new to group, incredibly shy 4 yo

[Guest guest]

My youngest, a 4 yo girl, has suffered social anxiety since she was little.

We're pretty sure she has AS since it runs so strong in the family lines &

since she has all the features of it. We did our own little therapies with

her at home, slowly & gently easing her into social interactions with other

children who we invited over for her. She's doing better & is finally ready

for preschool, but our local school district is saying:

1. " We can't complete the assessment since we can't observe her in a

preschool setting. " (She isn't in preschool since we need qualified spec ed

teachers for her first, thus, the assessment & IEP.)

2. " Since she isn't hurting anyone she doesn't need intervention. "

3. " Her academics are so strong that she doesn't need any help at this

point. She's so far ahead of her peers that she'll probably never need

services. "

4. " She can access the instruction since she can hear the teacher. " (Note

that she can't respond when someone talks to her. It terrifies her. She can

whisper out an answer if it's a familiar person & that person is gentle.)

Any advice? We're going to be having her IEP soon & one of the teachers on

the team called me tonight to say that was going to be denied services

because of the above reasons. I've spent the night in tears (but was

supposed to be out at dinner for my husband's and my anniversary).

I'm specifically looking for advice on how to tell the district that a

quiet, shy little child needs just as much help as a child who is biting or

screaming. 's screaming so loudly on the inside...

--

[Guest guest]

They can't deny her services if they haven't done an assessment, so

there goes reason #1.

Hurting people is a pretty unusual sypmtom of anything in a 4 year

old, so I don't even understand #2. I'm sure it's not valid. It just

sounds stupid.

Academics are not the only thing taught in school, so there goes #3.

Hearing instructions and being able to FOLLOW instructions are

totally different things. I do assessments all the time. I can ONLY

assess based on what I SEE the child do. It doesn't matter if I think

she can do something, if she's not doing it during the assessment,

she can't do it. So that goes back to #1, they can't deny services

when they have not done an assessment.

I recommend getting a medical diagnosis for her. Even if the dx is

severe anxiety or selective mutism instead of AS, it gets you in the

door, so to speak. Once they have the dx, they can do their own

assessment, but they have to DO the assessment before they can deny

(or approve) anything. I have a cousin who's only dx is selective

mutism due to severe anxiety. She has an IEP.

Amnesty

>

> My youngest, a 4 yo girl, has suffered social anxiety since she was

little.

> We're pretty sure she has AS since it runs so strong in the family

lines &

> since she has all the features of it. We did our own little

therapies with

> her at home, slowly & gently easing her into social interactions

with other

> children who we invited over for her. She's doing better & is

finally ready

> for preschool, but our local school district is saying:

>

> 1. " We can't complete the assessment since we can't observe her in a

> preschool setting. " (She isn't in preschool since we need qualified

spec ed

> teachers for her first, thus, the assessment & IEP.)

>

> 2. " Since she isn't hurting anyone she doesn't need intervention. "

>

> 3. " Her academics are so strong that she doesn't need any help at

this

> point. She's so far ahead of her peers that she'll probably never

need

> services. "

>

> 4. " She can access the instruction since she can hear the teacher. "

(Note

> that she can't respond when someone talks to her. It terrifies her.

She can

> whisper out an answer if it's a familiar person & that person is

gentle.)

>

> Any advice? We're going to be having her IEP soon & one of the

teachers on

> the team called me tonight to say that was going to be denied

services

> because of the above reasons. I've spent the night in tears (but was

> supposed to be out at dinner for my husband's and my anniversary).

>

> I'm specifically looking for advice on how to tell the district

that a

> quiet, shy little child needs just as much help as a child who is

biting or

> screaming. 's screaming so loudly on the inside...

>

> --

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

The reasons they gave you are completely ridiculous.

1. Many 4 year olds are not in a preschool setting. If they want to

see your child in a social situation, they can observe her at home,

with a peer, in the community. Early intervention should take place

in the child's natural environment, which many times is the child's

home.

2. What does that mean? Do they think all children who receive

early intervention have behavior issues? Not true at all. It really

is a crime that so many of our girls are overlooked because they do

not cause problems.

3. How do they know that if they haven't completed a full

evaluation?

4. Just because she can hear doesn't mean she is not going to have

any problems with accessing instruction.

Put it in writing that you are requesting a full educational

evaluation. They must comply and complete the evaluation within 60

days. Also, get a medical diagnosis. The more paperwork and

documentation you have, the better. Good luck and let us know how

everything works out.

Lori

>

> My youngest, a 4 yo girl, has suffered social anxiety since she

was little.

> We're pretty sure she has AS since it runs so strong in the family

lines &

> since she has all the features of it. We did our own little

therapies with

> her at home, slowly & gently easing her into social interactions

with other

> children who we invited over for her. She's doing better & is

finally ready

> for preschool, but our local school district is saying:

>

> 1. " We can't complete the assessment since we can't observe her in

a

> preschool setting. " (She isn't in preschool since we need

qualified spec ed

> teachers for her first, thus, the assessment & IEP.)

>

> 2. " Since she isn't hurting anyone she doesn't need intervention. "

>

> 3. " Her academics are so strong that she doesn't need any help at

this

> point. She's so far ahead of her peers that she'll probably never

need

> services. "

>

> 4. " She can access the instruction since she can hear the

teacher. " (Note

> that she can't respond when someone talks to her. It terrifies

her. She can

> whisper out an answer if it's a familiar person & that person is

gentle.)

>

> Any advice? We're going to be having her IEP soon & one of the

teachers on

> the team called me tonight to say that was going to be denied

services

> because of the above reasons. I've spent the night in tears (but

was

> supposed to be out at dinner for my husband's and my anniversary).

>

> I'm specifically looking for advice on how to tell the district

that a

> quiet, shy little child needs just as much help as a child who is

biting or

> screaming. 's screaming so loudly on the inside...

>

> --

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Lori,

Thanks for the feedback. The school officials did an OT assessment and

speech assessment. They said that she doesn't have any OT needs (which is

mostly true -- she has sensory issues but they aren't noticeable unless

she's overstressed by a social situation) and her speech is fairly close to

on-target for age level (although her volume is a serious issue: whispers in

public, screams at home). Most of her " needs " occur in a social group

setting, but she's not in a preschool (refuses to go). They also observed

her playing at a park with one of our regular park groups (about 20 other

friends who meet at a park once a week). didn't interact at all with

the other children, even though she knows them all and has had them over to

our home. It was atypical, but ignorable.

The feedback I'm looking for is, " How do you advocate for an AS girl who is

so terribly shy? "

Honestly, I'm having a really hard time with the sexism of it all. If she

was a boy, I can't imagine they would be saying the same things.

--

PS: Thank you so much for your feedback. I'm in the process of getting an

official dx, but it's taking a very long time to slog through all the

paperwork & appts. She should have one by the end of summer.

>

> The reasons they gave you are completely ridiculous.

> 1. Many 4 year olds are not in a preschool setting. If they want to

> see your child in a social situation, they can observe her at home,

> with a peer, in the community. Early intervention should take place

> in the child's natural environment, which many times is the child's

> home.

>

> 2. What does that mean? Do they think all children who receive

> early intervention have behavior issues? Not true at all. It really

> is a crime that so many of our girls are overlooked because they do

> not cause problems.

>

> 3. How do they know that if they haven't completed a full

> evaluation?

>

> 4. Just because she can hear doesn't mean she is not going to have

> any problems with accessing instruction.

>

> Put it in writing that you are requesting a full educational

> evaluation. They must comply and complete the evaluation within 60

> days. Also, get a medical diagnosis. The more paperwork and

> documentation you have, the better. Good luck and let us know how

> everything works out.

>

> Lori

>

>

> >

> > My youngest, a 4 yo girl, has suffered social anxiety since she

> was little.

> > We're pretty sure she has AS since it runs so strong in the family

> lines &

> > since she has all the features of it. We did our own little

> therapies with

> > her at home, slowly & gently easing her into social interactions

> with other

> > children who we invited over for her. She's doing better & is

> finally ready

> > for preschool, but our local school district is saying:

> >

> > 1. " We can't complete the assessment since we can't observe her in

> a

> > preschool setting. " (She isn't in preschool since we need

> qualified spec ed

> > teachers for her first, thus, the assessment & IEP.)

> >

> > 2. " Since she isn't hurting anyone she doesn't need intervention. "

> >

> > 3. " Her academics are so strong that she doesn't need any help at

> this

> > point. She's so far ahead of her peers that she'll probably never

> need

> > services. "

> >

> > 4. " She can access the instruction since she can hear the

> teacher. " (Note

> > that she can't respond when someone talks to her. It terrifies

> her. She can

> > whisper out an answer if it's a familiar person & that person is

> gentle.)

> >

> > Any advice? We're going to be having her IEP soon & one of the

> teachers on

> > the team called me tonight to say that was going to be denied

> services

> > because of the above reasons. I've spent the night in tears (but

> was

> > supposed to be out at dinner for my husband's and my anniversary).

> >

> > I'm specifically looking for advice on how to tell the district

> that a

> > quiet, shy little child needs just as much help as a child who is

> biting or

> > screaming. 's screaming so loudly on the inside...

> >

> > --

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

We got our autism diagnosis in January and we are having a hard time with the

school district too. receives speech therapy thru the district but we are

trying to get her into the PPCD program. They have done assessements but

according to them she cooperated with them. However her private speech

therapist explained to them that she does need the help-there are some problems.

We are waiting for her ARD to see if she will receive services. She is getting

ready to have an articulation eval. next week. does not know what to do

in social groups but does well with one on one. She gets overwhelmed with

groups, malls, stores, etc... has sensory issues as well as the anxiety

problem. I have met other parents with boys that have the same problem and they

have no problem getting services. So that's where we are at.

Adrienne from Texas

-------------- Original message from " Malmrose " :

--------------

Lori,

Thanks for the feedback. The school officials did an OT assessment and

speech assessment. They said that she doesn't have any OT needs (which is

mostly true -- she has sensory issues but they aren't noticeable unless

she's overstressed by a social situation) and her speech is fairly close to

on-target for age level (although her volume is a serious issue: whispers in

public, screams at home). Most of her " needs " occur in a social group

setting, but she's not in a preschool (refuses to go). They also observed

her playing at a park with one of our regular park groups (about 20 other

friends who meet at a park once a week). didn't interact at all with

the other children, even though she knows them all and has had them over to

our home. It was atypical, but ignorable.

The feedback I'm looking for is, " How do you advocate for an AS girl who is

so terribly shy? "

Honestly, I'm having a really hard time with the sexism of it all. If she

was a boy, I can't imagine they would be saying the same things.

--

PS: Thank you so much for your feedback. I'm in the process of getting an

official dx, but it's taking a very long time to slog through all the

paperwork & appts. She should have one by the end of summer.

>

> The reasons they gave you are completely ridiculous.

> 1. Many 4 year olds are not in a preschool setting. If they want to

> see your child in a social situation, they can observe her at home,

> with a peer, in the community. Early intervention should take place

> in the child's natural environment, which many times is the child's

> home.

>

> 2. What does that mean? Do they think all children who receive

> early intervention have behavior issues? Not true at all. It really

> is a crime that so many of our girls are overlooked because they do

> not cause problems.

>

> 3. How do they know that if they haven't completed a full

> evaluation?

>

> 4. Just because she can hear doesn't mean she is not going to have

> any problems with accessing instruction.

>

> Put it in writing that you are requesting a full educational

> evaluation. They must comply and complete the evaluation within 60

> days. Also, get a medical diagnosis. The more paperwork and

> documentation you have, the better. Good luck and let us know how

> everything works out.

>

> Lori

>

>

> >

> > My youngest, a 4 yo girl, has suffered social anxiety since she

> was little.

> > We're pretty sure she has AS since it runs so strong in the family

> lines &

> > since she has all the features of it. We did our own little

> therapies with

> > her at home, slowly & gently easing her into social interactions

> with other

> > children who we invited over for her. She's doing better & is

> finally ready

> > for preschool, but our local school district is saying:

> >

> > 1. " We can't complete the assessment since we can't observe her in

> a

> > preschool setting. " (She isn't in preschool since we need

> qualified spec ed

> > teachers for her first, thus, the assessment & IEP.)

> >

> > 2. " Since she isn't hurting anyone she doesn't need intervention. "

> >

> > 3. " Her academics are so strong that she doesn't need any help at

> this

> > point. She's so far ahead of her peers that she'll probably never

> need

> > services. "

> >

> > 4. " She can access the instruction since she can hear the

> teacher. " (Note

> > that she can't respond when someone talks to her. It terrifies

> her. She can

> > whisper out an answer if it's a familiar person & that person is

> gentle.)

> >

> > Any advice? We're going to be having her IEP soon & one of the

> teachers on

> > the team called me tonight to say that was going to be denied

> services

> > because of the above reasons. I've spent the night in tears (but

> was

> > supposed to be out at dinner for my husband's and my anniversary).

> >

> > I'm specifically looking for advice on how to tell the district

> that a

> > quiet, shy little child needs just as much help as a child who is

> biting or

> > screaming. 's screaming so loudly on the inside...

> >

> > --

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Demand a neuropsych workup. I'm pretty sure they have to do it if you ask.

Videoing her in different settings and sending it to them might help too.

They told my mom I'd never need services too, 20 years ago. Why? Because I could

read.

Oh, but I started talking at around 3. And still have sensory issues up the ying

yang. And

what are these mythical fine motor skills?

It's easier to correct motor skill problems early, it's easier to start teaching

the games NTs

play earlier, and it's DEFINATELY easier to keep someone on track than to catch

them up.

Unfortunately when I'm frustrated my advocacy skills go right out the window,

but asking

them where it says " must hurt people to get services " is written may help. And

that whole

thing where she qualifies under Other Health Impaired, possibly Autism, and at

least one

other category (if memory serves), I'm not sure how they're ignoring that.

Argh. Frustrated for you.

Kassiane

autistic, likes the kids, hates the beurocracy

> > >

> > > My youngest, a 4 yo girl, has suffered social anxiety since she

> > was little.

> > > We're pretty sure she has AS since it runs so strong in the family

> > lines &

> > > since she has all the features of it. We did our own little

> > therapies with

> > > her at home, slowly & gently easing her into social interactions

> > with other

> > > children who we invited over for her. She's doing better & is

> > finally ready

> > > for preschool, but our local school district is saying:

> > >

> > > 1. " We can't complete the assessment since we can't observe her in

> > a

> > > preschool setting. " (She isn't in preschool since we need

> > qualified spec ed

> > > teachers for her first, thus, the assessment & IEP.)

> > >

> > > 2. " Since she isn't hurting anyone she doesn't need intervention. "

> > >

> > > 3. " Her academics are so strong that she doesn't need any help at

> > this

> > > point. She's so far ahead of her peers that she'll probably never

> > need

> > > services. "

> > >

> > > 4. " She can access the instruction since she can hear the

> > teacher. " (Note

> > > that she can't respond when someone talks to her. It terrifies

> > her. She can

> > > whisper out an answer if it's a familiar person & that person is

> > gentle.)

> > >

> > > Any advice? We're going to be having her IEP soon & one of the

> > teachers on

> > > the team called me tonight to say that was going to be denied

> > services

> > > because of the above reasons. I've spent the night in tears (but

> > was

> > > supposed to be out at dinner for my husband's and my anniversary).

> > >

> > > I'm specifically looking for advice on how to tell the district

> > that a

> > > quiet, shy little child needs just as much help as a child who is

> > biting or

> > > screaming. 's screaming so loudly on the inside...

> > >

> > > --

> > >

> > >

> > >

[Guest guest]

Video tapes are a great idea! Also, keep a detailed log (date,

time, situation)of every " atypical " behavior, social difficulty,

sensory issue you see. Go back as far as you can remember. It was

the medical diagnosis and our log that helped us get the necessary

services for our daughter. Our local intermediate unit(school

district) gave our daughter the generic label of developmental

delay. The school psychologist who evaluated her told me, " An

autistic kid sits in a corner and rocks and flicks HIS fingers in

front of his face. She's not autistic. " The incompetence of these

people is astounding. It wasn't until we got the diagnosis from a

developmental pediatrician, requested a functional behavior

assessment, and had the evaluator read our log until she qualified

for ABA. The behavior consultant who performed the FBA told us that

she couldn't believe they didn't provide the services earlier.

Hopefully, the medical diagnosis will open up some doors for your

daughter. It makes me so angry that we have to jump through so many

hoops to get our kids the help they need.

Lori

> > > >

> > > > My youngest, a 4 yo girl, has suffered social anxiety since

she

> > > was little.

> > > > We're pretty sure she has AS since it runs so strong in the

family

> > > lines &

> > > > since she has all the features of it. We did our own little

> > > therapies with

> > > > her at home, slowly & gently easing her into social

interactions

> > > with other

> > > > children who we invited over for her. She's doing better & is

> > > finally ready

> > > > for preschool, but our local school district is saying:

> > > >

> > > > 1. " We can't complete the assessment since we can't observe

her in

> > > a

> > > > preschool setting. " (She isn't in preschool since we need

> > > qualified spec ed

> > > > teachers for her first, thus, the assessment & IEP.)

> > > >

> > > > 2. " Since she isn't hurting anyone she doesn't need

intervention. "

> > > >

> > > > 3. " Her academics are so strong that she doesn't need any

help at

> > > this

> > > > point. She's so far ahead of her peers that she'll probably

never

> > > need

> > > > services. "

> > > >

> > > > 4. " She can access the instruction since she can hear the

> > > teacher. " (Note

> > > > that she can't respond when someone talks to her. It

terrifies

> > > her. She can

> > > > whisper out an answer if it's a familiar person & that

person is

> > > gentle.)

> > > >

> > > > Any advice? We're going to be having her IEP soon & one of

the

> > > teachers on

> > > > the team called me tonight to say that was going to be

denied

> > > services

> > > > because of the above reasons. I've spent the night in tears

(but

> > > was

> > > > supposed to be out at dinner for my husband's and my

anniversary).

> > > >

> > > > I'm specifically looking for advice on how to tell the

district

> > > that a

> > > > quiet, shy little child needs just as much help as a child

who is

> > > biting or

> > > > screaming. 's screaming so loudly on the inside...

> > > >

> > > > --

> > > >

> > > >

> > > >

[Guest guest]

Hi Lori,

got her diagnosis from a dev. pedia. but the school district do not think

is severe enough to qualify for services. I have given them the report

from dev. pedia. stating her diagnosis plus her regular pediatrician wrote a

letter to the district stating her dev. delays, SID, etc.. and they did not

recognize it. It has been a battle with them. We have our ARD soon-any

suggestions?

Thanks,

Adrienne from Texas

-------------- Original message from " lorgonzo4 " :

--------------

Video tapes are a great idea! Also, keep a detailed log (date,

time, situation)of every " atypical " behavior, social difficulty,

sensory issue you see. Go back as far as you can remember. It was

the medical diagnosis and our log that helped us get the necessary

services for our daughter. Our local intermediate unit(school

district) gave our daughter the generic label of developmental

delay. The school psychologist who evaluated her told me, " An

autistic kid sits in a corner and rocks and flicks HIS fingers in

front of his face. She's not autistic. " The incompetence of these

people is astounding. It wasn't until we got the diagnosis from a

developmental pediatrician, requested a functional behavior

assessment, and had the evaluator read our log until she qualified

for ABA. The behavior consultant who performed the FBA told us that

she couldn't believe they didn't provide the services earlier.

Hopefully, the medical diagnosis will open up some doors for your

daughter. It makes me so angry that we have to jump through so many

hoops to get our kids the help they need.

Lori

> > > >

> > > > My youngest, a 4 yo girl, has suffered social anxiety since

she

> > > was little.

> > > > We're pretty sure she has AS since it runs so strong in the

family

> > > lines &

> > > > since she has all the features of it. We did our own little

> > > therapies with

> > > > her at home, slowly & gently easing her into social

interactions

> > > with other

> > > > children who we invited over for her. She's doing better & is

> > > finally ready

> > > > for preschool, but our local school district is saying:

> > > >

> > > > 1. " We can't complete the assessment since we can't observe

her in

> > > a

> > > > preschool setting. " (She isn't in preschool since we need

> > > qualified spec ed

> > > > teachers for her first, thus, the assessment & IEP.)

> > > >

> > > > 2. " Since she isn't hurting anyone she doesn't need

intervention. "

> > > >

> > > > 3. " Her academics are so strong that she doesn't need any

help at

> > > this

> > > > point. She's so far ahead of her peers that she'll probably

never

> > > need

> > > > services. "

> > > >

> > > > 4. " She can access the instruction since she can hear the

> > > teacher. " (Note

> > > > that she can't respond when someone talks to her. It

terrifies

> > > her. She can

> > > > whisper out an answer if it's a familiar person & that

person is

> > > gentle.)

> > > >

> > > > Any advice? We're going to be having her IEP soon & one of

the

> > > teachers on

> > > > the team called me tonight to say that was going to be

denied

> > > services

> > > > because of the above reasons. I've spent the night in tears

(but

> > > was

> > > > supposed to be out at dinner for my husband's and my

anniversary).

> > > >

> > > > I'm specifically looking for advice on how to tell the

district

> > > that a

> > > > quiet, shy little child needs just as much help as a child

who is

> > > biting or

> > > > screaming. 's screaming so loudly on the inside...

> > > >

> > > > --

> > > >

> > > >

> > > >

[Guest guest]

, <sigh> it sounds you're getting the school district runaround.

Welcome to the club!

First of all, it is my understanding any time you request an

assessment they have to give it. I would suggest you try to get a

physician's request for testing. They tend to listen to docs, though I

would refuse to sign any medical waiver, as it sounds they are crooked

enough that they don't need any medical records.

Second, if they haven't done any assessments, they have no reason to

deny services. They do NOT have to see her in a typical setting,

that's b.s. They NEVER observed either of my kids in their natural

environment, I just took them in for a day of testing. I don't know

about your state (I'm in TN) but that sure sounds bogus to me.

Third, not hurting anyone has NEVER been a reason to deny services.

They're b.s.ing you again.

Now the academic issue might be one they can snag you on. According to

the law as I understand it, the child has to show significant delay,

but communication is one of them. Not responding to questions, how did

she complete any testing?

My advice, call your local autism groups (like the ASA) and see if

they have any parents who can go with you to the meeting. In my state

of TN we have something called a STEP workshop that teaches all the

rights from initial assessment up to due process. You can contact them

and ask about resources in your state:

http://www.tnstep.org/

Also, inform them you are bringing a tape recorder to record the

meeting. I don't know about your state, in mine we have to give a 24

hr notice. Also, before the IEP, write a letter to all involved using

good English and proper letter writing outlining everything they've

said to you. Example:

Thank you for calling me on <date> and stating that my daughter will

not qualify for services because of:

1.

2.

3.

Then write your rebuttals using IDEA laws. By doing this, you are

creating a paper trail and the tape recording is admissable to court.

The reason for this is not to sue, but oftentimes if they see you know

your rights, they start doing what they are supposed to do. The more

letters you write, the more conversations you document, and the more

data you have showing your daughter's needs, the stronger your case

and the more likely they are to actually do what needs to be done.

HTH, feel free to email me off-list.

Debi

[Guest guest]

Debi,

I loved your ideas, especially of responding to their initial verbal denial

of services with a letter stating why those reasons were invalid & backing

it up with IDEA law. I have a lot of work ahead of me & I'm sure you can all

relate to that. =)

--

>

> , <sigh> it sounds you're getting the school district runaround.

> Welcome to the club!

>

> First of all, it is my understanding any time you request an

> assessment they have to give it. I would suggest you try to get a

> physician's request for testing. They tend to listen to docs, though I

> would refuse to sign any medical waiver, as it sounds they are crooked

> enough that they don't need any medical records.

>

> Second, if they haven't done any assessments, they have no reason to

> deny services. They do NOT have to see her in a typical setting,

> that's b.s. They NEVER observed either of my kids in their natural

> environment, I just took them in for a day of testing. I don't know

> about your state (I'm in TN) but that sure sounds bogus to me.

>

> Third, not hurting anyone has NEVER been a reason to deny services.

> They're b.s.ing you again.

>

> Now the academic issue might be one they can snag you on. According to

> the law as I understand it, the child has to show significant delay,

> but communication is one of them. Not responding to questions, how did

> she complete any testing?

>

> My advice, call your local autism groups (like the ASA) and see if

> they have any parents who can go with you to the meeting. In my state

> of TN we have something called a STEP workshop that teaches all the

> rights from initial assessment up to due process. You can contact them

> and ask about resources in your state:

>

> http://www.tnstep.org/

>

> Also, inform them you are bringing a tape recorder to record the

> meeting. I don't know about your state, in mine we have to give a 24

> hr notice. Also, before the IEP, write a letter to all involved using

> good English and proper letter writing outlining everything they've

> said to you. Example:

>

> Thank you for calling me on <date> and stating that my daughter will

> not qualify for services because of:

> 1.

> 2.

> 3.

>

> Then write your rebuttals using IDEA laws. By doing this, you are

> creating a paper trail and the tape recording is admissable to court.

> The reason for this is not to sue, but oftentimes if they see you know

> your rights, they start doing what they are supposed to do. The more

> letters you write, the more conversations you document, and the more

> data you have showing your daughter's needs, the stronger your case

> and the more likely they are to actually do what needs to be done.

>

> HTH, feel free to email me off-list.

>

>

> Debi

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

> Autism_in_Girls-subscribe

> ------------------------

> Autism_in_Girls-unsubscribe

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Just pace yourself and don't be afraid to fight! When I feel

discouraged I think of all the parents before Allie who fought to

improve things to the point they are now. Not only for my child, but I

feel that fighting to better programming will help the next generation

that much more, as a way of giving back to those who came before me.

Debi