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You do not have to let complete strangers label you child as having a learning disability, emotional disability, autism or any other medical term they want to call your child.
This is true. You should let a qualified professional, or more than one, evaluate whether or not your child qualifies for special needs...not, you know...a complete stranger on a forum who has an axe to grind with appropriately individualized education. Ahem.
All I'm saying is that "when you're a hammer, everything looks like a nail".
When your income and job security depends on how many people you can put into a SpEd class, your impartiality is suspect... even if your intentions are pure.
Get outside professional evaluations. As a parent, wouldn't you want to know why your child is having problems, and try to resolve them in the best manner possible?
That's right. Don't do anything for yourself. Let the experts take care of it. Sorry but I've seen the harm that the experts can do--the experts have all the answers which is why our kids are in so much trouble. And guess what? When we get those kids in the sped system, we often can't do much with them b/c their parents refuse to feed them right or discipline them at home and they expect the experts to fix it. Do you have any idea how crappy the lunches are that some kids eat? Try this one: 2 gatorades, a bag of cheese doritos, and a rice crispy treat. I am not making this up. And that's after a Monster drink and a pop tart for breakfast. I can only surmise that they go home to a frozen pizza for supper. I am not accusing the OP of this sort of behavior b/c I have no idea, but I am arguing the point of view that they should look at the diet in the home and cut down on sugary foods if they can but that seems to be a bit extreme for some people.
And I've seen the harm (mainly in the form of delay) that self-diagnosed treatment can do. Although the celiac craze has died down a little, I have seen many kids tested for it b/c the parent read something on the internet, or talked to a friend, or a message board, and was sure their kid had celiac disease. I have a co-worker who actually does have celiac and she says she doesn't understand why anyone would willingly give up all those foods.
I'm sure you've seen a lot. All teachers have. But to immediately jump in and say "this could be diet related, let's start an elimination diet, blah, blah" is not helpful. The peculiar thing about CD is that if I argue the above, people immediately assume I'm OK with a lunch like you describe. Of course I'm not!
I'm sure you've seen a lot. All teachers have. But to immediately jump in and say "this could be diet related, let's start an elimination diet, blah, blah" is not helpful. The peculiar thing about CD is that if I argue the above, people immediately assume I'm OK with a lunch like you describe. Of course I'm not!
OK Katiana, I know that you're not saying that a lunch like that is OK. But, despite the fact that you work in pediatrics, I wonder if you actually know how crappily many kids eat? And even when the parents are pretty conscientious, there can still be problems b/c sugar has crept in so insidiously to our diets that I don't think most people realize just how much of the stuff the average person eats. I know I'm in danger of sounding like the nutcase who thinks sugar is evil, but to tell you the truth, I really am turning into that person.
We live in a society where diabetes has exploded off the charts, and so have many other dx's, including autism. I'm not blaming autism on sugar specifically but it's such an anti-nutrient that is so widely consumed that I wouldn't be surprised it there is some correlation. New studies that have come out are linking alzheimer's with blood sugar problems though so it's looking like a good bet that it's terrible for your brain.
But how is taking sugar out of the diet for a few days before you go get tested considered a delay in testing? You usually have to wait at least a couple of weeks to get in to see someone anyway, or wait for the school team to set a date that everyone can make. During that time you can keep him off sugar so the team will only see the behavior, not the sugar induced high. I am not, I repeat not, arguing that a diet will fix everything and that they should not have him tested. I'm in special ed after all.
I believe you have also said that it's inaccurate that a few days off sugar and junk foods can make a difference (I wasn't exactly sure which thing you meant was inaccurate) but I have enough personal experience with that to say that it can. I'm a little sugar junkie myself and I'm pretty sure I have insulin resistance. I totally quit eating the stuff right after the holidays and within a couple of days my mood was already better and within a week, my heart was no longer pounding out of my chest. Things are still resolving themselves but my mood improved almost immediately and moods are behind a lot of behaviors. I realize that I'm a sample size of one but it's not hard to imagine that most people with insulin resistance are similar.
OK Katiana, I know that you're not saying that a lunch like that is OK. But, despite the fact that you work in pediatrics, I wonder if you actually know how crappily many kids eat? And even when the parents are pretty conscientious, there can still be problems b/c sugar has crept in so insidiously to our diets that I don't think most people realize just how much of the stuff the average person eats. I know I'm in danger of sounding like the nutcase who thinks sugar is evil, but to tell you the truth, I really am turning into that person.
We live in a society where diabetes has exploded off the charts, and so have many other dx's, including autism. I'm not blaming autism on sugar specifically but it's such an anti-nutrient that is so widely consumed that I wouldn't be surprised it there is some correlation. New studies that have come out are linking alzheimer's with blood sugar problems though so it's looking like a good bet that it's terrible for your brain.
But how is taking sugar out of the diet for a few days before you go get tested considered a delay in testing? You usually have to wait at least a couple of weeks to get in to see someone anyway, or wait for the school team to set a date that everyone can make. During that time you can keep him off sugar so the team will only see the behavior, not the sugar induced high. I am not, I repeat not, arguing that a diet will fix everything and that they should not have him tested. I'm in special ed after all.
I believe you have also said that it's inaccurate that a few days off sugar and junk foods can make a difference (I wasn't exactly sure which thing you meant was inaccurate) but I have enough personal experience with that to say that it can. I'm a little sugar junkie myself and I'm pretty sure I have insulin resistance. I totally quit eating the stuff right after the holidays and within a couple of days my mood was already better and within a week, my heart was no longer pounding out of my chest. Things are still resolving themselves but my mood improved almost immediately and moods are behind a lot of behaviors. I realize that I'm a sample size of one but it's not hard to imagine that most people with insulin resistance are similar.
I agree with your third paragraph if you are talking about "added sugar", e.g. sugar on the cereal, the pancakes, etc I do not agree with cutting out all fruits, juices and other sources of sugars found IN FOODS.
I did not make the statement in bold. I was disagreeing with your prescription of a high-protein, low carbohydrate breakfast. Of course, every breakfast should include some protein, but you also need carbs in the morning to get some quick energy as you haven't eaten all night.
Since this is not a nutrition thread I won't go into any more about sugar, insulin resistance, et al except to say you need to educate yourself a little more.
Last edited by Katarina Witt; 02-01-2012 at 10:01 AM..
. New studies that have come out are linking alzheimer's with blood sugar problems though so it's looking like a good bet that it's terrible for your brain.
Refined sugar in the volumes americans tend to eat is certainly NOT healthy but then people swing wildly the other way and then make statements like the above one.
Do you know the ONLY fuel source your brain can utilize safely for energy? Glucose or SUGAR. If you do not have any sugar in any form in your diet, your brain switches over to ketones and/or goes hypoglycemic.
Cutting all sugar out of your diet is equally as dangerous as having too much. Please parents, talk to an expert before making radical changes to your childrens' diets like cutting out all sugar, or even going low/no carb.
I will even go out on a non-expert limb here (I am not a doctor or nutritionist) and state that some of the positive "effect" of low carb or no sugar diets on kids with behavioral issue is likely due to the dulling effect ketone use by the brain is KNOWN to have on thinking. It is likely that for some kids it is simply masking their behavioral issues not fixing them at all. NO sugar diets can be the biological equivalent of a sedative since our brains have evolved to function on sugar.
My school has asked for the second time that we have our 8 year old, second grade child "evaluated" for Austistic spectrum disorders. He is a bright boy with a big interest in dinosaurs, pokemon, and dragons. He is very articulate with a large vocabulary, but he is prone to meltdowns in which he claims the world is out to get him, when he does not get his way. Major drama. However, he is very sweet and affectionate most of the time. He is falling behind in his schooling because (I just learned today) he does not do his writing or his math assignments. Because he is willful and volatile, his teacher does not confront him, and he slacks or daydreams.
The school wants to put him in Special Ed to get some additional funding to help him with some learning and coping. My wife heard this and is outraged. She thinks this is a life sentence, and that he will never be able to gainfully support himself. She also thinks ASD is catch all for far too many kids. Frankly, he does not fit the descriptions very well, being social, verbal, and quite empathetic.
I think the SpEd may help him through the rough patches, since he has many obvious strengths. But I worry if he will be stigmatized or treated with lower expectations. Can anyone tell me what Special Ed really is? Examples of people who went into SpEd and went to college and graduate school, or othewise to fully successful lives? Cinderella (or CinderFellah!) stories needed!
Let's get back to the OP's unique concerns please.
When your income and job security depends on how many people you can put into a SpEd class, your impartiality is suspect... even if your intentions are pure.
Not entirely true.
Case in point - I work for a private placement for students whose needs are so extreme that they are unable to safely and successfuly participate in a traditional school environment. My job is to program in such a way that they are able to stabilize their behavior to the point where they can return to a less restrictive environment as soon as possible. Essentially, my job is to get kids to the point where they don't need me. It's no loss of job security, trust me. For every person who successfully returns to the traditional setting, there are about a million waitlisted and ready to take that person's spot.
There's really no need to invent disabilities in order to have jobs (nor would it be legal, obviously), believe me. We have our hands full as it is.
Whether or not a student has disabilities that allow for educational modifications and accommodations isn't really a matter of partiality or impartiality on the part of a special education teacher. It's either warranted or it's not, and that's not the decision of a special education teacher. Whether or not services are warranted also legally has to be evaluated and re-evaluated on a regular basis.
If there are concerns regarding the need for special services for the OP's child, the parents will have every right in the world in regard to choosing how they wish to proceed, and to weigh in on the legitimacy of said concerns and make the determination.
Just to add to what TabulaRosa said, most state laws, district requirements, etc. specifically state that diagnosis/placement cannot be made by one individual, it has to be a group decision. Even if a single SpEd teacher or SLP suggested services, they would have to get everyone else (including parents) to sign off on it.
A diagnosis can't be made by educators or therapists (or parents, obviously), anyway. Teachers cannot make medical recommendations, they are in no way qualified. They can only share their anecdotal observations and any related data.
But, yes, everything about obtaining and maintaining an IEP must be done by team decision.
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