I don't really have any advice for you, my kids are just really starting the school thing. I tell you though, I think my kids have fallen through the cracks since the day they were born. Its really frustrating to know what they need or know they need something and either you can't do anything about it or you have to work so hard for things that should be easy.My son is currently going through evaluations at school and we are
having a meeting to discuss those and gear up for an IEP in two weeks. I
have talked to speech, o.t. and psych already and they all say in 1:1
testing he is scoring appropriatly for his age group.
But in the classroom observation the o.t. person discribed him as 'barely
surviving'. So I have already been told that because of the adequate
testing he does not qualify for much though they will make suggestions
on how to make the classroom setting less stimulating. However (O.T.
words:) this kind of depends on the skill level of the teacher. My son also
got his report card today which marks every single subject as 'area of
concern' with the remark that he is not cooperating in class. Since he is
cooperative 1:1 and at home I take that to mean that he is failing because
of sensory overload.
It is starting to dawn on me that even though we just got a pdd-nos
diagnosis three month ago, I will have to be the expert or he will fall
through the cracks.
I am sure that this is not an unusual situation for asd parents. What have
you done?
A medical diagnosis is no guarantee of an IEP. For a child to receive services under IDEA 2004, he needs to have a disability but that disability must be shown to have a negative impact on his education. "Education" is not defined solely as academics, though. It is considered anything academic, developmental or functional. That means it includes social deficits, lack of practical knowledge, emotional issues, behavioral concerns, etc. Not just if a child can hold a pencil and write his name. No parent WANTS a child to receive special education. We ask for services because we perceive deficits. Try to convey to the IEP team what YOUR concerns are for YOUR child. Ask lots of questions. If I were you, I'd get a copy of From Emotions to Advocacy as soon as possible. Learn to ask the 5w's + H + E (who, what, where, when, why, how and explain). If all else fails, you can ask for an Independent Educational Evaluation paid for by the District. Search that term here and at www.wrightslaw.com
Even though I've been in the "system" several years now with my son, I just purchased that book last week, and it's excellent. You will have to become the expert on your child, your rights, the law, etc in order to ensure your child receives everything he needs. For me, it was much easier when my son was younger. I was lucky enough to have a school system that just volunteered everything to me and informed me about all my options. Now, my son is almost 11, and it's turned into a complete nightmare. It looks like I'm going to end up in a lawsuit with my son's school district since they don't know how to follow the basic things outlined in IDEA. But I seriously recommend that book as a starter place. So many things depend on the school district you're in and how educated they are with the laws. Sometimes, even when the law is slapped in their face, they choose to ignore it and proceed to let kids fall in the cracks anyway. So it's important to know how to prepare for these meetings, how to document appropriately, and how to advocate best for your child. Good luck!
I got my copy last night and wanted to second the recommendation.
It clearly states what YOU SHOULD DO. It cuts through a lot of the confusion, efficiently! Not such a hard dry read as I had expected.