school district handles children with special needs. We ended up changing school districts to get our son in the kind of classroom he needed. It was the best move we ever made! Good luck!

CJ (Mom to Jake, 9 and Sam, 5)