first school evaluation

[Ktllc]

My son is going to have a school evaluation in a couple weeks. My hope is: he will qualify for special pre-kindergarten and have a teacher who actually understand his needs.
It is very likely that he has CAPD. Anything that has to do with "hearing", he is lost. He does not like or understand story books, but love picture book (like the pig, the cat, the elephant and the matching picture). He does not do songs. He does not watch TV. He can't memorize single letters but is able to recognize sight words.
My feeling of all this: he needs a very visual and hands on teaching environment. The noise around needs to be minimum and instruction repeated directly to him face to face. The following through is crucial to make sure he did in fact processed the information.
All of those needs are not met or even understood at his regular daycare. Socially and on an education stand point it is a waste of time. He is withdrawn and does not understand what is going on. The only activity he fully particiaptes in is art.
How should I get prepared for the evaluation? Am I even going to have an input?
I'm afraid they are not going to see the magnetude of the problem because he will not be in a regular setting. When he is one on one, he understands a lot better. Not having background noise helps a lot as well.
Any advise would be welcomed.
Thanks!

[TeDo]

There's not much you can do. If they ask you for anything, give it in DETAIL. The meeting when they share the results and try to come up with a plan is when you get to share EVERYTHING you want/need them to know. Classroom observations are usually a part of the assessments they do. If they don't, request that they do. That is something you can ask them about now. Explain your concerns about differences in settings. Depending on their results, it sounds like he could benefit from 1:1 assistance throughout the school day. Someone who is responsible for HIM ony and to make sure HE understands what he's being asked to do and to work with HIM in a quiet setting when necessary or able. A teacher is not going to have the time to do any of this with all the other rugrats he/she is responsible for. Anyway, now you have my two cents. Good luck.

[keista]

I'd relax a bit. I'm pretty sure they will pick up on at least some of the issues. That will open the door for you to express your concerns and for them to do further evaluations.

Reminded me of my son's pre-k evaluation - just opposite. Since I thought he was a GENIUS, I was concerned that they would not see the FEW areas I was concerned with and wouldn't qualify for pre-k at all. (at the time and at that school, they only accepted the kids that were most behind) To my shock and dismay, they deemed him WAY behind the other kids. I was absolutely floored!

So, I say relax. IF (and that's a really BIG IF) they don't flag anything, THEN get out the Warrior Mom armor and go to task on them.

[InsaneCdn]

It is very likely that he has CAPD. Anything that has to do with "hearing", he is lost.

Not sure what age they start doing SLP evals... but if you're suspecting CAPD, the starting point for that eval is SLP (speech language pathologist).
Often, schools start this process if they see language processing issues (there are variations on CAPD out there, and not all have language processing problems - but yours sounds more "classic" which is easier to catch).
If they don't start this eval, then YOU can try to get it either privately or through the medical system (not sure how that works where you are).

So, like the others said, don't panic yet, but DO start doing research, lining up plan B, etc.

And you might want to start something like a Parent Report (see site resources) to help you collect your thoughts, observations, experiences etc.
It helps to have all that at your fingertips when meeting with schools and other professionals.

Good luck!

[Ktllc]

Insane: We did see a SLP and she actually is the reason I am worried. She said his language are actually extremely good, way above his age. Tha's why he flies under the radar (had previous school assessment through Head Start). She explained that if they stick to language test, the school will never see/understand the problem. She then recommended to see an audiologist to test for CAPD.
That leads to my second issue: no one will test a child under 6 years old. They simply don't have any norm to go by....
The SLP's advice was treat my gfg's issues like CAPD even though it is not official yet. She explained that she could not help him without an audiologist report (which would point the area(s) affected by the disorder).
The SLP also warned of school speech therapists: very few are actually familiar with CAPD. She said that regular speech therapy would not be of any help for gfg, although the school might actually suggested.
His language skills and conceptual thinking always make him look within normal or above age level. At least that was the case at Head Start with their screening tools. That's actually one of the reason I don't think he will go back next school year. It was just so frustrating to try to explain and have nobody listen.
Ok, I'll try to relax. I promise! lol

[JJJ]

Hi and Welcome.

You are great for going after an evaluation while he is still in preschool!!!

Some things I'd recommend:

1. Complete a "Parent Report" (see the link at the end of my signature). Be sure to include a list of your "Areas of Concern" and make sure they relate to his schooling.
a. DS5 has difficulty understanding spoken languauge when there is background noise.
b. Despite a strong vocabulary, DS5 does not seem to comprehend directions when give to the group.
c. DS5 had instruction at XYZ day care as well as at home on his alphabet but has been unable to learn it but he has learned 9 sight words.
d. DS5 can learn but only when the information is presented visually with 'hands-on' activities.

2. Ask the school to send either their psych or their SLP to observe at the day care.

3. If the day care is also seeing the issues, ask their lead teacher to write a letter detailing some of the areas that he has issues. (You may want to meet with her and talk it through and jot down the areas that you are both worried about so that she has a starting point for the letter.)

4. Have the SLP that you saw write a report with her findings and her recommendation for "early childhood services to address suspected CAPD and for a full CAPD evaluation as soon as he turns 6 and the audiologist is willing to test him."

If the school does not find him eligibile for special pre-k, they may still find him eligible for SL services. Also, if you can, look for a Montessori-style preschool, they are very hands on environment.

[seriously]

Has his hearing been thoroughly tested?

Has he had hearing problems in the past?

Did the speech person test him for problems with phonemic awareness?

[Ktllc]

The SLP had one recommendation: test for CAPD as soon as possible. So far, I was told no testing will be done until he turns 6. That is 2 long years.
The SLP also told that she cannot do any therapy without a report from an audiologist...
As far as the daycare, they don't see anything... he does not cause any trouble, therefore there is no problem in their eyes.
His therapist does see quite a few issues though. She has the following dx on him: ODD, disruptive behavior, autistic disorder and pervasive developmental disorder. I kind of trust her and she has seen my son regularly for 3 months now.
His hearing has been testing before and after putting ear tubes about 2 years ago. Everything was fine then. Should we retest?
Should I come to the evaluation with the therapist's report? Or wait and see what the school team comes up with?

[seriously]

Yes, his hearing should be re-tested. Be sure to tell the audiologist who does the testing about the problems he is having so they do a thorough evaluation of his hearing - both conductive and sensorineural. Here's a link to some info about the four kinds of "hearing loss". You can have more than one kind of hearing loss simultaneously.

http://www.mychildwithoutlimits.org/?page=kinds-of-hearing-loss

It is very important to rule out hearing loss when you have a child with these kinds of symptoms. If at all possible, get this done before any further assessments are done by school, etc. as any evidence of significant hearing loss needs to be taken into account and may even qualify him for an IEP as Hearing Impaired.

So did the SLP test his phonemic awareness? That's the ability to "hear" or identify the individual sounds that make up language.

If you're not sure, just ask her if she evaluated this or not.

The school should do this if she did not.

What kind of license does the therapist have? Is she a psychologist or social worker or ??

If she has a Ph.D. or Psy. D. in psychology then I would ask her for a written letter listing your son's diagnoses, accommodations she recommends (like a small classroom) and the behaviors that she sees as likely to prevent him from being able to benefit from the regular school curriculum and setting.

I would ask her to NOT include the ODD diagnoses if she feels comfortable doing so. This "diagnosis" carries a big stigma and can lead to the school defining all his difficult behaviors as ODD and pretty much taking a punitive approach - punishing him instead of helping him.

It is puzzling that you list both autistic and pervasive developmental disorder. Usually a child is autistic which IS a pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) - so you wouldn't say he has both. There are some PDD's that are not "autism" but if she feels he has one of those then she should be specifically naming that disorder.

Has she suggested you get your son assessed by the local regional center (the federal program to identify and support children with CP, autism and other severe cognitive impairments)? If not, then I would look into this ASAP.

[Ktllc]

The LSP did not test for phonemic awarness (I was there when she did the test, and it was just about understanding language).

The appointment with the audiologist is AFTER the school evaluation but BEFORE the psych. evaluation. (just made the appointment!)

As far as the therapist: she is a Licensed Professional Counselor at the Masters level. That is all there is in my area, as well as Social Workers (Masters as well).
She has all those dx listed on my gfg's file, but she was actually kind of upfront with me about it. She said she was not super comfortable with it, it is not a perfect fit but she can't treat him without a dx. My son likes her and he does make progress on what they are working on (identifying his feeling and when he needs to go and use his cool down spot). She also agrees that the ODD is not his primary issue. On his strenght, she listed: sweet and loving and wants to please adults (among other things). To me, that does not describe a typical case of ODD. She said my son was such an interesting and complex case... I'm glad she finds him interesting, but it does not give us the answers we all want.

If the school would just care enough, I know my son could strive and do wonderful things. I feel it's just a matter of finding the right teaching method.