For anyone who has had their child tested through the ps.

[Renee in NC]

Does this sound like what you went through?

 

I took the letters of request in for two of my dc. Yesterday, the Resource Teacher called me to tell me what I would need to do. First, I had to keep track of everything we did for 3 weeks for them and 3 samples of work from each subject. They wanted me to then document at least two interventions in each subject. I was to provide these items, along with all their test scores from their annual achievement testing at a meeting with their "IEP Team".

 

I did set the appointment, figuring I would ask others if this is what they went through before deciding whether to keep the appointment. She called me back and said she had to change the appointment since her principal wanted to "sit in on the meeting."

 

This whole scenario is now giving me the heebie-jeebies. We won't be testing with the school.

 

Did others (especially in NC) have to meet the same sort of requirements? Did you have provide large amounts of documentation? Did you meet with a team of people and/or the principal?

[BamaTanya]

but this sounds very typical. I have 3 children receiving special ed services (only one as a homeschooler) and I'm a special ed teacher. Special ed is stuffed with paperwork. There must be documentation that the child's performance varies from the norm, so they need work samples. They need to know that, with some extra help, the child's performance still suffers.

 

I turned in work samples and observational scales from several people who had worked with my ds. Sunday School, homeschool co-op, etc. I wrote about how one-on-one didn't help and manipulatives didn't help, etc.

 

Your post doesn't give me the heebie-jeebies, knowing how much paperwork is involved here.

 

I'm glad we went though testing and some services with the public schools. It wasn't the end of the road, but it did provide useful tools for us.

 

From my own perspective, I wouldn't cancel yet. Wait and see how you are treated at the meeting. Take some moral support if needed -- dh, perhaps, or an advocate for special education in your area. There are support groups out there that can help you navigate special ed confusion!

 

We were treated VERY positively by the schools. We were ENCOURAGED to continue homeschooling.

 

Unfortunately, the negative junk we got was from the neurologists and psychiatrist we had to deal with next! Yikes. (I don't know your dc's difficulties, but, in our experience, the schools understood autism challenges better than the drs!)

 

It IS frustrating trying to get help for a special child. The ps services, while imperfect, are SUPPOSED to HELP. If they don't, you can get legal assistance! They can't bully you into anything. YOU make the decisions.

 

:grouphug:

Edited April 10, 2009 by BamaTanya

[Mandamom]

I've been through several testings through the public school and it was pretty much like you described except the principal didn't want to attend the meeting.

 

The first was just a discussion of the law and what to expect and then there was the next step to schedule the testing. The testing happened (I sat in with my dd5 but didn't for dss11) and then we held the post evaluation meeting.

 

There were at least 5 different people in the meetings. Definitely bring some support with you unless you are comfortable doing it by yourself.

 

It went smoothly and I'm glad we had the school available for testing because there's no way we could have gotten it done otherwise.

[myfunnybunch]

It sounds like the school is probably asking for the kinds of paperwork and samples they'd ask from a classroom teacher who had referred a child for testing. That's pretty typical for any child referred for testing. Likely in a ps they'd have a school psychologist or special ed teacher sit in on a class or two and do an observation, but that isn't really feasible in your circumstance. What they are really looking for, or would be looking for were your child attending their school, is what kinds of support are needed and how best to provide those supports. I would approach the meeting with that assumption unless they indicate that they've got other intentions.

 

My dd with autism attended public school, and we attended several IEP meetings. The teams usually ranged from 3-8 people. The principal typically sat in on meetings in which there was some unusual issue. If you can, read a little about special education law as it pertains to IEP meetings. (Try http://www.wrightslaw.com/ and http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/weblinks/specialneedslegal.htm ) Take someone with you so that you don't feel outnumbered. Even if you do all of the speaking, and even if all of the people on the team are kind and helpful, it helps to have someone there sitting next to you.

 

Do you have a sense of how homeschooling is supported in general in the eyes of your school district? I would be very firm in my knowledge of homeschool regulations pertaining to students with special needs before attending a meeting.

 

I'd also want ask them:

 

Will they want to do further testing with your children, or refer them to (and pay for) an outside agency for testing?

 

Does the district provide support services like speech or occupational therapy to homeschooled students? (Ours doesn't unless they determine in the meeting that homeschool is the best placement for the student, which doesn't happen often.)

 

What happens if you go through this IEP process then disagree with or refuse the IEP team's recommendations?

 

Do they ever provide outside/after school services for students?

 

Perhaps you can find a special education advocacy service (they are out there to support families of children with special needs as they work with the school system) to see what the outcome of refusing an IEP might be.

Edited April 10, 2009 by myfunnybunch
cut and paste--left something out, as always

[chiguirre]

I'm in TX and I already had the boys' diagnoses before dealing with the ps, but that sounds pretty typical. Initially, and for every 3 year update, they observe the child, perform cognitive and achievement testing and gather information from parents, outside teachers and school personnel who interact with the child. It's been worth it to us because the speech therapists we've had through the ISD have been excellent at working with autistic kids. If the services weren't useful, it wouldn't be worth the hassle, but I can honestly say they are well done. Either the principal or vice must attend our service plan meetings and sign off on the paperwork so you might just save yourself some time by involving them from the beginning.

 

Do check your state laws regarding hsing sn kids. Some states have more restrictions than they do for typical kids (it's really unfair, but that's the reality). My personal experience is that the school personnel we come into contact with are very supportive of hsing, probably because they deal with autistic kids in special ed all the time and can see the benefits.

[Renee in NC]

She said they had never tested a hs child before. As far as homeschool friendly - there aren't many homeschoolers who would go to this school if they were in school. I don't know of anyone who has had testing done through the school.

 

I don't have a lot of confidence in my homeschooling. Even a conversation with a speech therapist yesterday made me nervous! My oldest two who are homeschooled (my oldest goes to school) both have problems and I feel like it is *my* fault. Add to that the huge amount of trauma we've personally suffered in the past year and I don't know that I have it in me to "present my case" in front of a bunch of strangers.

 

We won't actually receive any services through the school - they would only offer speech and occupational therapy and the dc's current medical will cover those (in home.) I am testing so that I can create a papertrail for the 11yo for possible future SAT accomodations and as one piece of the puzzle for my 8yo.

[newbie]

Research is your best defense. If you feel overwhelmed by several people being in the meeting, take support. If your goal is to get services, perhaps hire an advocate for the first mtg. If you do, it shouldnt cost much, they charge by the hour and how much IEP paperwork they have to go through.

 

Just having support really empowers you. My niece is who I advocate for, her mom cannot go to the meeting, she feels intimidated. So I go in her place. Before every mtg. I go over what goals I want to accomplish and research and go prepared.

 

Some school districts are easy to work w/, others not. Like the one I have to deal w/. They fight me tooth and nail. When I feel overwhelmed or they have stepped over boundaries, I call a lawyer, just one mtg. w/ an advocate or lawyer, seems to magically make things happen.

 

A piece of advice, I picked up from Wrightslaw or a book on IEP's, always take goodies. Every meeting for the last four yrs, I have taken goodies. It makes everyone in a good mood. Now, my experiment was no goodies last mtg. and it was the first time I had a yelling match since mediation. Snacks are key, some of these people have mtgs. all day so they dont get time to eat, so get everyone on the same playing field.

 

They can have twenty people, just remember this is your child and you are strong.

[bettyandbob]

special education referrals and evaluations require tons of documentation. If your child were in public school the classroom teacher would be required to provide multiple work samples and documentation of classroom intervention.

 

Where in this process are you? Did you just make the referral for evaluation? If you are at this beginning step, the only part of the evaluation I would caution you on is the "social" interview. The school social worker will interview you regarding home environment. You do not need to give more than minimal info. My neighbor went through this a few years ago and she has a tendency to tell all about every issue remotely related to her family. Stuff about "Uncle Joe's" alcoholism or "Aunt Mary" being committed is not necessary for the school to know and does not need to be in your child's file. Everything in there will be there until your child is in his mid 20's (every school system has a different timeline for shredding these records, but here it's about 6 years after the child "graduates"). You only need to tell stuff about the specific child and basic info on the family (he has 4 siblings living in the home).

 

There are federal laws and regulations on special education. There is money which goes from the federal government to the states for special education purposes. Lots and lots of paperwork is required to back up decisions for and against a child being found in need of services. School systems have been sued for tons of money to provide private services when they failed to what was needed. So, beyond regulations requiring the paperwork, the schools collected a lot of data to back themselves up too.

 

I don't think there is anything amiss in what you've described. Contrary to some people on this board, I do think the process can be helpful to some families, even if you continue to homeschool. It just depends on your personal situation.

 

BTW--I'm a former public school sp ed teacher and a former attorney who advocated for disability rights (it's been a quite few years).

[newbie]

Another note, I learned on the way. These people are known as gatekeepers, starting w/the resource teacher. They are set up purposefully to stop any kind of accomodations. They figure they will intimidate to not provide services. That is their first line of attack.

 

I think the book I had, which helped tremendously was by Peter Wright, you can order from wrightslaw or amazon.

 

There is a lot of support and info. here so do not feel overwhelmed.

[bettyandbob]

I just read your second post. Your state has a protection and advocacy agency. You might want to give them a call and see if they know of a local group separate from the school that can help you with this process.

 

http://www.disabilityrightsnc.org

 

Right now you don't have "problem" so they can't represent you, but they may be able to refer to another group to help educate and assist you. The since you've already made a referral the timeline for the process has started so you shouldn't put off contacting someone local for help.

 

Please do not tell the school you think your dcs problems are all your fault. I'm sure they are not.

[Renee in NC]

*Who* would I take with me? Dh is NOT the person to take, trust me! The few people I could take all have young children and could not go.

 

Dh's response when I told him what she wanted was ABSOLUTELY not. My father said, "They will probably have a social worker there to take your children away from you!" (I actually laughed at that one - he's a Neal Boortz fan.)

 

The reason I didn't do this 2 years ago was that I didn't want to have them "in" my life at all. Until this point, they didn't even know my dc existed. Now they do, they want more info than I want to provide.

 

All I wanted from them was the WISC-IV and the Woodcock-Johnson - no services, no help, nothing else, KWIM?

[Renee in NC]

I just read your second post. Your state has a protection and advocacy agency. You might want to give them a call and see if they know of a local group separate from the school that can help you with this process.

 

http://www.disabilityrightsnc.org

 

Right now you don't have "problem" so they can't represent you, but they may be able to refer to another group to help educate and assist you. The since you've already made a referral the timeline for the process has started so you shouldn't put off contacting someone local for help.

 

Please do not tell the school you think your dcs problems are all your fault. I'm sure they are not.

 

 

Thanks! And no, I wouldn't tell them they were my fault. I even know in my head that they aren't - my 11yo is EXACTLY like my father and my 8yo was Failure to Thrive and developmentally-behind. Having that transfer from my knowledge to my fears is another story, though.

[chiguirre]

Try to see this from their point of view. The testing is not cheap, they have to pay for each test administration even though it's done by their employees. They have to have the paperwork in order to justify the expense. They will have to spend their resources to come up with an intervention plan whether or not you choose to accept it. They don't know that you have fabulous insurance that will cover speech therapy or occupational therapy that's not rehabilitative (that's a real luxury!) They see 2 more students needing a therapists time and the same budget that's stretched to the limit already. It is an adversarial process although they do try to mask that. If you don't advocate for your kids, no one else will.

[newbie]

Even though I am not a professional, if I lived in your neighborhood, I would go w/you.

 

I tried finding support groups in my area and they all had answering machines. I know it is intimidating, but tool yourself w/knowledge that is your best defense. :grouphug::grouphug:

[newbie]

Try yellowpagesforkids.com, it will provide lots of resources.

[Renee in NC]

Try to see this from their point of view. The testing is not cheap, they have to pay for each test administration even though it's done by their employees. They have to have the paperwork in order to justify the expense. They will have to spend their resources to come up with an intervention plan whether or not you choose to accept it. They don't know that you have fabulous insurance that will cover speech therapy or occupational therapy that's not rehabilitative (that's a real luxury!) They see 2 more students needing a therapists time and the same budget that's stretched to the limit already. It is an adversarial process although they do try to mask that. If you don't advocate for your kids, no one else will.

 

I did tell them that I don't need therapy. It may be expensive testing, but my perspective is that my property taxes and sales taxes pay for it, so why can't I utilize it?

 

They will tell me that my dc are not eligible for services - that much I do know! It's the standard answer to hs students in the state. There is no IEP, because they can't get one. That's why I was so surprised.

 

However, I do see what you are saying, so it gives me more to think about. And trust me, you don't want my "fabulous insurance" considering what got us in this position.;)