My 15y/o daughter with PDD-NOS attends a private school and is doing well. We have just finished her eval and eligability meetings, and don't agree with their diagnostic eligability category. We have an advocate who recommends we write an IEP instead of an ISP to ensure maximum services and future services at college. Does an ISP work for college as well as an IEP? There is so much red tape! We want to keep her in the private school for now ----but are going through public school enrollment to qualify for an IEP.And ISP is given only to kids with 504 plans. The school district is not reimbursed for services delivered thru a 504 plan, but it IS reimbursed for IEP services (two different laws -- one an unfunded mandate, one partially funded by the feds). So the ISP is not funded AND the parents have limited procedural safeguards with an ISP, which are the main differences between that and an IEP. The only thing necessary to qualify for a 504 and ISP is to have a disability that interferes with some major life activity. To qualify for an IEP, the student has to have a disability that keeps him or her from accessing a Free and Appropriate Education. "Education" can mean academic, developmental, behavioral or physical needs. And you are right, an IEP only applies in a public school. Also, the IEP ENDS when the child qualifies for a high school diploma or the year s/he turns 21, which ever comes first. Once a child is in college, the only thing that applies is the Americans with Disabilities Act that requires reasonable accommodations for the handicapped. Each college has a Disabilities Office. Each college is different. Some college DO offer a lot of special ed support, but those are extremely rare. Basically, by college time, students are expected to be independent, advocate for themselves, and meet all the college standards their classmates do. Also, parental participation is actively discouraged in college and a college student's grades are private, between the school and the student, even if the parents are paying fully. Once you're in college, you are considered an adult with a right to privacy. BTW, that is also true for the doctor/patient relationship the day your daughter turns 18. You will no longer be allowed to talk to the doctor without your daughter's written permission.
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