Kindergarten IEP Help, Please!

November 14, 2006

Hi,

My son is 6 with severe Apraxia and in Kindergarten. Services have

been in place since the first month of school, but we just had his

IEP " brainstorming " meeting yesterday. Even tho his evaluations last

spring placed him below average and at risk, his teacher this year

says he's doing about as well as all the typical students and the

team doesn't believe he needs any academic goals for the year. The

majority will be communication/speech goals. Does this sound right?

I'm concerned because, as with alot of kids with apraxia, he's very

inconsitent with knowing his letters and doesn't have many

phonological skills yet (can't rhyme, etc.)

ALSO, is it appropriate to have written into his plan that people who

interact with my son should NOT withhold things on the condition that

he says them " right " ? His OT last year mentioned to me that she

wouldn't give him a marker until he said the color right (which I

then asked her not to do) and there was some discussion yesterday

about having him ask for things in complete sentences. I really don't

want him to have to say, " May I go to the bathroom, please? " before

they'll let him go. Anyone have this situation before?

Thanks for any and all input!

Tammy

's Mom

November 14, 2006

I don't know about the second part but regarding the academic goals....

You are a part of the team. You are an equal part (in reality you are

a more important part) of the team. If you, as a team member, feel

strongly that academic goals need to be included then state that it is

important to you that new academic goals be created. They may hem and

haw but don't be intimidated. Tell them that you understand their side

of things but that you " as an equal and very important member of the

IEP team " feel very strongly that measurable academic goals be included

in the IEP. Then tell them you would not be comfortable signing and

consenting to an IEP that did not include academic goals and thank them

for their understanding before they open their mouth to argue with you.

No matter what they say, I'd just keep repeating that statement over

and over again. If it comes down to them refusing, write a follow up

letter to the school thanking them for their input at the IEP meeting

and noting that you found it disappointing that your input in goal

writing was pushed aside as you had always been taught that you were a

valuable member of the team. Ask that they contact you if you

misunderstood and that they really are interested in developing

academic goals with you. Mail your letter to the team, the principal

and whoever is over placements/IEP's etc and ask for a copy to be

placed in your child's record. If you wanted to still pursue it, wait

a few weeks and request a new IEP meeting for the sole purpose of the

academic goals.

It seems to me that academic goals cost them next to no money. The

only reason to fight them is to avoid being accountable. We as

parents, however, need to make sure they are accountable. And I'm with

you... I wouldn't be comfortable with an IEP that didn't contain

measurable academic goals.

Good luck

Kris

On Nov 14, 2006, at 1:09 PM, tlnoh wrote:

> Hi,

> My son is 6 with severe Apraxia and in Kindergarten. Services have

> been in place since the first month of school, but we just had his

> IEP " brainstorming " meeting yesterday. Even tho his evaluations last

> spring placed him below average and at risk, his teacher this year

> says he's doing about as well as all the typical students and the

> team doesn't believe he needs any academic goals for the year. The

> majority will be communication/speech goals. Does this sound right?

> I'm concerned because, as with alot of kids with apraxia, he's very

> inconsitent with knowing his letters and doesn't have many

> phonological skills yet (can't rhyme, etc.)

>

> ALSO, is it appropriate to have written into his plan that people who

> interact with my son should NOT withhold things on the condition that

> he says them " right " ? His OT last year mentioned to me that she

> wouldn't give him a marker until he said the color right (which I

> then asked her not to do) and there was some discussion yesterday

> about having him ask for things in complete sentences. I really don't

> want him to have to say, " May I go to the bathroom, please? " before

> they'll let him go. Anyone have this situation before?

>

> Thanks for any and all input!

> Tammy

> 's Mom

>

November 14, 2006

I'm all for mainstreaming in kindergarten and letting a child

blossom at his or her own rate in school. This is of course while

doing what you can on the side to make sure your son continues to

thrive in the mainstream. If he is right on target now according to

the teacher that's great -but a few reminders. He is 6, not 5. Six

is a great age to start kindergarten for most in this group -but

what is the age of his peers? Apraxia is not a developmental

disorder but can create developmental delays and he probably has

that edge to help him keep and stay up. I also found my son Tanner late to

be able to rhyme -and a bit younger then kindergarten I recall the

worry I had that he seemed to know his letters one day and forget

some of them the next. His ever so wise SLP back then

Ortega CCC SLP from NJ said " Don't sweat it and just keep telling

him the right answers if he doesn't seem to know the letter. He has

apraxia and he may know it but say it wrong or forget how to say

it " As I've posted many times recently -Tanner is a wonderful and

advanced reader today at 10. For rhymes I made games and songs up

all the time and tried to get them to do the same. Tanner was Bo

Banner Tanner Manner. Our favorite rhyme was the Fuzzy Wuzzy was a

bear one except we'd switch Fuzzy Wuzzy to Tanner Wanner, and Daddy

Faddy, and Dakota Boda, and Mommy Wommy. He may have had trouble

with rhymes -but we sure had fun trying to teach them -and he has

had rhymes down solid for years.

As far as withholding unless there is communication -is your child

autistic? Does he have selective mutism? Or was he diagnosed with

an impairment of speech? Do they assume behavioral techniques are

all that is needed to force him to talk. What do they do with

visual impaired children -give them a pencil and tell them to find

the sharpener? Remind them that apraxia is a motor planning

disorder and that pressure puts undue stress on the child that can

compound the primary diagnosis and/or further compromise your

child's abilities for success at overcoming his verbal disability.

Do they at least accept alternative ways of communication? If not

the occupational therapist should get a job as a bagger at the

local supermarket where the only thing she can bruise is the bananas

and the only thing she can break is the eggs. Not your child's self

esteem and progress. What does the school SLP have to say about

this? The teacher is following the lead from the " experts " You'll be best off

not

fighting this on your own but in getting written documents from

respected neuroMDs and outside SLPs/OTs -outside experts.

As I tell all parents -don't worry about hurting feelings in

standing up for your child. In a year from now you can move and

never see these people again -but your child is always your child

forever. Stay calm -you don't need to raise your voice in anger or

break down in tears to have others understand you -in fact I found

humor was the best way to get my points across (see now me I

probably would have used the pencil example -but you have to do

what's right by you) We believe in you -and your child is counting

on you to be his voice until he has his own to stand up for himself

from the ignorance. And as one who now has a child on the other

side at 10 years old -trust me you do it right and they will be able

to!

When you educate to advocate for your child you also protect the next child.

=====

November 15, 2006

At this point in the school year, he has probably had some new testing

done in kinder (?). Reading, reading comprehension, perhaps? Is it a

question of him knowing his letters (which is something that should be

taught early in the kinder year), or saying them consistently? If he's

having trouble saying them, that could be addressed with a speech

goal. Could one of his therapists observe him in his kinder classroom

and give you some objective feedback about whether or not he needs

academic goals? Or why don't you observe yourself? Ask for data

backing up their claim that he doesn't need acad. goals, instead of

just a vague personal opinion.

I am totally against their negative reinforcement of his speech goals.

He will be much more motivated by positive reinforcement when he asks

for the correct marker or uses complete sentences. They can give him

something positive in return when he succeeds, rather than punishing

him for not doing those things. Why not use lots of praise, stickers

on a sticker chart, etc when he does those things?? These are things

that are harder for him than other children - reward him for doing

something that is difficult for him, and he will be more eager to try.