Why do parents place unnecessarily place their kids in IEPs?
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I think it would be quite easy to fool professionals b/c no one knows what's going on in your head better than you do. If you say there's voices in your head, then of course they're going to have to take your word for it, and mental illnesses are very individual--no 2 people hear the same voices in their head.
Nowadays, if someone found out that you had misrepresented what was going on in your head b/c of social problems, you would still get an IEP for Emotional Disturbance, one of the 13 categories under IDEA law. The IEP is to support you and your needs thru school, not to label you as some kind of reject. I know many, many kids with IEPs and I can't think of one who doesn't need one. However, at my age (50) I went to school with many kids who could have used the extra help and didn't get it. My mother had to take my brother to a special tutor after school 5x/week and had to pay for it too. Nowadays he would get the extra tutoring in school and for free--FTR, he is actually quite bright but dyslexic and had problems with math, as are the majority of the kids in sped. The more profoundly disabled kids would have had to have gone to special schools at parental expense and now they don't.
Believe me, the present system is a huge improvement but of course it's not perfect--almost every sped teacher I know is overworked and drowning in paperwork, so if some things get missed, that's the nature of the system. It's the parents job to keep an eye on things and make sure the child is getting what they need and there are plenty of laws to support their rights--also, if the parents don't want an IEP, they don't have to place their child in the system. The majority of the kids who are placed on an IEP (for learning d/b, sooner for more profound d/b) are around 3rd grade, so at that age, they're not likely to try to fool the system.
To the OP: I'm sorry for your experiences and it sounds like you learned a lot since then so I won't give you trouble. I was also teased a lot as a child, was a total reject in fact, but I've come a long way since then, and if I'd gotten help, I might have come even further, but life is what it is and what you make of it.
I think it would be quite easy to fool professionals b/c no one knows what's going on in your head better than you do. If you say there's voices in your head, then of course they're going to have to take your word for it, and mental illnesses are very individual--no 2 people hear the same voices in their head.
Nowadays, if someone found out that you had misrepresented what was going on in your head b/c of social problems, you would still get an IEP for Emotional Disturbance, one of the 13 categories under IDEA law. The IEP is to support you and your needs thru school, not to label you as some kind of reject. I know many, many kids with IEPs and I can't think of one who doesn't need one. However, at my age (50) I went to school with many kids who could have used the extra help and didn't get it. My mother had to take my brother to a special tutor after school 5x/week and had to pay for it too. Nowadays he would get the extra tutoring in school and for free--FTR, he is actually quite bright but dyslexic and had problems with math, as are the majority of the kids in sped. The more profoundly disabled kids would have had to have gone to special schools at parental expense and now they don't.
Believe me, the present system is a huge improvement but of course it's not perfect--almost every sped teacher I know is overworked and drowning in paperwork, so if some things get missed, that's the nature of the system. It's the parents job to keep an eye on things and make sure the child is getting what they need and there are plenty of laws to support their rights--also, if the parents don't want an IEP, they don't have to place their child in the system. The majority of the kids who are placed on an IEP (for learning d/b, sooner for more profound d/b) are around 3rd grade, so at that age, they're not likely to try to fool the system.
To the OP: I'm sorry for your experiences and it sounds like you learned a lot since then so I won't give you trouble. I was also teased a lot as a child, was a total reject in fact, but I've come a long way since then, and if I'd gotten help, I might have come even further, but life is what it is and what you make of it.
I had a problem with being timid, and wanting to be accepted. I guess I watched too much Saved by the Bell when before I entered the sixth grade. I wasn't taught that it was okay to be an individual and it was okay not to accepted by the "in crowd".
Since I am an adult, I am more of a loner. When I go to work, I just go there to get my paycheck. I don't kiss a** to management. I don't go to company parties. I am not even concerned if I ever get married. I guess I went from one extreme to the other.
I had a problem with being timid, and wanting to be accepted. I guess I watched too much Saved by the Bell when before I entered the sixth grade. I wasn't taught that it was okay to be an individual and it was okay not to accepted by the "in crowd".
I'd say that's pretty typical for that age. Even if someone had taught you that, you wouldn't have believed it. And I was the same way and then I did some stupid stuff to get attention but it generally backfired. I don't know what to tell you except that it might be a good idea to see someone to work this out, not b/c I think you're crazy, but b/c I know it would have helped me along the way back when--it's taken me years to get over the damage that was done by all the teasing, and I still have my insecure moments. The best part though is that I now generally feel that most people like me--there are still those who don't, but I don't worry about them. But please work on this--you're not getting stronger by avoiding people--not if you'd really rather have someone to hang out with.
Also, you haven't mentioned if you have a dx of Asperger's or AD/HD, but those are common reasons why kids have social problems and once you know you have one of those, you can begin to work w/ it, and even if you choose not to medicate, it can be a huge relief to find that this is not your fault. That was huge for me. Keep this in mind: 75% of kids with AD/HD have social problems and all kids with Asperger's do.
I'd say that's pretty typical for that age. Even if someone had taught you that, you wouldn't have believed it. And I was the same way and then I did some stupid stuff to get attention but it generally backfired. I don't know what to tell you except that it might be a good idea to see someone to work this out, not b/c I think you're crazy, but b/c I know it would have helped me along the way back when--it's taken me years to get over the damage that was done by all the teasing, and I still have my insecure moments. The best part though is that I now generally feel that most people like me--there are still those who don't, but I don't worry about them. But please work on this--you're not getting stronger by avoiding people--not if you'd really rather have someone to hang out with.
Also, you haven't mentioned if you have a dx of Asperger's or AD/HD, but those are common reasons why kids have social problems and once you know you have one of those, you can begin to work w/ it, and even if you choose not to medicate, it can be a huge relief to find that this is not your fault. That was huge for me. Keep this in mind: 75% of kids with AD/HD have social problems and all kids with Asperger's do.
I was diagnosed as having Aspergers when I was 27 years old. This was three years after I have been working on jobs that required a 4 year degree, but I only had high school diploma. I was curious to why I wasn't able to attract women although guys at the gym thought I was professional builder. I also wanted to know why women and some guys always accused me of being a homosexual although I am not one. I don't have anything against homosexuality, but I hate it when someone accuses of being something that I am not. When I was 29, I gave up on pursuing intimate relationships, and just had one night stands and paid for companionship. I got the money, so spending money in order to be around women doesn't bother me.
I was kind of shock when a psychiatrist told I has Asperger syndrome, because I have been able to maintain a relationship with a friend for more than 22 years, and another friend for more than 14 years. I also get along with older women without any difficulty.
When I was 22, I went in the Air Force, but I got an early discharge for not being able to adjust. I didn't have a problem with taking orders, I just had a problem with the female Airmen. I got an honorable discharge, so I didn't get a bad mark on my record.
I was reading a magazine article today, and I discovered that Asperger syndrome is new, and that's why a lot of adults are now being diagnosed as having it. I still think the doctor I had when I was 12 should have picked up on it. If he would have picked up on it, I would have gotten help for it earlier in life.
I also did some research on the non-public school I attended. It looks like they did an overhaul in their management. The services they have now for students were not available when I was attending there.
They also fired some administrators at that school, but that was around six months after I left.
The ONLY reason why I said that special education and non-public schools need to be audited and better regulated is because the school I was attending had teachers that didn't have teaching credentials. It also had socially awkward students mixed in with students who had anti social personality disorders.
I was reading a magazine article today, and I discovered that Asperger syndrome is new, and that's why a lot of adults are now being diagnosed as having it. I still think the doctor I had when I was 12 should have picked up on it. If he would have picked up on it, I would have gotten help for it earlier in life.
I also did some research on the non-public school I attended. It looks like they did an overhaul in their management. The services they have now for students were not available when I was attending there.
They also fired some administrators at that school, but that was around six months after I left.
The ONLY reason why I said that special education and non-public schools need to be audited and better regulated is because the school I was attending had teachers that didn't have teaching credentials. It also had socially awkward students mixed in with students who had anti social personality disorders.
Well I doubt that AS is new--probably as old as man--but we are constantly learning new things about it. Einstein is thought to have had autism or AS, so you're in good company. AS doesn't mean you can't make and keep friends, just that it will be more difficult, or that you will have fewer of them. I didn't find out about my AD/HD until I was 46, and yes I wish I'd known sooner, but that's just the way it is. I don't even know if I would be dx'd today, b/c I wasn't bouncing off of walls and it didn't really affect my schoolwork until HS and they dont' pick up new sped students in HS though many could surely benefit. For the same reasons, you probably were overlooked--you weren't annoying enough to your teachers.
I'm learning a lot about autism and AS, and I read that book by Temple Grandin about seeing--it was extremely interesting. One thing I had always wondered about was whether they are bothered by the teasing, and from the book and talking to others about it, I've gathered that it bothers them very much, as it did me--I wanted so badly to belong, and it's def a basic human need that will make you sick if it's not met in some way. I don't know where you live, but maybe there is a group you can join, either for those with AS, or a specialized interest group, like caving or butterfly collecting, or whatever you happen to enjoy. This would be your best bet for a social life--I"ve heard of several people with AS meeting their spouse in this way.
As for underqualified teachers in your old school--that's no surprise--there are underqualified people in every profession. Sometimes it's the system that sucks and sometimes it's the teachers, and sometimes both, but we can't keep going back to that--we must push on and make the best of our present and future years. It's a good bet that if you have a problem, it's been mishandled in the past, but you and I have many advantages that others don't enjoy, so the trick is to learn to use them. Temple G. said that she would not give up her autism and special way of seeing for a normal life and I can say the same thing about my AD/HD. If I had great executive function and the advantages I enjoy, I'd be a powerful person indeed. Anyway, hang in there, realize that most of the rest of the world will never "get it" and forgive them anyway, and let me know how it goes--I really do want to know.
I'm a bit confused here. In all the districts in which I have taught, parents can indeed request that their child be tested for special education. However, children are not just assigned an IEP indiscriminately. Each child must be tested by a school district psychologist or diagnostician to see if there is indeed a discrepancy between performance & intelligence on the test, in order to determine a learning disability. With careful evaluation of the multifaceted testing results, we get a better picture of the root of the child's learning problems.
There are also 504 plans for students who have a medical disability that gets in the way of learning.
Same here ..... my son had a 504 for years, didn't qualify for an IEP till last summer when he was referred to a pediatric neurologist because of concerns that there was more going on with him than ADHD. Once MD said Asperger's, they had 60 days to get an IEP in place.
I was diagnosed as having Aspergers when I was 27 years old. This was three years after I have been working on jobs that required a 4 year degree, but I only had high school diploma. I was curious to why I wasn't able to attract women although guys at the gym thought I was professional builder. I also wanted to know why women and some guys always accused me of being a homosexual although I am not one. I don't have anything against homosexuality, but I hate it when someone accuses of being something that I am not. When I was 29, I gave up on pursuing intimate relationships, and just had one night stands and paid for companionship. I got the money, so spending money in order to be around women doesn't bother me.
I was kind of shock when a psychiatrist told I has Asperger syndrome, because I have been able to maintain a relationship with a friend for more than 22 years, and another friend for more than 14 years. I also get along with older women without any difficulty.
When I was 22, I went in the Air Force, but I got an early discharge for not being able to adjust. I didn't have a problem with taking orders, I just had a problem with the female Airmen. I got an honorable discharge, so I didn't get a bad mark on my record.
I was reading a magazine article today, and I discovered that Asperger syndrome is new, and that's why a lot of adults are now being diagnosed as having it. I still think the doctor I had when I was 12 should have picked up on it. If he would have picked up on it, I would have gotten help for it earlier in life.
I also did some research on the non-public school I attended. It looks like they did an overhaul in their management. The services they have now for students were not available when I was attending there.
They also fired some administrators at that school, but that was around six months after I left.
The ONLY reason why I said that special education and non-public schools need to be audited and better regulated is because the school I was attending had teachers that didn't have teaching credentials. It also had socially awkward students mixed in with students who had anti social personality disorders.
My son has Asperger's.
I don't believe it is new. But it is being better diagnosed.
What problems did you have with the female airmen?
Public schools actually do everything within their power NOT to send students to non-public schools, because it's much less expensive for the district to keep a student in a public school. So if LAUSD approved your attendance at a non-public school, there had to be a pretty darned good reason.
Exactly. I work for a private school that is populated with school district referrals of kids so profoundly disabled that they have been deemed "unteachable" by their home districts. It's a last resort because it's very, very, very costly, and a district really needs to truly not have the means to handle the students' issues in order to foot the bill. They don't just send them when they don't feel like keeping them anymore. It's not somethign done lightly, it's done when there is no alternative.
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Non-public schools such as the OP attended admit students who often have such severe emotional and/or behavioral difficulties that they're unable to access the curriculum in a public school. They can be either long- or short-term placements, depending on the needs of the particular child. They DO follow IEPs (in theory, at least), and case management remains with the student's public school district. Tuition costs are also paid for by that school district.
Yep. Typically, it's when their behavior makes it impossible for them to access the curriculm, and/or when it becomes dangerous to others, or, in some cases, to themselves (in the case of many of our students with autism spectrum disorders who engage in self-injurious behavior...the headbangers, the hand-biters, etc.) At our school, we are as bound by IEPs as the referring district is, and follow them to the letter of the law. The IEP team includes the staff who work with the student at our school, the team from the referring district, and the parents/guardians. IEPs absolutely carry over, and are the basis of curriculum and behavioral plans. We report on all progress made on every IEP goal on a very, very frequent basis.
Also, Asperger's Syndrome isn't new. It's simply a specific type of autism spectrum disorder, and the main way it diverges from other autism spectrum disorders is that verbal communication development is rarely compromised, as it is to different degrees in other ASDs. Nonverbal communcation skill development frequently is, though.
Last edited by TabulaRasa; 01-26-2010 at 05:15 PM..
I don't believe it is new. But it is being better diagnosed.
What problems did you have with the female airmen?
I've always had problems getting along with the opposite sex. For the most part, they stress me out. One female airmen said that she would make sure I was killed in if he got deployed to a war zone. The other one wanted me to do a threesome with her and another guy.
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