School trying to give us the runaround for speech therapy

[phathui5]

My 3yo ds had his IEP meeting and speech evaluation with the local school this past Thursday. They speech pathologist said that he has a severe articulation delay and that he needs speech therapy twice a week. At first they told me they couldn't start it until September, but I got them to agree to putting him in now and then letting him participate in the ESY (extended school year) program.

 

The next day they called me back and said that their supervisor said he can't get services over the summer and they we have to wait until September. He'll be four in September and I don't want to wait till then to start speech for him. It's bad enough that I took this long to get him evaluated.

 

What can I do? Can the school wait four months to start?

[Jen500]

It took almost a year from the time of me calling for an evaluation until my kids actually started speech therapy through the school. (When they were finally evaluated, it was towards the end of the school year so we had to wait until the following September to start).

We ended up finding a private speech therapist. My kids made much more progress with her than when they finally started speech through the school. The private therapist was accountable...she knew we weren't going to be paying for therapy for long w/o results.

And don't feel bad about 'waiting' too long. Three is still young. Some parents wait a LOT longer before realizing there is a problem, or don't find out until their kids have been in school for a few years and are having problems.

[Hillary in KS]

I think that's very common. Around here children do not get services over the summer. When ds was 4, we had him evaluated in May, and they agreed to start him in the fall.

 

You might ask if the SLP can put together a packet of things you could do at home with him over the summer. Usually they're very willing to do that. It's only 3 more months.

 

Or, if you're very concerned about this, you could have him seen by a private SLP over the summer, and then begin services with the school district in the fall.

[kokotg]

Have you checked with your insurance company to make sure they won't cover private speech? My son's was covered until we had to change insurance companies, but I think it was only because he has a hearing loss that they agreed to cover it. Still worth checking on, if you have insurance. We switched over to the school system once our insurance company cut us off, and we had an okay experience, but there's definitely much less of a sense of urgency with the school system, much more of a tendency to put you off than with our private therapist.

[Mom22ns]

There are only a couple of ways to qualify for ESY here. They include things like showing that the child will regress severely (all children regress) over the summer without ESY services or exceptional gains are being made and would be lost, etc. You can not jump into the program at the beginning of summer. There is no way to qualify - the standard are written to make sure of it. You have to wait for August. Once you are in, qualifying for ESY is challenging, but all you really need is someone on your side who will write up the case correctly.

 

Odds are, you are locked out until fall.

[hsmom27]

My DS was evaluated when he turned 3 in April. They said he couldn't participate in ESY until we proved he would regress severely (as pp mentioned). We requested another IEP meeting and took an advocate along. The meeting lasted 10 min. and we got the ESY.

 

Also, if they wrote the ESY into his IEPs then he should already be in the program. Once something is written in, then the burden of proof is on the school to show that the child doesn't need the services. NEVER, NEVER sign an IEP unless you agree with everything in entirety. Often if you refuse to sign the school will cave just so they don't have to mess with an irate parent. Good Luck!

[Mom22ns]

but I got them to agree to putting him in now and then letting him participate in the ESY (extended school year) program.

 

 

 

Do you have this in writing or on tape? Was it at the IEP meeting that they agreed? If it was and you taped the meeting (you always should), then tell them you have that on tape and they must follow through with their promise. If they refuse offer to play back the tape and offer to play it for your state department of elementary education. They will change their mind.

 

I missed that before. Jen is right, once they have agreed to services in an IEP meeting they can't take them away without your consent or proof that your child no longer needs them. They will not want you showing their superiors they are breaking the law :D.

[phathui5]

I wish I had thought to record the meeting. It didn't occur to me. Unfortunately, they're closed today, but I am going to call them tomorrow and see if there's anything they will do.

 

Have you checked with your insurance company to make sure they won't cover private speech?

 

No insurance here. I need to reapply for the state children's health program. We got turned down last time, but I checked the guidelines and we do qualify.

[PinkTulip]

Are you near a university? We didn't have insurance that would cover speech therapy, either, but found a great speech therapy option through our local university. We went to the clinic run by the masters-degree-seeking students, who had to have a certain amount of clinical hours before getting a degree. They were supervised by licensed speech therapists, and were absolutely wonderful. Their cost was about 1/3 of what other private therapists were charging. Good Luck!!!!

[phathui5]

What I'm most frustrated about is the 180 they seem to have pulled. Going into this, everyone was warning me what a pain in the ass it would be and how there's all this red tape. Then at the meeting they said they were going to get everything set up and I went home thinking that this school was different. But then they called me and told me their supervisor had said not until fall.

 

The SLP wanted him to get started right away. She said he has a severe articulation delay (as in 2>yo) and that he needed speech therapy twice a week. The IEP team lady told me I should go somewhere else over the summer. But until he hits school age, it's their responsibility to cover it.

 

Right now, dh is making $8/hour, plus we don't have insurance. So paying out of pocket may not be happening until he gets another job.

[Ravin]

I"m going to second the suggestions about insurance (you should totally be getting medicaid, with a family of six and $8/hr!), and about checking out any local university. Most offer rates on a sliding scale based on income.

[phathui5]

So, this afternoon they called me back and said that the supervisor said we couldn't get any services at all because he's homeschooled (he's only 3!!). I explained that that wasn't legal. I talked to her for a while about how frustrated I was and how I felt like the school was just trying to get out of doing it. And then I called the Due Process office and left a message for them.

 

Then the lady from the Special Ed office called me back and said that she talked to someone else, they're going to put him in as an IEP and he would get speech therapy starting next week and twice a week over the summer.

[PinkTulip]

I'm so glad that he's going to start therapy this summer - that is wonderful news!

[Mom22ns]

So, this afternoon they called me back and said that the supervisor said we couldn't get any services at all because he's homeschooled (he's only 3!!). I explained that that wasn't legal. I talked to her for a while about how frustrated I was and how I felt like the school was just trying to get out of doing it. And then I called the Due Process office and left a message for them.

 

Then the lady from the Special Ed office called me back and said that she talked to someone else, they're going to put him in as an IEP and he would get speech therapy starting next week and twice a week over the summer.

 

Its great how just a phone message to Due Process can make a change of heart come about isn't it :D. I loved working with the ps. I knew my child's rights and made sure that he got every bit of help he needed. Most of the people we worked with were loving caring professionals, like the speech therapist that you started with. Then there were the bureaucrats that were just about dollars and cents. I felt very sorry for the parents who didn't learn the law and just let their children be shuffled through. They paid for my services by not getting their share.