Help! IEP questions | Autism PDD

Do not sign. You have the right to refuse and reschedule a meeting since one of your people can not attend on the date given. Don't let them bully you into anything.

You can go and see what they are offering. If you don't agree tell them that it is unacceptable and that you would like and give them your input. See what they say. At one meeting I had it went so horrible that I said no decisions will be made at this time and I will be back in touch to reschedule a meeting. I needed to calm down and do some research. They can not force you into agreeing. Do some research into everything. Before I found this site I did it all on my own. Yes, I made some mistakes but I learned quickly. I have probably more books on autism, PDD and other books than most doctors. I even had the boys doctor ask to borrow one of my books. Research the best you can because knowledge is power. I truly believe that. My nine year old was diagnosed with PDD/AS features. I had to fight his school even on the diagnosis because he made eye contact at times, he sometimes did pretend play they told me that he couldn't possibly be in the spectrum my response was "your degree is in what? social work and that most kids do make eye contact and most can play at times well with other children.  What are you looking for the rain man when only 2 percent of the population are like him. And some considered him high functioning compared to the very low functioning autistics out there. I think they have tunnel vision. Kids with PDD and there are even levels/varying degrees with that miss sight on what these children go through. I still fight with them over the fact that at home my son is so different than what they see at school. At school (when he attended) he had to work so hard to compensate throughout the day, the lights, sights, sounds etc. were overwhelming so that when he came home he totally went crazy. Hitting, throwing things, over anxious and over active. Yet because the school didn't see that side of him they believed it didn't happen and then they thought that I was doing something wrong for him to act like that at home. They just have no clue. I finally lost it in a meeting and cried my eyes out as I yelled out of frustration that unless they have a neurological impairment they can never fully comprehend what it is like to be my son. It would only be at that point that they could ever begin to even understand what one day in school is like for a kid like him and they have no right to say otherwise. They shut up since they finally had to admit they really did not know how hard he really did suffer through the day just to make it. I even gave them a DVD to learn more about a situation with my other son in hopes of waking them up and making them aware of what some of these kids are like. They lost my DVD.

Hope it goes well and stand your ground.

Ok here is how it went.

Thanks for all your support.  Well, I couldn't reach by phone the woman in charge of the special ed classes because of the long weekend, and his meeting was tuesday morning, so I figured I would show up, and tell them they were gonna have to wait because I had to think things over. 

Of course, they didn't know about the pdd, only what the school psyc. dx him as emotionally disturbed, speech and language impaired, and specific learning disabled.  I told them he had just been eval'ed by the psyc. they sent me to for extra support, and she was giving him pdd.  I think the school psych. was pissed, cuz he didn't say a word the entire meeting. 

The class they were proposing was an emotional support class.  I didn't know much about it until I asked at the meeting.  It is run by the IU, but just happens to be in Gavin's elementary school.  there are 3 aides and a teacher for 7 students in this class.  I asked if there were any kids in this class with pdd and they kinda sidesteped the question, basically saying that the skills in this class are what he needs and children with pdd aren't put into one specific class, or routines but its based on the childs need. 

I decided to place him in this class...hoping I made the right decsion.  He desperatly needed out of the normal class.  I could see it was totally stressing him out.  The teacher for this emotial support class seems great, I really just kinda liked her from the beginning.  I never felt that way about his regualr teacher, from day one I just knew she wasn't going to "get" gavin.  It seems some parents will do all they can to keep their child in a reg classrom, while some wuld love to have them in special classes.  At this point I just wanted him out of the class and with a different teacher.

When at the beginning of the meeting I was hinting around at the fact that maybe we should wait and see how he does in a reg class with a TSS, the principal flipped the heck out. He basically told me to "quiet down" like I was in 3rd grade, and afraid of him (which is kinda true, he is scary)  He said that there is no one else but him to deal with Gavin when he gets kicked out of his regular class for his behavior problems, and that it is him who sits whith him for an hour everyday, because he is put out of class and he has no where else to be sent. 

He said yesterday at the meeting that earlier in the day he had a meeting, and that gavin had been sent to him, and he had to try to attempt to take him to the meeting, he said Gavin refused to co-operate, and they couldn't have the meeting, and that he had to leave.  Can u believe they took a kid with the disabilities like Gavins and took him to a meeting, and expected him to sit quietly, when IM sure the adults in that meeting were bored to death?  Might I add also that during this time, when there is no one but the principal to deal with my son, that he has an aide?  why can an adult not deal with my child?  I deal with him every single day, and tho challenging is not impossible.  So if the aide can't walk him around and calm him down, and she needs to send him to the principals office, then why is she even there.  Mind u she isn't any special kinda aide, just the one we have till the paperwork gets finished for the TSS.

So, all in all I opted to get gavin away from as meny distric services as possible, cuz those people I have had it with, really.  The IU is in charge of his class, which he is in all day.  today, his first day, he brought home more schoolwork than he has all year.  in his reg class they shoved him in the corner with coloring papers and puzzles so they could ignore him.  at least i know in this class he is learning something.  He is going to recieve an OT once a week, and speech and lang 2x a week, as well as have a social worker see him 2x a week all for 30 min each.  All of these services are outside services, not with the SD.  he is going to go to his specials with his reg class.  I am going to ask for him to go to specials with another K class tho.  If he is going to make great strides in positive progress I don't want him with kids that already dislike him and think he is trouble.  he deserves to start kinda fresh.

I thank you all again for reading and responding Its really hard dealing with this.  and no one "gets it" really, except for other parents who are in the same boat.

The school psychologist gave me a phone number to this woman in the state that she says helps the parents. Some kind of district person. She made it sound like all schools have this type of person that is there to take the parents complaints and concerns. I was lucky and the name and number was given readily to me for your area I am not so sure how you would even go about it except to call the spec. ed department and ask for the name and number of such a person.

Hope all went well.

Thanks Tzoya-

I had agreed to Gavin's meeting time and place before I took him to this Dr.  I emailed them about rescheduling his meeting, as soon as I got home.  I didn't specify the reason that I wanted to reschedule the meeting, I said that because of his visit to the Dr.there would be other services he would be eligeble for that should be part of his IEP plan, and I would like to reschedule the meeting so that they could be worked in. 

The woman emailed me back and said that it is not unusual to have more than one meeting, that the services from the counseling place (where the Dr. that diagnosed gavin is) would not be able to be included in his plan anyway because they aren't part of the districe. (which I think is bull) and that it was important we keep the meeting that we had already scheduled and that she would see me on the 9th.  

This has all happened within a few days.  the visit to the Dr. was last week on thursday, and this tues (tomorrow) is the scheduled meeting.  There is no one in school today because of columbus day, so I am gonna have to show up tomorrow, Im afraid to just not show up, who knows what they will do.

I realize she should have graciously rescheduled the meeting, but she didnt, and working with just the weeekend and holiday, realized I wouldn't be able to pursue rescheuling it further.

I am not a push over though, and they are gonna find that out tomorrow.   The Dr. couldnt' belive they (the school) didn't even consider PDD as a diagnosis.  He presents classic signs.  she even said he really is on that line where she wasn't sure to go with just pdd, or if he may have autism.  He is very highly functioning.  Has an Iq of 83, and can communicate.  The very odd thing about his Iq that raised a red flag to the Dr also was that his verbal subscale iq was only63, whereas his visual subscale iq is 105. That difference in Iq is very very rare. So, there were cues for them to pick up on, and they missed them.

From this I have learned that next time if there is something going on I won't ask to reschedule the meeting, I will inform them the meeting will be reschuled, and at what time.  Im taking some control back from them, they have too much it seems.

thanks again for your replies 

It is the LAW that the schedule meetings AT THE CONVENIENCE OF THE PARENTS.  Write them a letter stating that a meeting on such-and-such a date will be at your convenience and that if they have an issue with this, they need to get back to you IN WRITING with why they will not schedule an IEP meeting AT YOUR CONVENIENCE as is required by law.  DO NOT MEET WITHOUT the worker.  Ask the doc if he can be available by conference call. If not, make certain the puts EVERYTHING he is recommending IN WRITING.

Advocacy Commandment #1:  IF IT'S NOT IN WRITING, IT WASN'T SAID.

This is the actual law.  It shows that every effort must be made to convene the meeting at A MUTUALLY AGREED UPON TIME:

                        TITLE 34--EDUCATION
 
            REHABILITATIVE SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
 
PART 300_ASSISTANCE TO STATES FOR THE EDUCATION OF CHILDREN WITH 
DISABILITIES

Sec.  300.322  Parent participation.

    (a) Public agency responsibility--general. Each public agency must 
take steps to ensure that one or both of the parents of a child with a 
disability are present at each IEP Team meeting or are afforded the 
opportunity to participate, including--
    (1) Notifying parents of the meeting early enough to ensure that 
they will have an opportunity to attend; and
    (2) Scheduling the meeting at a mutually agreed on time and place.
    (b) Information provided to parents. (1) The notice required under 
paragraph (a)(1) of this section must--
    (i) Indicate the purpose, time, and location of the meeting and who 
will be in attendance; and
    (ii) Inform the parents of the provisions in Sec.  300.321(a)(6) 
and (c) (relating to the participation of other individuals on the IEP 
Team who have knowledge or special expertise about the child), and 
Sec.  300.321(f) (relating to the participation of the Part C service 
coordinator or other representatives of the Part C system at the 
initial IEP Team meeting for a child previously served under Part C of 
the Act).
    (2) For a child with a disability beginning not later than the 
first IEP to be in effect when the child turns 16, or younger if 
determined appropriate by the IEP Team, the notice also must--
    (i) Indicate--
    (A) That a purpose of the meeting will be the consideration of the 
postsecondary goals and transition services for the child, in 
accordance with Sec.  300.320(b); and
    (B) That the agency will invite the student; and
    (ii) Identify any other agency that will be invited to send a 
representative.
    (c) Other methods to ensure parent participation. If neither parent 
can attend an IEP Team meeting, the public agency must use other 
methods to ensure parent participation, including individual or 
conference telephone calls, consistent with Sec.  300.328 (related to 
alternative means of meeting participation).
    (d) Conducting an IEP Team meeting without a parent in attendance. 
A meeting may be conducted without a parent in attendance if the public 
agency is unable to convince the parents that they should attend. In 
this case, the public agency must keep a record of its attempts to 
arrange a mutually agreed on time and place, such as--
    (1) Detailed records of telephone calls made or attempted and the 
results of those calls;
    (2) Copies of correspondence sent to the parents and any responses 
received; and
    (3) Detailed records of visits made to the parent's home or place 
of employment and the results of those visits.
    (e) Use of interpreters or other action, as appropriate. The public 
agency must take whatever action is necessary to ensure that the parent 
understands the proceedings of the IEP Team meeting, including 
arranging for an interpreter for parents with deafness or whose native 
language is other than English.
    (f) Parent copy of child's IEP. The public agency must give the 
parent a copy of the child's IEP at no cost to the parent.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1414  (d)(1)(B)(i)) 

jobo, the emotional support class is a separate class that deals with behavior issues.  The Dr. said basically the calss doesn't include a whole lot of acedemics, and focuses on behavior. 

I will admit that behavior is an issue here.  He has an aide everyday, and still has difficulty in class.  Refusing to participate in group activites is a major issue, and when they try to get him to participate, he then disrupts class, and is sometimes aggressive. 

Arrangements are being made to have a TSS for him the whole time he is in school (he only goes half day).  It is my hope that he will adjust when the TSS works with him.  He has most kindergarden readiness skills, ect academically he should be ok, its just the following the routine and staying with the class that is a problem.

thanks for responding everyone...

Hi...Im new here...and Im thinking im gonna be around a lot!

My son just started kindergarten this year.  It has not been an easy year so far.  The school evaluated him, and their reccomendations for the IEP team was that he had a speech and laungage impairment, specific learning diability and emotional disturbance.  I atteneded a meeting, not to set an IEP plan but to discuss the outcome of the evaluation.  They suggested that he be put into an emotional support class, and recieve speech and language therapy.  I didn't argue, because I believed they were more educated than I am and that they knew best. 

Meanwhile, I took my son to the psychiatrist that the school referred me to for an evaluation so he could get a TSS in school.. The DR. told me that she was diagnosing gavin with pdd, and that the emotional support class was very difficult to get out of when you got in, and she felt it would be best for him to stay in a normal class with a TSS.

My meeting is tuesday, to sign the IEP plan.  They fully expect me to put him into emotional support class.  I tried to reschedule the meeting, so the family services worker could get the paperwork done and come with me, to help me deal with the district, and try to keep gavin in class.  They won't reschedule the meeting, so I am goin to have to do it.  Im afraid they will try bullying me into putting him into that class anyway.  His teacher has had it with him.  To put it nicely...she can't wait for him to get out. 

what are my rights? do i have to appeal the iep plan if they try to force me into signing it? are they going to try to say its an improper diagnosis?  Im scared.  I just want everything to work out for Gavin's best interestes.  anyone with any suggestions i would love to hear them.