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21 responses so far ↓
“PARENT CONCERNS” SECTION OF IEP
By law, are schools required to honor the concerns of parents listed under the “parent concerns” section of the IEP? I asked that my son’s middle school keep my son with certain students due to his disability. The school has not honored the request in any way. Is the “parent concern” section just an FYI, but not something they have to abide by?
CONVERGENCE
Usually treatment (vision therapy) is handled by a developmental optometrist. I believe there is some case law (out of Florida?) addressing the school’s obligation to provide VT. But it’s a new area of disability/treatment and I’d expect the school to balk at providing such treatment. You may want to consult your state’s parent training information center and/or protection & advocacy agency or hire an attorney/advocate for help. Good luck!
CONVERGENCE
My 8 yr old has been diagnosed with convergence insufficiency. This explains all our struggles with reading. Now I need to get her the needed therapy to correct the problem so she can process and read correctly. The public school in SC she attends has never heard of this disability. Does anyone have any experience with dealing with this problem and what can I expect from the school?
CAN THEY HOLD MY SON BACK A SECOND TIME?
I just enrolled my son in school today.He is supposed to be going into the 10th grade.But they told me he would have to repeat the 9th grade,because I pulled him out to homeschool him in October.He finished the 9th grade already and dont find this beneficial to my son at all.Also isnt there something that says if ur child got held back once then they are not supposed to do it again?
CONSULTATIONS
Parents & school signed the IEP which states: “Speech/Language Therapy: The Speech Pathologist will consult 1- 30 min per month (8 min per week) in the Regular Ed Setting.”
The teacher said the SLP never came to the classroom. The SLP claims the Regular Ed setting can be anywhere in the school.
Is this correct? Can a Consultation location be changed without parents consent?
MEASURABLE ACADEMIC GOALS IN THE IEP?
Susan, the short answer is yes however we put our son on an OHI IEP because of his ADHD & the school tried to only put behavioral goals, social skills goals on it. I contacted the state of ohio board of education office & was told that an OHI IEP is still an IEP & any and all goals the team believes the child needs can be put on it. We went around & around with the school but was finally able to get all of the goals my son needed including educational goals.
MEASURABLE ACADEMIC GOALS IN THE IEP?
Susan – if you read the references you see how important present levels are. Present levels are based on data from objective assessments. Has your child had a recent evaluation by an expert in the private sector. Do you have data that shows his strengths and weaknesses and what his needs are?
Accommodations and modifications alone don’t often lead to the acquisition of essential skills. They are not a substitute for specialized instruction that is designed to meet your child’s unique needs. If the present levels are accurate, current, comprehensive, and based on objective test data, you will be able to see your child’s needs clearly and be able to write measurable goals in any area that will address his needs.
Use the search box on any Wrightslaw page using terms like “present levels” “objective text date” “evaluations” or scroll through the topic index for answers to your questions.
SCHOOL REFUSES TO INCLUDE AUTISM DIAGNOSIS ON IEP
My teenage son who has Down Syndrome has been newly diagnosed with autism by a pediatric neurologist.
But the school still refuses to include autism on his IEP. The school psychologist is now conducting his own investigation, reviewing papers and questionnaires we had to fill out. If he doesn’t come to the conclusion that my son has autism (and I have no confidence that he will – this is someone who has never even introduced himself to us), they will not address his needs no matter what our neurologist says.
How is this possible? I just finished reading on this site how private evaluations can serve as a solution dealing with a school psychologist beholden to the school instead of having the interest of the child at heart. But apparently, having our own expert makes no difference after all. We are still powerless.
MEASURABLE ACADEMIC GOALS IN THE IEP?
Susan: The Present Levels in the IEP (required by IDEA) should accurately describe both your child’s academic achievement and functional performance. The IEP team must look at your child’s unique academic, developmental, and functional needs. If your child’s disability is affecting his academic achievement or he has needs or weaknesses in this area, the IEP team should write IEP goals to address these issues. All goals in the IEP, academic or behavioral, should be measurable.
Get up to speed in Chapter 4: Present Levels, Measurable Goals, Services in Wrightslaw: All About IEPs.
You’ll find the IDEA requirements for IEPs starting on p. 99 and p. 245 in Wrightslaw: Special Education Law, 2nd Edition.
MEASURABLE ACADEMIC GOALS IN THE IEP?
Based on the IDEA Laws, Can an IEP include measurable academic annual goals, when the IEP is for ADHD inattentive type, qualifying under Other Health Impairments? My concern is that even with accommodations and modifications, we have no measurable academic goals to monitor academic progress. Just behavioral goals are included on IEP. Thanks!
IEP MEETING MORE THAN 30 DAYS AFTER OUR ELIGIBILITY DETERMINATION
If our IEP meeting is more than 30 days after our eligibility determination, are we out of compliance? What happens if we are? We have recently relocated to a new state. My child has been homeschooled during the move and has an ISP that is current until the fall of 2013. She completed evaluations through our school district and received an eligibility determination a month ago. We have decided to attend a charter school that is within the district but her team will change in entirety. It has just occurred to me that our meeting with the charter school team to write her IEP will take place more than 30 days after her eligibility determination. What now?
NEED HELP! IN ARKANSAS
I am hearing so many things,from Discrimination to Neglect,but I can’t do this alone,nor can I figure out what’s the right thing to do.From get everything in writing,to sending it email,with me included.I have no idea what to request or include in the letters.I was even told that my son can get tested before he is enrolled,where I was previously told ,he has to be enrolled first.I need some one to work this out w/me.Listen to me and knows the laws,so I can know what to do.I feel so lost,and I am afraid, nothing is going to be done for my son,and they will repeat what they did last year.
EXPLOSIVE BEHAVIOR ISSUES-NEED HELP!
Hi, Maria! It sounds like you need a special ed advocate or attorney ASAP. I would Google your state’s “parent training information center” and/or “protection & advocacy agency” to get started. They offer free help, and you may also decide to hire someone to help you. Behavior issues can be complex and the stakes are high – good luck to you!
EARLY INTERVENTION CASELAW
Early Intervention Case Law is rare, but this website, http://www.apalnow.com/news/, has two findings relevant to this case. The State of NJ is hiding critical information about Autism from parents during the most critical years of development. Now there is proof.
EARLY INTERVENTION CASELAW
Can anyone point me in the direction of any case law regarding early intervention? The EI system in NJ is so poor and the professionals so grossly inept, they have cost us years in terms of our son’s development and, ultimately, have created an educational deficit by failing to follow the correct procedures regarding transition to Part B. They conducted an M-CHAT on our son during his initial evaluation and never told us! He failed! Subsequently, we did not know to ask for an autism diagnostic from our developmental pediatrician, so she didn’t do one, and we were delayed a year in getting the proper eval and diagnosis. Further, although all of our providers have subsequently admitted to having suspicions our son was on the spectrum, none told us, because they (EI) “are not a diagnostic model” and, thus, no one felt they needed to tell
EXPLOSIVE BEHAVIOR ISSUES – NEED HELP!
Hello, Is there anyone out there who wouldn’t mind helping me? I will be enrolling my son back into school in August. He has explosive behavior issues from frustration to being pushed to do something,he doesn’t want to do. He can’t go back to school,without something in place once he starts,else it would end up like it did the first few months last year before I took him back out again. Is there any one that can help me???
PUERTO RICO: REGRESSION OF RIGHTS FOR OUR SPECIAL NEEDS POPULATION
2008 – for the first time in Puerto Rico history, parents and Governor’s administration, built together a project call Facilitator Special Education Teacher in schools who would conduct coordinating and streamlining therapies, assessments, guide parents, help the teacher in curricular adaptations. Millions in ARRA funds spent to recruit, train, equip staff. We have seen significant progress. Previous little help for parents from Centers for Special Education.
Puerto Rico DOE proposes to eliminate the Special Education Facilitator at schools, and create another figure called School Administrative Assistant, administrative and non-teaching, not required to have knowledge in special education, and must address the entire school population in general.
Removing the Special Education Facilitator will not ensure the effective fulfillment of due process regarding the provision of FAPE to students, or help teachers and parents.
This new staff minimizes the assurance that the service provided will be accessible, efficient and continuous. This action is a throwback to the civil rights of our children. What can we do against this action? What law can protect our children from this situation?
LRE and ONE-ON-ONE TESTING
My daughter will be in 8th grade this fall. She had an undetected,unilateral, significant conductive hearing loss in her left ear. She failed school screens in the fall of 3rd grade (no rescreen), and in the fall of 5th grade, with a rescreen in March. We were notificed for the first time in March of our daughter’s 5th grade year. Fast forward to the end of 7th grade. I took her for an IEE. She has an average IQ, but is performing at the 4th grade level. The District moved quickly to identify her, and is placing her in the LRE (inclusion in all subject areas). However, despite teacher, private tutor and parent input in allowing her to process information auditorally when testing, which would require testing to be conducted privately, and one-on-one, the District is refusing to provide this accommodation as it is not the LRE?? Help
PLACEMENT ISSUES
During my child’s kindergarten placement meeting, we were informed that the school psychology (after her evaluation) determined that our son had autism. We did not agree with their decision and fought for our child not to be labelled until the findings of our own independent evaluation. Then, the school Informed us that the only two options were a classroom with 30 kids and two teachers (Integrated co-teaching) or a 6:1:1. We agreed to the 6:1:1 knowing that our child would benefit from a smaller class size only if he could remain at his current school. The very next day we were Informed that our son would be moved from his current neighborhood school to a school across town and be provided a bus. We have appealed the placement however, they will not have a meeting until we receive the findings of his IE. Today, he was transferred before.
PULL OUT OF SCHOOL FOR TUTORING?
Our child needs and benefits greatly from one-on-one tutoring / teaching. This is documented by a private evaluation as well as our experience. We are willing to provide it ourselves. Hypotonia, fatigue, and focus issues make it impossible to achieve the impact needed outside school hours. So, one option we are considering is checking him out 2-3 hrs early every day in order to have usable home tutoring time. We have used OT students, tutors, and sp-ed teachers to work with him during summers and plan the same for this home tutoring time. I know pulling out of school like this is likely to be a big challenge given the school, laws, and all. ANY THOUGHTS, ISSUES, OBSTACLES, SUGGESTIONS, PRECEDENT, LAWS, etc would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks very much.
JUST 22 YEARS OLD – NO SLP TO TRAIN ON PENDING SGD
SGD trials began March 2012. ECO2 decided in May 2012. IEP June 2012. SLP ordered rental not purchase ECO2 for February 2013 for 4 months. Mom didn’t question that. May 2013 decided ECO2 again after demo by PRC rep. RX submitted June 2013. Kid turned 22 June 17, 2013. District says aged out – not responsible for SLP to train on pending ECO2. We believe district should pay for SLP to train on ECO2 now. Your opinion?