Re: First IEP Meeting - any suggestions?

[Guest guest]

Becky said:”we are about to meet

with the school

to discuss eligibility for special ed and an iep.”

We have not through this yet and have a vague idea

what to ask for - but are

really not sure. The Dr's report says very

little. The Dr prescribed OT

evaluation is not for another month.

******Hi Becky, first of all, and others

may not agree, but I would go to the first meeting as more of a listener. You

need to find out what is on the school’s mind and what they are planning

to do for your son both educationally and as far as sensory issues. I feel they

should lay out a plan and then you have something to work with. When we went

through this, my son was 9 and 10 at the time and we were the ones doing all

the leg work and suggestions for an educational plan, something we knew nothing

about. There are specific programs that can be of help, so the” we

don’t know what to do”, or “we’ve never had a student

like this”, gets old. The Special Ed. people should know programs and how

to implement them. In our case(and my son sounds like yours) sometimes no Spec.

Ed. person was involved because he was under a 504 not an IEP because of

intelligence. He would have been eligible for an IEP if we had fought the

situation based on Language skills(his range was from 5th percentile-99th

percentile). This type of testing is done through a Neuro-Psychologist. I would

ask for this as it is very specific. Some schools will pay, some won’t.

The cost was $1,700  2 years ago.

   

We felt there was no way our son could make it psychologically in the

Public School, he has now been Home Schooled for a year an a half. He may have

been able to make it in Ps. if he were in an alternative class of 5-6 kids.

However, this was not an option and never will be. This year he attended a book

group, a science class and a Geometry class very successfully with 5-7 other

Home Schooled kids. The classes were held once per week for 1-1 ½ hours. He

takes Trombone lessons at his old school and Therapeutic riding lessons. He

also does lots of swimming from May-Sept. Just thought I’d give you and

idea what has worked for us in case you need a different route. I can assure

you I never thought I would be Home Schooling my child but it can work

       

Since you obviously want Ps. to work for your son at this time, I will

mention a couple of very good programs….wait and see what the school says

before you bring them up……

Any suggestions on where to look for appropriate

accomodations?

The problems identified are:

* mild OCD     *****takes Celexa and Seroquel

* very rigid thinking, very concrete

in nature, has in his mind an unbending

construct of how things should be,****ditto

* difficulties with fine finger

monvements and rapid alternating movements -

fine motor skills,   ***’Handwriting Without Tears’ www.hwtears.com  (start at home)

* excellent verbal, reading and

spelling skills (5th to 8th grade level - he

is 3rd grade) ***do search on SRA Specific Skills

Series   (booklets cover specific areas

our kids are weak in)

* poor math skills possible due to

visual perceptual skills.****’Touchmath’ www.touchmath.com

* problems completing graphomotor

skills so he cannot get ideas from his head

to paper.*****Specific Skills Series

* moderate degree of sensory integration

issues ****swimming, swinging, horse back riding(if possible) hop, jump through

the kitchen….

* difficulties with focused attention

(he cannot unless it is on his terms).****will need a quiet area to work….own

desk….cubicle possibly….my son liked his own desk set to the side

of the room, less distracting

Where do we start? What resources?

Sure a one on one tutor would be best case

- but if they say flat no - what is next? Don’t

ask yet wait and see what they say and don’t let this drag out…also

no 7:45 A.M. meeting(a complete

waste of time)

Good luck, let us know

what happens……Gail

..

[Guest guest]

I tried replying earlier, but something happened and my email was

lost! Is there anyone at the school you can talk to and get a feel

for what the committee may be looking to recommend and/or what

services may be available to your child in a best case and worst case

scenario? If you are completely honest and say you are looking for

the information so that you can appropriately prepare for the

meeting, so that you are not wasting the committees time by having to

ask questions that you could have already found the answers to

independently, you may find that they are very accomodating. While it

is kind of an us against them sort of meeting, I have found that I

was able to get a good deal of cooperation and information from the

school social worker. We have our first big deal CSE meeting coming

soon to discuss reclassification from speech impaired to something

else - the school wants ED, which we wholeheartedly disagree wiith!-

and the possibility of a one to one aide. I would be lying if I said

I wasn't concerned about this meeting, but the social worker has been

very candid in telling me to expect the district to balk at the idea

of an aide ($$$) that they would prefer to see him in a special ed,

though all the personnel at his elem. school thinks he can do quite

well mainstreamed with an aide. The good thing about this information

is that I have been able to do a great deal of research on behavioral

issues, functional behavior assessments, positive interventions and

emotional disturbance. I feel that I am sufficiently armed to discuss

any possible interventions with the district. A great source for

information is ERIC (Educational Resource Information Center)

http://www.ericfacility.net/ericdigests/index/index.cfm?SEARCHTERM=

also there is some good information on negotiating and advocacy on

www.wrightslaw.com

Good luck to you, I hope that you are able to get your child the

services that he needs!

> Hello all,

>

> I have been lurking here for a while trying to learn what I can.

My son is high

> functioning - just diagnosed Aspergers - we are about to meet with

the school

> to discuss eligibility for special ed and an iep.

>

> We have not through this yet and have a vague idea what to ask for -

but are

> really not sure. The Dr's report says very little. The Dr

prescribed OT

> evaluation is not for another month.

>

> Any suggestions on where to look for appropriate accomodations?

>

> The problems identified are:

> * mild OCD

> * very rigid thinking, very concrete in nature, has in his mind

a unbending

> construct of how things should be,

> * difficulties with fine finger monvements and rapid alternating

movements -

> fine motor skills,

> * excellent verbal, reading and spelling skills (5th to 8th

grade level - he

> is 3rd grade)

> * poor math skills possible due to visual perceptual skills.

> * problems completing graphomotor skills so he cannot get ideas

from his head

> to paper.

> * moderate degree of sensory integration issues

> * difficulties with focused attention (he cannot unless it is on

his terms).

>

> Where do we start? What resources? Sure a one on one tutor would

be best case

> - but if they say flat no - what is next?

>

> Any suggestions you have will be greatly appreciated. I will

continue to search

> the net for iep sites - I think I saw some links in emails a while

back.

>

> Thanks.

>

> Becky H

[Guest guest]

hi fellow lurker!

The only thing I'd add is that in our school district we get a 'parent report'

form to fill out. I actually enter 'see attached' in all areas, and attach a

detailed (current version was five pages) assessment of my son. I make a

guess at how to address some of his issues - pick the 2 or 3 most signficant

and include ideas I've gotten from reading articles/etc. This doesn't mean

they will do those things, but it does mean that if they don't and things fall

apart part way into the year, I can make a lot of noise.

In your case, where a one-on-one may be necessary, I'd write up how great it

would be with an aide, and what a disaster it would be without an aide.

Emphasize that his presence in the classroom (w/out aide) will take teacher

time/attention from other students, many deny other students full access to

their curriculum, then talk about how no aide would impact your son. Since

he's been in regular ed until now, talk about successes with learning, but

disruptions/distractions due to no aide. A term I picked up from a friend who

ABAed her son was " one-on-one fading support " which means the job of the

aide is to work him/herself out of certain tasks. Not out of a job - since once

one issue in minimized, another springs to life.

Make sure to talk about the propensity of ASD children to wander away from

school, to be manipulated into trouble by other children, to be abused by

other children and that this also necessitates constant monitoring.

Again - if you say without an aide my son may be a victim, and they don't

provide an aide, and something bad happens, they are in trouble. Really.

We're writing in a trigger in our IEP that if our soon to be first grader goes

to

the nurse's offices three times in one month for injuries involving another

child, there will be a meeting. So we've written in possible repeated

opportunities to ask for an aide. you could write in that there is a checklist

of

behaviors that the teacher fills in each day, and that 5 negative days (high

classroom distraction) triggers a meeting in which you will again ask for an

aide.

You may not get what you want up front, but you will set it up so you will get

what you want for the rest of the time he is in school.

Remember, the IEP team ONLY decides if your son needs an aide. Once

they write it in the IEP and you sign it, it is the LAW for educating your son.

The School District has to come up with the funds and get it done. The IEP

team cannot consider the feasibility of getting an aide - they can only consider

whether it is necessary. They cannot consider or discuss " cost " with you.

They cannot tell you " we don't do that " .

This is a bit of a ramble, but I wanted to get you some ideas.

Feel free to email me off-list anytime. I can provide you with a copy of our

parent reports if that might help. My son's issues are different than yours and

doesn't seem to need an aide right now, but some of his IEP goals are pretty

good.

Finally, I was really " in your face " with our school staff, but then I realised

that

they were doing their best - and that they've taught thousands of kids before.

So I just shut up and let them do what they do best. And I've been

wonderfully surprised at how well they take care of my son. So, just

remember to give them a chance! At the beginning of K, my son's teacher

called me and asked what I do to manage him at home, and I told her

honestly that I've never managed him in a room full of new stuff and 14 other

kids, so I really couldn't tell her!!! I gave her a bunch of articles and sent

sensory objects/materials for my son to use in class. And then I left it alone.

Six weeks later they had brought a beanbag chair for him to use, and he was

able to be a little bit reasonable some of the time - which was an

improvement!

Okay, no more rambling - time for a shower.

Elaine - mom to Noah - 6 - in land

> Hello all,

>

> I have been lurking here for a while trying to learn what I can. My son is

high

> functioning - just diagnosed Aspergers - we are about to meet with the

school

> to discuss eligibility for special ed and an iep.

>