Re: re-eval, gotta gripe for a sec

[Guest guest]

LOL! I feel the same way about those stupid rating

systems. I think instead they should just record the

parent listing off everything that they think is

relavant.

What I think when I am filling those things out is, " I

have four kids! " " How am I suppose to remember every

little detail of one child " ....I just bring her baby

book with me or have it in front of me. That is the

only way I can do it. =)

Rebekah

--- Debi wrote:

> I got some papers home to fill out about Allie's

> re-eval. Among them,

> the GARS-II. Allie got her dx before 2, this is her

> second re-eval in

> the school system. So I start reading the questions.

> They were,

> " Before the age of three years old, did your

> child... " I'm like, OH MY

> WORD! She's nearly 9 years old. Like I remember what

> she did before

> 3???? Then it asked, " What makes you suspect your

> child has autism? " I

> wrote, " 7 years of diagnoses. " It asked what

> professionals she's seen,

> it only had 1 line, after 2 lines worth of listing I

> gave up on

> providing the complete list. Then, the kicker, " What

> other evaluation

> resources are available? " I put, " You tell me! "

>

> I looked on the front of the test, it had listed

> from age 5-21. I

> cannot imagine as frustrated as I was by the end of

> this test at

> Allie's age how I would feel at age 16-20! What a

> stupid " rating scale. "

>

> Thanks for letting me rant. I had a test in anatomy

> II on Monday, a

> project due in career management Tues, a test a

> little earlier tonight

> in medical law, and I've got a math test in the

> morning. I guess I'm

> feeling a bit stressed!

>

> Debi

>

>

Rebekah

Phil 4:8

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[Guest guest]

Its easy to get overwelmed. Just breath. I keep a folder of anything and

everything related to my daughter, copies of reports and evals plus I write down

her accomplishments. It helps for a reference point and a reminder of how far

ages come

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

re-eval, gotta gripe for a sec

I got some papers home to fill out about Allie's re-eval. Among them,

the GARS-II. Allie got her dx before 2, this is her second re-eval in

the school system. So I start reading the questions. They were,

" Before the age of three years old, did your child... " I'm like, OH MY

WORD! She's nearly 9 years old. Like I remember what she did before

3???? Then it asked, " What makes you suspect your child has autism? " I

wrote, " 7 years of diagnoses. " It asked what professionals she's seen,

it only had 1 line, after 2 lines worth of listing I gave up on

providing the complete list. Then, the kicker, " What other evaluation

resources are available? " I put, " You tell me! "

I looked on the front of the test, it had listed from age 5-21. I

cannot imagine as frustrated as I was by the end of this test at

Allie's age how I would feel at age 16-20! What a stupid " rating scale. "

Thanks for letting me rant. I had a test in anatomy II on Monday, a

project due in career management Tues, a test a little earlier tonight

in medical law, and I've got a math test in the morning. I guess I'm

feeling a bit stressed!

Debi

[Guest guest]

I keep copies, too. Right now I'm at FIVE 3 ring binders, and I'm

talking the big binders.

Debi

>

> Its easy to get overwelmed. Just breath. I keep a folder of anything

and everything related to my daughter, copies of reports and evals

plus I write down her accomplishments. It helps for a reference point

and a reminder of how far ages come

> Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

>

[Guest guest]

Wow that's a lot of binders, my daughter is 3 and a half. We were diagnosed 1

1/2 years ago so we've only filled one so far.

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Re: re-eval, gotta gripe for a sec

I keep copies, too. Right now I'm at FIVE 3 ring binders, and I'm

talking the big binders.

Debi

>

> Its easy to get overwelmed. Just breath. I keep a folder of anything

and everything related to my daughter, copies of reports and evals

plus I write down her accomplishments. It helps for a reference point

and a reminder of how far ages come

> Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

>

[Guest guest]

I keep IEP stuff, correspondence, medical records, school work

demonstrating competency/problems, and journal notes. I don't journal

that much. It does add up, it's 7 yrs worth of stuff, but very much

worth it should we never need to go to court for anything.

Debi

>

> Wow that's a lot of binders, my daughter is 3 and a half. We were

diagnosed 1 1/2 years ago so we've only filled one so far.

> Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

>

>

[Guest guest]

After seeing more than one family's litigation binders, I think we

should keep every scrap of paper, e-mail, journal notes, everything, for

the reason Debi mentions.

>

> I keep IEP stuff, correspondence, medical records, school work

> demonstrating competency/problems, and journal notes. I don't journal

> that much. It does add up, it's 7 yrs worth of stuff, but very much

> worth it should we never need to go to court for anything.

>

> Debi

> >

>

[Guest guest]

I am confused...Why would we need everything for

court? Do you mean, if they refuse services and you

had to prove your child needed it?

Rebekah

--- penelope_fam wrote:

>

> After seeing more than one family's litigation

> binders, I think we

> should keep every scrap of paper, e-mail, journal

> notes, everything, for

> the reason Debi mentions.

>

>

>

> >

> > I keep IEP stuff, correspondence, medical records,

> school work

> > demonstrating competency/problems, and journal

> notes. I don't journal

> > that much. It does add up, it's 7 yrs worth of

> stuff, but very much

> > worth it should we never need to go to court for

> anything.

> >

> > Debi

>

> > >

> >

>

>

>

>

Rebekah

Phil 4:8

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[Guest guest]

Say you push for inclusion, your child does reasonably well (this is

from a friend's situation, so it's real-life) then comes up for

re-eval just before starting middle school. Middle school is known in

our area to be a time when kids who aren't indistinguishable are

shoved off to the warehouse for remainder of educational career. So

during re-eval they do an IQ test. Kid makes a 69. Now they're arguing

your kid can't be in general ed 'cause he (in our case she) is MR. Of

course, we all know MR alone & 1 test alone isn't enough to ban a kid

from class, but school system does it any way. Then they do another

standardized test kids with autism are known to perform dismally in

doing. Then they've got two tests.

However, you can go to your binder showing all the typed stories your

child has done, the math your child is excelling at. You've got

progress reports showing how wonderful the kid is doing, at least

according to all the teachers. You've got projects your child did that

may be modified, but can prove her abilities.

Alternatively, your child gets to third grade and stops making reading

progress. You all agree that maybe she needs a little more time. Then

in fourth grade you start getting concerned. Testing shows no

progress. So you start writing notes/emails to teachers sharing your

concerns. You write addendums to IEPs restating your concerns and

requests. Now it's 7th grade, your child has still made no progress,

but now you have 4 years of documented requests for data showing

improvement, alternative curriculums, etc, and the school has refused

every step of the way.

Both ways you've got great evidence to support your child's right of

proper educational services. You may choose not to fight it, but if

you do, you've just about got an open & shut case. Document, document,

document is the key.

I think there's also a law here that if your child does not get

educated the child can sue the system for failing to provide

educational services. Obviously we would have an influence, but if

your adult child wanted to sue you would have all the documentation of

everything you fought for to get your child services.

I'm by no means pro-suing, but sometimes a family may decide there's

no other choice. And we may think we'd never sue for any reason

because we just don't like all the sue-happy people. That's fine. But

sometimes we experience so much crap through the years we realize it

may be the only way to get things changed, not only for our kids but

the next generation. Every thing we get in the way of services is the

result of some family saying enough is enough and taking it all the

way to the Supreme Court.

Debi

>

> I am confused...Why would we need everything for

> court? Do you mean, if they refuse services and you

> had to prove your child needed it?

>

> Rebekah

>

[Guest guest]

WOW!! I see...Thank you Debi. That made it very

clear.

I do save everything. It is just not organized yet.

I need to get better at that.

Rebekah

--- Debi wrote:

> Say you push for inclusion, your child does

> reasonably well (this is

> from a friend's situation, so it's real-life) then

> comes up for

> re-eval just before starting middle school. Middle

> school is known in

> our area to be a time when kids who aren't

> indistinguishable are

> shoved off to the warehouse for remainder of

> educational career. So

> during re-eval they do an IQ test. Kid makes a 69.

> Now they're arguing

> your kid can't be in general ed 'cause he (in our

> case she) is MR. Of

> course, we all know MR alone & 1 test alone isn't

> enough to ban a kid

> from class, but school system does it any way. Then

> they do another

> standardized test kids with autism are known to

> perform dismally in

> doing. Then they've got two tests.

>

> However, you can go to your binder showing all the

> typed stories your

> child has done, the math your child is excelling at.

> You've got

> progress reports showing how wonderful the kid is

> doing, at least

> according to all the teachers. You've got projects

> your child did that

> may be modified, but can prove her abilities.

>

> Alternatively, your child gets to third grade and

> stops making reading

> progress. You all agree that maybe she needs a

> little more time. Then

> in fourth grade you start getting concerned. Testing

> shows no

> progress. So you start writing notes/emails to

> teachers sharing your

> concerns. You write addendums to IEPs restating your

> concerns and

> requests. Now it's 7th grade, your child has still

> made no progress,

> but now you have 4 years of documented requests for

> data showing

> improvement, alternative curriculums, etc, and the

> school has refused

> every step of the way.

>

> Both ways you've got great evidence to support your

> child's right of

> proper educational services. You may choose not to

> fight it, but if

> you do, you've just about got an open & shut case.

> Document, document,

> document is the key.

>

> I think there's also a law here that if your child

> does not get

> educated the child can sue the system for failing to

> provide

> educational services. Obviously we would have an

> influence, but if

> your adult child wanted to sue you would have all

> the documentation of

> everything you fought for to get your child

> services.

>

> I'm by no means pro-suing, but sometimes a family

> may decide there's

> no other choice. And we may think we'd never sue for

> any reason

> because we just don't like all the sue-happy people.

> That's fine. But

> sometimes we experience so much crap through the

> years we realize it

> may be the only way to get things changed, not only

> for our kids but

> the next generation. Every thing we get in the way

> of services is the

> result of some family saying enough is enough and

> taking it all the

> way to the Supreme Court.

>

> Debi

>

>

> >

> > I am confused...Why would we need everything for

> > court? Do you mean, if they refuse services and

> you

> > had to prove your child needed it?

> >

> > Rebekah

> >

>

>

Rebekah

Phil 4:8

________________________________________________________________________________\

____

Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your home page.

http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs