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I looked it up and I think it was updated with minor changes. Either way I'm a SPED teacher and I have at least 1 student graduating this year who has already attended MEPS, signed a contract, and has a ship date so it's not impossible.
If he's still in SPED then he most likely he lied to his recruiter and MEPS and didn't disclose that he was in SPED. That happens all the time. There are tons of people in the military who had ADD/ADHD, or various other medical issues, like missing a kidney, heart defects, all kinds of things that you can't get into the military with. They just don't disclose it. MEPS doesn't know anything that you don't admit to, so if the illness isn't visible to the eye, you can get away with hiding anything if you want. (not advocating that, but it happens all the time).
I've put tons of adults into the military who have never once seen a doctor for any reason or had any injury in their entire lives. Not once. Never even been to a doctor for an exam. Happens every day. Do I believe that? Nope, but they get away with it.
I would imagine that whether the person earned a regular diploma or a special ed-designated diploma or certificate (students on IEPs could earn either) would play a role in how easily they are able to avoid disclosing special education enrollment.
If he's still in SPED then he most likely he lied to his recruiter and MEPS and didn't disclose that he was in SPED. That happens all the time. There are tons of people in the military who had ADD/ADHD, or various other medical issues, like missing a kidney, heart defects, all kinds of things that you can't get into the military with. They just don't disclose it. MEPS doesn't know anything that you don't admit to, so if the illness isn't visible to the eye, you can get away with hiding anything if you want. (not advocating that, but it happens all the time).
I've put tons of adults into the military who have never once seen a doctor for any reason or had any injury in their entire lives. Not once. Never even been to a doctor for an exam. Happens every day. Do I believe that? Nope, but they get away with it.
It is possible some branches would waive items like that, but in a decade of recruiting I've never seen it. In most states, in order to be eligible for SPED, one must have a diagnosed disability that severely affects educational performance. How someone get cleared for military service with that out in the open is beyond me. How is a person who needs sped in high school going to make it though technical training (very fast paced/8+ hours a day of curriculum, no special accommodations)? I admit, I'm not an expert, but this would be something I've never even heard of within the world of recruiting.
If this is all true, perhaps you can share some of the strategies so those with ADD/ADHD, who don't even need sped, can get some tips on how to get cleared... since so many don't.
Do you think your son will be a good fit for the military? Given the demands and literal daily life or death situations- does that sound like a good match for someone with ADD?
I understand a parent wanting a child to make the most of themselves, but in the case there is the potential to impact the lives of those he serves with.
Parenting is the most stressful job in the world- trying to help them find their path and doubting every decision you've ever made. I’m sorry your struggling.
I unfortunately am in the same boat. My son has been a patriotic child with dreams of one day being a navy seal. I recently found out I may have ruined those dreams. I took my son to same dr who diagnosed many local boys as adhd. My son was not that bad at first but we followed the Dr recommendations for years and he always was in trouble and had horrible grades. He was given a very bare minimal iep that stayed the same for years. You know schools get grant money for how many are on them. So we found the Navy Sea Cadet program and about a year in he asked to be taken off his meds. So we took him off his end of Sophomore year and to our surprise he wasn’t a monster anymore and has awesome grades and has always done sea cadet trainings without it prior. So he been off the meds over two years Dr won’t admit wrongful diagnosis even though we are finding many kids in early 2000’s were placed on drugs just actually for being rotten typical kids. Now we are in Senior year again no meds over two years still same goals on iep to be a Navy Seal one day. I say still because even after he stopped meds the school continued to recommend he stay on it as a safety net since he had one in place. Now my heart breaks for him reading that even though he really has no accommodations really except extended time on tests barely an iep as even school people called it that he will
most likely be denied even after all his hard work and ranking up in Sea Cadets and rigorous trainings away from home without any accomidations in that environment or their testing and book work that he will be judged. I feel I failed my child by listening to the recommendations by others relentlessly told this would never affect him outside of the school system. Bring back the days where kids got in trouble and sentenced to service duty because mine would rish that to achieve that route at this point. They are going to get lots on dwindling numbers with as many these kids just hitting the graduation cycle from that group of kids where adhd meds was the pushed answer. They should test them based off their RT performance and asvab which doesn’t get accommodations. They would see an asset in him with his knowledge of the Navy. Good luck to your son try and fail atleast he tried versus the generations coming up disliking our Leo’s and our Military.
I would imagine that whether the person earned a regular diploma or a special ed-designated diploma or certificate (students on IEPs could earn either) would play a role in how easily they are able to avoid disclosing special education enrollment.
This, because the majority of SPED students earn a regular diploma.
So he been off the meds over two years Dr won’t admit wrongful diagnosis even though we are finding many kids in early 2000’s were placed on drugs just actually for being rotten typical kids. Now we are in Senior year again no meds over two years still same goals on iep to be a Navy Seal one day.
So he is still on an IEP even though you believe that he was wrongfully diagnosed? Can you see how this makes no sense?
If the diagnosis was wrong, he should need an IEP. The fact that you keep him on the IEP SUPPORTS that he has a diagnosis. You can not have it both ways.
If he needs an IEP now, how can you be sure he doesn't need one in Basic or A-School/Technical training?
You do not trust him enough to be off an IEP in high school, but you trust him to be off of it in Navy schools?
This logic does not make any sense.
You are correct. The fact that you as a parent, the school, and the doctor, all believe he STILL needs an IEP will mean that he can not join any branch of the military. The past treatment is not as much of a problem as is the current treatment.
You literally STILL have him on an IEP in his last year of school, and are saying that the school felt the safety net was needed, you don't disagree enough to take him off, and the doctor still stands by the diagnosis. So how than, can the Navy be sure he will magically not need this anymore when he start Navy training? You see the problem?
Yes, you have destroyed his chances of joining the Navy by keeping him on this IEP. If he needed it, than it was presumably worth it. However, there are consequences.
So he is still on an IEP even though you believe that he was wrongfully diagnosed? Can you see how this makes no sense?
If the diagnosis was wrong, he should need an IEP. The fact that you keep him on the IEP SUPPORTS that he has a diagnosis. You can not have it both ways.
Not only that, the parent acknowledges that they have not advocated for updating IEP goals and objectives at the federally mandated annual reviews. When goals are met, the IEP must be updated to reflect that. If the goals have not been updated, it reads as though they've not been met. And this makes it difficult to argue that there is no actual impairment, if there has been no documented progress on goals for years.
Two of our sons have ADD. One was never medicated or formally diagnosed, and one opted to go off the meds in high school. I do not know if #2 disclosed it when he signed up. He had at that point been off meds for years and had a college degree.
They both thrived in the military. The first one rose to Army Special OPs and retired after 20+ years. The second is a green beret. Interestingly, he has lately been prescribed medication for ADD by the Army doctors.
Perhaps the rules have changed from how they were?
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