Plucky Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 The pediatric psychiatrist wants my dd to get an IEP evaluation. He says that will pinpoint her deficits better since she's a complex case - she has just enough of everything for it to be a problem, but not enough of one thing for a good diagnosis of how to help her. So I call the specialist at the middle school she would attend and the person asks what the point would be because it is specifically used for services. I am interested in getting both my younger kids 504s since they have adhd & other issues. The 504s would give them accommodations in educational settings like college. What have your experiences been with IEPs & 504s? This is new territory for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 IMO find a different pediatric psychiatrist. The school IEP are bare minimum and half the time don't notice/see all the issues. DS IEP never notice he was dyslexic yet several specialists saw it right away. Have you had a neuro psychiatrist evaluation yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plucky Posted October 22, 2012 Author Share Posted October 22, 2012 IMO find a different pediatric psychiatrist. The school IEP are bare minimum and half the time don't notice/see all the issues. DS IEP never notice he was dyslexic yet several specialists saw it right away. Have you had a neuro psychiatrist evaluation yet? I had a neuro psychiatrist eval for my younger ds years ago. This psychiatrist is heavily recommended by our therapist. I could go out of town and see someone else I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 So I call the specialist at the middle school she would attend and the person asks what the point would be because it is specifically used for services. One point might be the SAT, which I thought I heard somewhere doesn't accept a recent diagnosis made especially for the test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acorn Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Actually, I thought our school was very through and extremely accommodating with services for my dd. It could be because we started when she was 3. I have heard it is harder for older students. I do wonder though what you are hoping for an outcome. What are you hoping the school could provide? I am assuming you homeschool. I would think many IEPs for ADHD students involve accommodations for classrooms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plucky Posted October 22, 2012 Author Share Posted October 22, 2012 One point might be the SAT, which I thought I heard somewhere doesn't accept a recent diagnosis made especially for the test. I was thinking that, too. I don't want my kids punished because I didn't see the point in an IEP/504. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Find a different psychiatrist. One that knows the terminology. He probably wants your child to have a neuropsych evaluation. This is the testing that takes place after referal is made for sp ed services. Based on testing results the sp ed committee (a group which the parent is supposed to be a member) will decide whether the child needs an IEP, a 504 or nothing. If you have the money go to a Children's Hospital or some other comprehensive center. They will do more tests than the school will do. More comprehensive testing will better pinpoint problems. You can opt to make a referal at your local school. You make the request. You give the information to the local screening committee that you think shows further evaluation is necessary. They are not going to test your dc simply because you asked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 (edited) In order to have a 504 type plan for the college boards and college, you will have to have her evaluated w/ an IQ test, and abilities test. Even if you get results, it may not be enough to allow for accomodations on the tests. We are just starting to look into the whole process for my son, and it's very confusing. The school didn't tell us last spring, so we could do things over the summer and have accomodations for the PSAT, and basically have been told if we want them for the AP exams in May, we better hurry up! Texas may be the only state where we cant have the evals. done through the school, you will have to wade through the pages of requirements, or call your local high school counselor to find out. At least that's what I understood the counselor to say. I'll be back w/ a link to the college board stuff for you in a minute. ETA: Link to college board document requirements: http://professionals.collegeboard.com/testing/ssd/application/eligible/requirements Edited October 22, 2012 by Unicorn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 I wanted to chime in that the evaluation my son received though our school system was very thorough. He met with a psychologist and 2 different specialists over 3 different days. Dh and I went in for the results a couple weeks later. Find a different psychiatrist. One that knows the terminology. He probably wants your child to have a neuropsych evaluation. This is the testing that takes place after referal is made for sp ed services. Based on testing results the sp ed committee (a group which the parent is supposed to be a member) will decide whether the child needs an IEP, a 504 or nothing. If you have the money go to a Children's Hospital or some other comprehensive center. They will do more tests than the school will do. More comprehensive testing will better pinpoint problems. You can opt to make a referal at your local school. You make the request. You give the information to the local screening committee that you think shows further evaluation is necessary. They are not going to test your dc simply because you asked. Maybe this is dependent on the state you live in? Ours school district tested my son, just by me asking. I called the Intermediate School District, told them I was a homeschooler with a child I suspected had LDs. They set up a time to evaluate him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plucky Posted October 22, 2012 Author Share Posted October 22, 2012 In order to have a 504 type plan for the college boards and college, you will have to have her evaluated w/ an IQ test, and abilities test. Even if you get results, it may not be enough to allow for accomodations on the tests. We are just starting to look into the whole process for my son, and it's very confusing. The school didn't tell us last spring, so we could do things over the summer and have accomodations for the PSAT, and basically have been told if we want them for the AP exams in May, we better hurry up! Texas may be the only state where we cant have the evals. done through the school, you will have to wade through the pages of requirements, or call your local high school counselor to find out. At least that's what I understood the counselor to say. I'll be back w/ a link to the college board stuff for you in a minute. ETA: Link to college board document requirements: http://professionals.collegeboard.com/testing/ssd/application/eligible/requirements Thank you! Yes, she'll need an iq test. I don't know where all this is going to lead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plucky Posted October 22, 2012 Author Share Posted October 22, 2012 Actually, I thought our school was very through and extremely accommodating with services for my dd. It could be because we started when she was 3. I have heard it is harder for older students. I do wonder though what you are hoping for an outcome. What are you hoping the school could provide? I am assuming you homeschool. I would think many IEPs for ADHD students involve accommodations for classrooms. Yes, we just got back from our pediatrician. She questioned the IEP evaluation, but she also said that it might help. She hinted that maybe the psych should do the eval. He may be trying to save us money. The eval may cost a lot from the dr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plucky Posted October 22, 2012 Author Share Posted October 22, 2012 Find a different psychiatrist. One that knows the terminology. He probably wants your child to have a neuropsych evaluation. This is the testing that takes place after referal is made for sp ed services. Based on testing results the sp ed committee (a group which the parent is supposed to be a member) will decide whether the child needs an IEP, a 504 or nothing. If you have the money go to a Children's Hospital or some other comprehensive center. They will do more tests than the school will do. More comprehensive testing will better pinpoint problems. You can opt to make a referal at your local school. You make the request. You give the information to the local screening committee that you think shows further evaluation is necessary. They are not going to test your dc simply because you asked. Here they will test based on referral, but I don't know how it will go or if it will be useful. I think it is worth it to try and then we can always move on to the Children's Hospital if needed. I'm new at this though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plucky Posted October 22, 2012 Author Share Posted October 22, 2012 I wanted to chime in that the evaluation my son received though our school system was very thorough. He met with a psychologist and 2 different specialists over 3 different days. Dh and I went in for the results a couple weeks later. I hope so. We do have a good school system and all the specialists, therapists, psych, and even the school IEP person is supportive of homeschooling. We live in an area where there are a lot of hsers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostSurprise Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 That seems odd to me, but I live in a small school system. The IEP is for dealing with medical, behavior, and learning difficulties in the classroom. They stop as soon as they think they have it covered by a plan (how will we deal with discipline? do they need any medical or learning protections?). From what I've seen personally it all stops when they think they have what they need to get by. Its very conservative in its approach, not evaluative at all. It changes slowly if things don't work. I may have a completely different situation though. We had lots of evaluations before we even set foot in the building. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Here they will test based on referral, but I don't know how it will go or if it will be useful. I think it is worth it to try and then we can always move on to the Children's Hospital if needed. I'm new at this though. My point was you can't just say "I want my dc tested." You need to provide reasons and evidence. Your narrative may be enough, with explanations of how long work takes, difficulty with hand writing, etc. Just the stuff you've seen and why you think it's a problem. You may need to provide work samples. In order to use 504 or IEP accommodations on the SAT or other college board exams you need IQ and other relevant testing within three years of applying for the accommodations. My ds needed 504 accommodations, but did not need an IEP. Many 504 accommodations do not need IQ testing to be set up. ds has serious fine motor issues and cannot physically write. He had pediatric OT for a few years. IQ and LDs were not an issue, so the 504 plan simply permitted him to type his work. However, for any accomodation with the college board we had to go through the full neuropsych process. The public school would not test because they could meet his needs without testing. He only needed to be able to type and they provided the means for him to do that. So we had to pay for the full neuropsych and a separate updated OT eval to submit to the college board. I started the process of setting up appointments in September. I barely had the reports in time to file a request for accommodation (to type his essay on AP and SAT tests). You must file a request for accommodation well ahead of test dates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownie Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 504 is for a disability. In order to get one you need to argue that your child is unable to participate in normal activities without support. For example I argued that my children could not engage in basic life functions (breathing) without adult support due to life threatening food allergies. The schools don't like to give one, but legally it's hard to argue with if you have a qualifying letter from a doctor. You should look at the specific language in the law and see if you think you could argue any of the qualifying points. An IEP is for educational purposes. Again, the school hates to give them bc it means more work for them. In this case though it is a lot harder to argue for IF the school is not cooperative. However, I know MANY people with diagnoses who have not gotten IEP's because their grades are fine so the school says they don't need accommodations. An IEP eval by the school psych is generally a joke. If your private dr. can't find a diagnosis, the school isn't going to find one unless the child is a behavior problem and making them crazy. In our case the school evaluator spent 20 minutes observing my son in the classroom....he saw nothing wrong even though within his description of what happened in the classroom I could point to issues. They gave me an IEP only because he needed speech and it got them state money. Other people in our exact situation or worse that did not require speech got no IEP. ADHD is usually an IEP issue, not a 504 issue. Brownie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 I'm so confused, lol. In PA, if your child gets an IEP at ANY point, hsing becomes much more tightly controlled. My understanding (having one child with a private dx and another going through private evals now) is that The College Board, etc. need a diagnosis with recommendations, not an IEP or 504. Have you cross posted on the high school board? I'm sure they'd know better. FWIW, I've loved our private evals and hated ds's school evals. The school never deemed him "deficient" enough for an IEP, regardless of the piles of informative paperwork from his private evals. In hindsight, I'm thrilled! Keep in mind, school evaluators are not legally allowed to diagnose anyone with anything. All they can do is identify deficits and recommend how to address them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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