Individualized Education Plan (activity, therapy, train, old)

[Evlevo]

Originally Posted by CityGirl72

He's definately not failing - he's getting "Straight A's" acedmically. The teacher requested he be tested to enter the gifted program.

His problem is socially - and also he needs to be challenged WAY more. They have put him in Advance Reading and Advanced Math - but he's still blowing by the other kids at light speed which gives him too much extra time to play around!!

It sounds like he will probably not be given an IEP then since the programs are set up to help kids with academics much more than social issues and a district like Seattle that is perpetually short of funds will most likely not be willing to spend several thousand dollars a year so a top student can have more friends (it's still worth a shot trying, though). I know that he would still benefit greatly from a separate program, but (unfortunately) the goal of special programs are to help struggling kids get to "average", not to maximize everyone's potential (but parents certainly have no such restrictions). Otherwise every kid would get a private tutor, since just about everyone would do better academically one-on-one than in an overcrowded class of 30.

The good news though is that a gifted program might be of help to him, and you may still be able to get some use of the services of a school councilor. I'd also check with your insurance and see what sort of counseling services they provide.

[Pikantari]

If yur child is labeled with AS, you should be able to get an IEP. They wouldn't give my dd one for the longest time, shes just doing to well academically, she tests well, etc, then it became overwelming for her, she started acting out, and she was the problem child they threw in spec ed.

My daughter has AS and is very smart, and she has an IEP. Until she got the label Autism, they would not do a thing.

[Evlevo]

Originally Posted by cinderobyn

If yur child is labeled with AS, you should be able to get an IEP. They wouldn't give my dd one for the longest time, shes just doing to well academically, she tests well, etc, then it became overwhelming for her, she started acting out, and she was the problem child they threw in spec ed.

My daughter has AS and is very smart, and she has an IEP. Until she got the label Autism, they would not do a thing.

It's not so much about the labels as it is about being able to document a negative impact on the educational performance. Note that academics is only one part of school, and social interaction/behavior are also things that you learn in school. A behavior problem is more likely to get help than poor social skills though because schools don't really put much focus on friends, etc but they do on being able to follow directions, not fight, etc. Plus, you can spot a negative behavior a mile away... it takes a lot of time and attention that are frequently in short supply to spot problems along the lines of "lack of social skills".

Here are the 3 legal requirements to get an IEP (there are more based on the specific disability, but they tend to be folded into these "big 3")

1) A disability

2) A negative impact on the educational development of the child (this is more than just grades).

3) The negative impact cannot be dealt with through reasonable accommodations, and needs Specially Designed Instruction (SDI, which is essentially Special Ed, Speech and Language, or another specialist depending on the disability).

Under that standard a child who has uncorrected vision of 20/200 (like I did in high-school - which is legal blindness) wouldn't get an IEP because #1 was met, and #2 was met, but the way to deal with it wasn't by #3 but instead was through glasses/contacts. Even if the best corrected vision you had was 20/50 you wouldn't get an IEP since you could just sit in the front of the class and see just fine.

Now, a child who's vision was only 20/200 corrected would get an IEP since they would have difficulty fitting into a normal setting and would need special large-print materials, etc.

The mental/emotional stuff works the same way, but it is a little less tangible.

[ggluvbug]

My son is a gifted student who has bipolar disorder. He has an IEP. He was an honor roll student when he got the ruling. It is hard to get people to understand this part of the law. So many people assume that IEP=failing students. Teachers and administrators aren't equipped to handle these kinds of situations. My son's ruling is EMD--emotionally disturbed. He isn't in a special class because he doesn't need one at this time. But he has accomodations his teachers have to follow.

[jiffin4java]

Originally Posted by ggluvbug

My son is a gifted student who has bipolar disorder. He has an IEP. He was an honor roll student when he got the ruling. It is hard to get people to understand this part of the law. So many people assume that IEP=failing students. Teachers and administrators aren't equipped to handle these kinds of situations. My son's ruling is EMD--emotionally disturbed. He isn't in a special class because he doesn't need one at this time. But he has accomodations his teachers have to follow.

I don't think it's so much "other people" understanding this as it is getting administration/teachers to understand it. But then, maybe that's what you were referring to. I was told flat out that my son wasn't entitled anything unless he was failing. I came back with telling them exactly what the FAPE law was. Be prepared to fight for what you know your child needs because some districts, like the one we're in, won't offer any help unless you force them to give it to you. The only reason I didn't fight and pulled my son out to homeschool instead was beacuse we're moving soon and I didn't see the point in starting a fight and then leaving before it's finished. Be prepared for it to take some time and know your rights/laws. Hopefully some of you are in a better district and won't have to fight them tooth and nail. I'm praying whatever district we go to will more caring and willing to help.

[georgiainwyo]

Originally Posted by FarNorthDallas

There are books you can buy that help you with the IEP process. The whole thing is a beating. You fight to get the assessment. You fight to get him the IEP and then the teachers don't read or follow the IEP and you battle the school about it getting them to comply. Be sure and buy one of the books. There are so many ins and outs of the IDEA law. The schools are masters at fighting the process. They are so afraid they are going to get hit up with expensive services like private school placement.

FarNorthDallas: I'm sorry, but I beg to differ with your opinions based on the experiences I've had in schools I've taught in. The IEP process (as I've seen it) is definitely NOT a beating....for the parents nor for the child. It is a pretty simple process. First, before an IEP can be written, the child has to be determined to have a disability (as said before by either an outside psych. or a school psych's testing along with academic testing) by the Child Study Team ("CST") which includes the psych, teachers, parents, administrators & anyone else who may be involved with the child (such as speech therapist, phys. ther., OT, etc. if there's the possibility of those problems). Once the CST has determined eligibility THEN the IEP is written, sometimes at the same meeting. I live & teach in Montana, so things may be different here, but I do have to stand up for what the truth is as I see it. The schools here are not fighting the process. All involved want what is best for the child. If that means that they receive special ed. services if qualified then that's how it will be. Compliance by teachers with the IEP's has never been a problem anywhere where I've taught. The special ed. teacher/reg. ed teacher/admins/anyone else involved all work very closely together along with parents in the best interest of the child. Your exerience may be different wherever you are and I am sorry you feel the way you do....but I resent the generalization made that schools & teachers are so anti- special education. I'm asking those who read this thread to please look at your situation as well as the situation of your school district into account before making any rash judgments. Thanks for reading!

[jiffin4java]

Georgiainm, you're lucky to be teaching in a place that's fairly accommodating. I'd say that's probably the exception rather than the rule.

It's very difficult to find a school district that is willing to GIVE what a child needs and not force you to FIGHT for it. I've lived in five states and in several different school districts and so far none of them have been easy. I also transcribe Special Education Hearings and it's disheartening hearing what many of these parents are put through to get what they believe is best for their child. In my case, being told my son was required to fail academically before they'd consider even assessing him was completely unacceptable. They're fortunate that I'm moving out of state very soon or they'd have quite the FAPE battle on their hands. I can only hope the new state/school district will be better.

The problems parents of special needs kids are real. Maybe it's easier for a kid who has severe disabilities to get help because it's obvious they need it. But for kids like mine whose problems are social and behavioral, not academic, it's harder because some people don't see how that can impact their education and by the time they realize it, it's too late and the problems are permanent or the child has given up.

A lot of public schools are failing to provide and it is very frustrating for parents. I believe this is why people choose to homeschool. It's exactly what I was forced to do. I realize services cost money and it's not always there. I'm not saying ALL school districts have this problem, but certainly a large number of them do. Nobody's personally attacking you as a teacher or your district...just expressing our frustrations with the public school system in our own experiences. I believe telling another parent to read up on their FAPE laws and be prepared to fight for what their special needs child needs academically IS appropriate. If they end up not having to fight and the district works with them, that's wonderful! That's ideal! But to go into it unprepared and then just accept a "no" just because you don't know better.....how does that help? All that does is fuel the district to continue to refuse services.

Anyway, I'm sorry to go on and on. Just something I'm passionate about. Please don't take this as a personal attack on anyone in particular, just voicing my opinion/experience.

God Bless

[gardener34]

Thanks for all this tips!
In our IL school it is frustrating. I can't get any follow through on teachers/administration to get my son tested. And he has a severe writing disability. Finally in 5th grade, I have a teacher that sees his problem as being REALLY bad.
And all we want is for him to be able to have a keyboard in the classroom!! Nothing more, he has no reading, spelling, dyslexic, or behavior issues, etc.
Whereas my daughter, who could not pronounce her th and s blend sounds, got an iep for speech immediately... go figure.
Annoying.

[jiffin4java]

Exactly. You know -- if helping to pay for the things my son needs would mean they'd take his problems more seriously I'd do it in a heartbeat. But that's not reality.

[gardener34]

I would buy him a laptop or an alphasmart myself. But it needs to be on that IEP, so he can use it during those standardized tests - otherwise he won't be allowed to use it and will be forced to write.