Auntie ?

Re: Auntie ?

• torrey111

  February 2012

  again, not Auntie here, but what happened with us was that he didn't qualify for special ed from the testing...but because of the medical dx of ADHD, he gets an IEP and services.

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• meghans30 member

  February 2012

  torrey111:

  again, not Auntie here, but what happened with us was that he didn't qualify for special ed from the testing...but because of the medical dx of ADHD, he gets an IEP and services.

  ADHD dx did not qualify him for an IEP here Was making adequate academic progress. I want an IEP. There needs to be social / emotional goals.

   

  PM'd you. It's kind of lengthy... 

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• meghans30 member

  February 2012

  -auntie-:

  meghans30:

  Sorry to bother you, but another question.

  Trevor did not qualify for an IEP in late january. His academics are pretty close to where they should be. The ADHD dx will most likely qualify him for a 504, but we were going to reconvene as a team after I had the neuropsych completed. Now that we have a new dx, what could happen? I really want direct teaching of social skills, He NEEDS that, but I also know the school could say he is still not elegible for an IEP with appropriate social/ emotional goals. What are our options?  

  Given that you have new information, you can ask for a re-evaluation. It might be prudent to share the reports you have, especially if they were done by someone who is locally well respected. And most especially if the signature is from an MD.

  You want an IEP. A 504 is sort of like a wish list, whereas an IEP is more like a binding contract with consequences for non-compliance. A Section 504 comes out of civil rights legislation; an IEP comes out of IDEA. A section 504 is the ramp for a wheelchair to the art room.

  An ASD dx doesn't automatically qualify a student, educational need must be demonstrated. Note that I said educational- not academic. Educational means being safe on the bus, being supported socially in the lunchroom, having the skills to particpate in games played at recess. He is entitled to the support, interventions and accommodations needed to allow him to access FAPE in the LRE.

  Getting an IEP for a kid whose thriving academically is something of a challenge. It's why my forums are limited to higher functioning kids- because of the challenge of advocating for a student who is the brightest person at the IEP table but isn't cutting it socially or emotionally. What you have to do is demostrate how his social communication deficits impact him in school.

  When DS was transitioning to middle school, I was concerned about some issues that I felt the school was ignoring. My concerns were executive function oriented, but the principle is the same. I made a punch list of several incidents where DS's disorganization impacted him educationally. I listed the deficit, how the incident demostrated it and was able to back it up with a hard copy email from one of his teachers describing it on his/her end.

  Since you want social skills support and interventions, you should list areas where Trevor is impacted by his condition and how it relates to his educational experience in LRE.

  Some things to look for-

  Does Trevor have trouble sharing, taking turns, or transitioning between classes?

  Is he participating fully on the playground? Does he know how to play the games? Can he lose or win with grace?

  Is he able to engage in appropriate conversation, not blathering about a favorite topic or sitting in silence), with peers?

  Can he work in a small group on a project without being bossypants or totally passive? Advocating for his ideas but being OK if they're not what the group decides?

  You may find having the dx, changes everything about how your district deals with things. Most districts would be a lot more cooperative around an ASD/PDD dx than one for ADHD in the primary grades.

  If your school won't play ball, you should consider a social skills group. Many of the parents I know supplement what they get at school privately anyway. At school, many kids like Trevor get 30-60 minutes of slt for pragmatics and social skills weekly. I really like Michelle Garcia Winner's Social Thinking for kids with AS. She really gets these kids and knows how to explain the expectations of the real world in a simple yet not dumbed down manner. For his age, Superflex and then Thinking About You, Thinking About Me are awesome.  TAYTAM was life changing for DS. The notion that he bore some responsibility for and control of what other thought and how they treated him based on what he did and said was an epiphany. It was very empowering.

  Have you decided whether/when you will share the dx with Trevor?

   

   

  You've hit upon the exact areas where Trevor struggles. Some examples:

  During classroom recess, he would rather sharpen pencils than truly interact with his peers. The teacher sees this as awesome, I see it as his way of not dealing with the things that are difficult for him. Sharpening pencils in 1st grade? ok. In 3rd or 4th? A problem. I'd like to see them help interact with his peers.

  He has always been described as liking to play with peers, as long as they play the way he wants. He will tantrum if things do not go his way.

  He does not lose with grace, does not share well, and is bossy .

  It all makes sense now; not really what I wanted to hear, but I know this will be helpful. We have been able to protect him and avoid situations that we knew would be difficult for him, but that is not possible in the real world. 

  I did share the reports yesterday and the Dr. who did the testing is a well respected MD. I've already started looking into social groups and was pleasantly surprised to see several groups close by.  

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• meghans30 member

  February 2012

  Thanks for all of this. Time to start navigating a new set of issues. I am proud of him; so much progress has been made, but looks like there is more work ahead of us. Like I've said, it all really makes sense now. The SLP we worked with through the schools always felt the language delay was not true Apraxia because his progress was just amazing for a child with this type of diagnosis. He failed socially in camp last summer (a telling sign), and now that he does not have the protection of a special education classroom, he just doesn't quite fit in. 

  I am looking into camps through the same place that holds social groups. I hope I can get either the school or insurance to cover some of these expenses. 

  Interestingly, he and younger brother have really started to do a lot of pretend play lately with their trucks and other things. This is new for Trevor. Promising, I think. 

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