Help IEP meeting mondayI know the norm here is 1x per week for 30min 1:1... but to me for autistic children that is not appropriate! Maybe for a speech delay but not nonverbal at 4 right? My head is getting ready to explode as I'm reading all of the things I should have done, asked for , demanded etc in my autistic sons IEP. Spencer is 4, dx last year asd, is now in special services PreK. Receiving only 30min per week speech, we provide private speech in addition because we were told that's all they provide. I asked about ABA, they said no.. so again we provide add'l ABA 3x per week in home. He was supposed to be evaluated for OT services, but they forgot. I asked about summer school services, they said he does not qualify. I am so angry at myself for just taking all their no's as gospel. I should have educated myself throughly. So I am now!! We in live in Front Royal, Virginia. Spencer IEP meeting is Monday, VERY last minute, teacher called on Friday and said...oopppss! I need your help. What should we be asking for, what should they be providing? Can I ask them to provide ABA therapy? How much ST can I ask for? I feel like I have wasted so much time already. Any and all ads'l advise would be so helpful too Thank you, Kris Wish I could help...but ask and if you don't receive, go to mediation. I don't know what the norm is. But I can tell you that each of my kids had 30 minutes speech twice per week at age 4. My kids were both verbal at that age (although my dd was very delayed). Even now, at age 10, they still have speech to address other things like pragmatics, inferencing, comprehension (expressive language is at age level now). It is still twice per week (20 min. per session). But even the above has not been enough in my opinion. Throughout the years we have supplemented with private speech to get them where they are. One time a week for 30 min. does not sound like nearly enough. A book you might want to read is "From Emotions to Advocacy", which is all about special ed. law. _________________________ mom to 10 year old boy/girl twins (Asperger's/PDD-NOS) I hate to burst your bubble, but it isn't as easy as demanding more services. The federal law says a school district must "consider" an outside report provided by the parents. Unfortunately, "consider' is not defined. It means nothing. You can bring your recommendations, but legally the school only has to read the report. I'm a special ed teacher and am pretty well-versed in the law. I've been battling my dd's district for four years. I've consulted 2 attorneys and have been told there really is nothing I can do. A parent cannot dictate what services or the amount of services your child needs. It is a team decision, and guess what they have way more people on the team than you do. The director of special ed once had the gall to say at a meeting, "Well let's take a vote" and she went around they table. They had 9 people from the school district and then it was myself and my exhusband. So, 9 to 2, guess who won the vote about services. Maybe your childs' district will be more accommodating than mine. I hope so. Good luck. Well.... LOL I have been reading the laws all day.. and NOW I am even MORE mad!! We can legally demand as much ST, OT, etc that is appropriate for our children to progress! So, say last year all they gave us was 1 30min session 1 time per week. We have to re evaluated to show that obviously that was not enough. Also you can ask your developmental pediatrician to write you a letter stating how much and what kinds of therapy your child needs to progress and they HAVE TO do it! All of our "private" therapy's can be reimbursed. All of this is Federal Law not state. States have more they offer but not less than the Federal Law. ugggg I am so mad! This is a great site http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/relsvc.aide.steedman.htm Have you taken it to mediation or due process?? I just read this and sound very promising under the newer IDEA 2004. I just more ST, OT and BT evals and summer therapies. Is it really too much to ask for????  I am so sorry I forgot to add the link! http://www.wrightslaw.com/idea/art/10.tips.steedman.htm#3 I am so sorry Emma'sMom... all of this is just awful! You cant trust anyone to help our kids! We are lied to from the minute they are born it seems like! [QUOTE=NYMommyof3]Good Kris!! I am an advocate in upstate NY. It's amazing how much more parents get when they bring me or someone from my agency to a meeting.[/QUOTE] I hope so! So sad that we must do this at all!! BUT I will fight fight fight for my Spencer and other children that are in the same boat! I went to mediation this past summer with my dd's school district. They refuse to change her classification to autism. Her primary classification is speech and language impaired. I'm sad to say that after four long years of battling the school district, I'm finally worn down. I've accepted defeat, and I know my daughter will just fall through the cracks and there is nothing else I can do. It is especially sad knowing that I'm a special ed teacher and there is nothing I can do to help my daughter. I think taking an advocate with you is a good idea. I took a co-worker all last year with me. We must have had 5-6 IEP meetings last year. Tomorrow is meeting number 3 for this year so far. [QUOTE=Emma'smom]I hate to burst your bubble, but it isn't as easy as demanding more services. The federal law says a school district must "consider" an outside report provided by the parents. Unfortunately, "consider' is not defined. It means nothing. You can bring your recommendations, but legally the school only has to read the report. I'm a special ed teacher and am pretty well-versed in the law. I've been battling my dd's district for four years. I've consulted 2 attorneys and have been told there really is nothing I can do. A parent cannot dictate what services or the amount of services your child needs. It is a team decision, and guess what they have way more people on the team than you do. The director of special ed once had the gall to say at a meeting, "Well let's take a vote" and she went around they table. They had 9 people from the school district and then it was myself and my exhusband. So, 9 to 2, guess who won the vote about services. Maybe your childs' district will be more accommodating than mine. I hope so. Good luck. [/QUOTE] Yea I jumped the gun on that one.... reread after I posted ... Have you taken it to mediation or due process?? I just read this and sound very promising under the newer IDEA 2004. I just more ST, OT and BT evals and summer therapies. Is it really too much to ask for???? [QUOTE=micki] Wrightslaw 'from emotion to advocacy' is a must have book. Yes - when someone says 'we don't provide that' or 'we can only do that' they are making an illigal statement. However it is my experience that you will hear plenty illigal or wrong statements from districts, some because they actually do not know the laws themselves and some because they do get away with it. The only way I found is to educate yourself and once you get the laws and understand the system you will be able to advocate for an appropriate education. It will take a while to get there. I feel that it took me about three years and I have studied hard. I fact I can honestly say I learned more about advocating for appropriate services than my kid has learned in special education. Prepare for this to be an uphill battle and to be starting out new with every new staff your ds will have on his IEP team. Learn to document everything! One of the problems I see is that if they will test for progress is that your ds might have made progress -because you privatly provided services. Only that does not matter - they will say: We provided services as in the IEP, he made progress, case closed.' To get increased services he has to show a lack of progress. If you are not happy with what they offer in the IEP -do not sign. I never sign at a meeting , I always say that I have to look it over at home first. You have ten days (though if you do not sign or decline by then it will automatically into effect. Ask for a copy of parents procedural rights (they actually should come with your IEP). The Social worker should have them or call the special ed department. It should explain your rights as a parents with a child in special education. Find an educational advocate - there are many organisations that offer free services -call your states autism society to find one or look in the yellow pages for kid under disabilities. [/QUOTE]Thank you!! I am contacting an advocate in my area tomorrow. Good Kris!! I am an advocate in upstate NY. It's amazing how much more parents get when they bring me or someone from my agency to a meeting. Here in NY, with a diagnosis of autism, a child must get speech therapy every day for 30 minutes. Period. I believe we are the only state that has this written as a law. Do you have an advocacy agency near where you live? I would also suggest joining a local autism support group and getting ideas from other parents who have been through it. Wrightslaw 'from emotion to advocacy' is a must have book. Yes - when someone says 'we don't provide that' or 'we can only do that' they are making an illigal statement. However it is my experience that you will hear plenty illigal or wrong statements from districts, some because they actually do not know the laws themselves and some because they do get away with it. The only way I found is to educate yourself and once you get the laws and understand the system you will be able to advocate for an appropriate education. It will take a while to get there. I feel that it took me about three years and I have studied hard. I fact I can honestly say I learned more about advocating for appropriate services than my kid has learned in special education. Prepare for this to be an uphill battle and to be starting out new with every new staff your ds will have on his IEP team. Learn to document everything! One of the problems I see is that if they will test for progress is that your ds might have made progress -because you privatly provided services. Only that does not matter - they will say: We provided services as in the IEP, he made progress, case closed.' To get increased services he has to show a lack of progress. If you are not happy with what they offer in the IEP -do not sign. I never sign at a meeting , I always say that I have to look it over at home first. You have ten days (though if you do not sign or decline by then it will automatically into effect. Ask for a copy of parents procedural rights (they actually should come with your IEP). The Social worker should have them or call the special ed department. It should explain your rights as a parents with a child in special education. Find an educational advocate - there are many organisations that offer free services -call your states autism society to find one or look in the yellow pages for kid under disabilities. |
||
|
Copyright Autism-PDD.net |