Wrights
law


The Special Ed Advocate Newsletter
November 2, 1998

 Home  >  Advocacy Libraries  >  Newsletter Archives  >  1998  >  November 2

Home  
Issue - 15

ISSN: 1538-3202


The Special Ed Advocate newsletter
It's Unique ... and Free!

Enter your email address below:

2024
Training Programs

Apr. 11 - Denver, CO

June 5-8 - San Antonio, TX

Sept. 24 - MD via ZOOM

Full Schedule


Wrightslaw

Home
Topics from A-Z
Free Newsletter
Seminars & Training
Yellow Pages for Kids
Press Room
FAQs
Sitemap

Books & Training

Wrightslaw Storesecure store lock
  Advocate's Store
  Student Bookstore
  Exam Copies
Training Center
Mail & Fax Orders

Advocacy Library

Articles
Cool Tools
Doing Your Homework
Ask the Advocate
FAQs
Newsletter Archives
Short Course Series
Success Stories
Tips

Law Library

Articles
Caselaw
Fed Court Complaints
IDEA 2004
McKinney-Vento Homeless
FERPA
Section 504

Topics

Advocacy
ADD/ADHD
Allergy/Anaphylaxis
American Indian
Assistive Technology
Autism Spectrum
Behavior & Discipline
Bullying
College/Continuing Ed
Damages
Discrimination
Due Process
Early Intervention
  (Part C)

Eligibility
Episodic, such as
   Allergies, Asthma,
   Diabetes, Epilepsy, etc

ESSA
ESY
Evaluations
FAPE
Flyers
Future Planning
Harassment
High-Stakes Tests
Homeless Children
IDEA 2004
Identification & Child Find
IEPs
Juvenile Justice
Law School & Clinics
Letters & Paper Trails
LRE / Inclusion
Mediation
Military / DOD
Parental Protections
PE and Adapted PE
Privacy & Records
Procedural Safeguards
Progress Monitoring
Reading
Related Services
Research Based
  Instruction

Response to Intervention
  (RTI)

Restraints / Seclusion
   and Abuse

Retention
Retaliation
School Report Cards
Section 504
Self-Advocacy
Teachers & Principals
Transition
Twice Exceptional (2e)
VA Special Education

Resources & Directories

Advocate's Bookstore
Advocacy Resources
Directories
  Disability Groups
  International
  State DOEs
  State PTIs
Free Flyers
Free Pubs
Free Newsletters
Legal & Advocacy
Glossaries
   Legal Terms
   Assessment Terms
Best School Websites

 
The Special Ed Advocate is a free online newsletter about special education legal issues, cases, tactics and strategy, educational methods that work, and Internet links.

We publish this newsletter occasionally, when time permits. Back issues of The Special Ed Advocate are archived at our web site -

http://www.wrightslaw.com

As a subscriber to The Special Ed Advocate, you will receive announcements and "alerts" about new cases and other events. Contact, copyright, and subscription information can be found at the end of this newsletter.


LETTERS TO THE WEBMASTER

(1) Patty from Michigan asks: "Why are my child’s IQ scores dropping?"

(2) Resources About Language Problems

(3) Links to Information About the "Matthew Effect"

(4) Janet from Maine writes: "My daughter’s IEP team insists on including her IQ scores – but they refuse to include results from the most recent testing. What does the law say about IQ test scores in the IEP?"


(1) "WHY ARE MY CHILD’S IQ SCORES DROPPING?"
 
Pat from Michigan asks: Have you heard of a child's IQ dropping? This happened to my son and I’m concerned about it.
 
Paul is 13 years old. He has a Central Auditory Processing Disorder and ADHD. He is also color blind, left- handed (but not red headed) :-)
 
When he entered Kindergarten, his skills were about 6 months behind his peers. By second grade, he was about 1.5 year behind, by 4th grade he was 2.5 years behind. We had private tutoring which helped him gain skills and close the gap. He still has language problems, but after private tutoring, he is reading the 5th grade level.
 
On the most recent evaluation, his Full Scale IQ had dropped by 9 points! On his report cards, he gets average grades and we are told that is doing "just fine".
 
ANSWER: IQ test scores will vary some from evaluation to evaluation. In most cases, IQ scores don’t change dramatically unless there has been an unusual event (injury, trauma, etc.) When we see falling IQ test scores, we ask if this is due to the "Mathew Effect."
 
The "Matthew Effect" is a term coined by Keith Stanovich, a psychologist who has done extensive research on reading and language disabilities. The "Matthew Effect" refers to the idea that in reading (as in other areas of life), the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
 
When children with disabilities do not receive adequate remediation, they read less – and learn less from reading - than non-disabled children. Because some IQ sub-tests measure information learned from reading, poor readers will score lower on these sub-tests. Over years, the "gap" between poor readers and good readers grows.
 
The "Matthew Effect" was a key issue in James Brody’s case (see below for links).

James was found eligible for special education in 3rd grade. After three years of special education, he was re-tested. According to the new testing, his IQ dropped from 127 to xx. Two years later, James was re-tested again – his IQ had dropped even further – to xxx.
 
The experts testified that James’ dropping IQ test scores was due to the Matthew Effect and was evidence that James had not received appropriate remediation. The Administrative Law Judge and the Review Officer agreed and found that the school district had not provided James with an appropriate education.


(2) RESOURCES ABOUT LANGUAGE PROBLEMS

Several books in the Advocate’s Bookstore focus on childhood language problems:

Childhood Speech, Language, and Listening Problems: What Every Parent Should Know by Patricia McAleer Hamaguchi.

Words Fail Me: How Language Works and What Happens When It Doesn't. In Words Fail Me, Priscilla Vail explores the links between reading, writing, listening and speaking, how these skills are learned, and what happens in the process breaks down.

http://www.wrightslaw.com/bks_disability.htm

(3) LINK TO INFORMATION ABOUT THE "MATTHEW EFFECT"

We forwarded Pat’s question to Dr. Margaret Kay, psychologist from Pennsylvania.

http://www.margaretkay.com
 
Dr. Kay suggested this link for more information about the Matthew Effect:

http://www.edc.org/NECAC/resources/l-firstch.html
 
 


(4) IQ SCORES IN THE IEP

Jan from Maine writes: Our daughter, Sandra, is an 11th grade student with speech language processing problems. She is 17 years old and we are working on her 15th IEP!

This year, the IEP team is including the results of a WISC-III that was done in 1996. This is the first time that IQ scores have been included on her IEP. I questioned the need to include these scores on the IEP and have an article which states that the child’s IQ scores should not be included on the IEP. My daughter’s IEP team insists.

I have some concerns. First, the results of the 1996 WISC-III differ greatly from prior evaluations. Her Verbal, Performance and Full Scale IQ scores declined dramatically. Two months ago (in August 1998), we had an independent evaluation done. The results of the August 1998 evaluation are more in line with prior testing. Because the IEP team insists that IQ test results must be included in the IEP, we asked that the results of the 1998 evaluation be cited.

The IEP team is questioning the private evaluator's findings. They are unwilling to record the 1998 evaluation results as most current. The did agree to include some written information from the private evaluator’s report because they feel it is "interesting."

I have scoured your site but am unable to find any information about

IQ test results on an IEP. HELP!

We are concerned that if the IQ test results (Verbal, Performance & Full Scale IQ scores, none of the sub-test scores) are included on the IEP, those working with Sandra will have lower expectations and she will be treated as a 'slow learner'.

P.S. Your 'site' is fantastic. I can't believe I just 'hit' on it yesterday. THANK YOU!

ANSWER: Since the IEP team is refusing to include your child's most recent test scores in IEP, write the IEP team a nice polite letter. Discuss your daughter’s recent evaluation. Include the new test results if you want. Tell the IEP team that you would like them to attach your letter to your child’s IEP as a "parent amendment."

In your letter, include information that you think your daughter’s teachers should have. Did you know that Wechsler IQ scores are not a true measure of intelligence? These IQ scores are composites of several sub-test scores. The sub-tests often measure the adverse impact of the disability on the child’s achievement.

You are right to be concerned about low expectations in special education.

Many parents of high school students are concerned about their child’s transition from high school to "life after school." We have added a new book, The Complete Guide to Special Education Transition Services (by Roger Pierangelo and Rochelle Crane) to the Advocate’s Bookstore.

To Subscribe

Home

Email Newsletter icon, E-mail Newsletter icon, Email List icon, E-mail List icon The Special Ed Advocate: It's Free!

Wrightslaw: Special Education Law, 3rd Edition by Pete and Pam Wright
About the Book

To Order

Wrightslaw: All About IEPs
About the Book

To Order

Wrightslaw: All About Tests and Assessments
About the Book

To Order

Surviving Due Process: Stephen Jeffers v. School Board
About the DVD Video

To Order

 

Copyright © 1998-2024, Peter W. D. Wright and Pamela Darr Wright. All rights reserved.

Contact Us | Press Mission l Our Awards l Privacy Policy l Disclaimer l Site Map