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For years now, I've been the recipient of "testing" scores on Boo that, to look at scores alone, would indicate he is one step above a root vegetable. Quite frankly, IQ testing is a complete and total waste of time and I think that should be obvious to anyone who works with Boo. Yet once again, it's time for his triannual case study and once again he has to suffer through some alleged psychologist who is going to be completely incapable of getting any true assessment of Boo's real functional abilities. The rationale this time around is that for him to receive any funding post HS, there has to be this stupid IQ score (preferrably below 70) to "qualify" him for funding.
Doesn't modification of testing protocol invalidate the results when it's done in a hit-and-miss manner (I've witnessed the testing - it would make anyone cringe)? And doesn't it seem reasonable that in this day and age there would be a more reliable method of gauging cognitive abilities in a population with multiple and severe disabilities than cannibalizing standardized tests? Nothing has changed in the last 18 years in terms of his testing. He cannot make a PB&J, therefore he doesn't know how to. He cannot knock blocks over, therefore he doesn't know how to. It's just maddening.
My argument for years is that there's not a psychologist around who, if they were to be tested under similar constraints, would not also test out profoundly mentally retarded. Take a kid who has no functional movement, no meaningful verbal communication and a virtually useless aug. com. system, who is functionally blind to boot... what kind of score do you *think* you're going to get? It just burns my toast because I know in my heart that he is much closer to "normal" than any test in the world will indicate, but they're going to do this test, come up with a ridiculously low number, ignore what he functionally *can* do because it doesn't fit any of the stupid standardized testing, and there it will be in hard cold print... severe/profound mental retardation based on testing that in no way, shape, or form will consider the fact that the only disability he *doesn't* have is deafness.
Co-op unfortunately has figured out that regs now require "results oriented goals" for transition planning and they now have it in their head that they can teach my (blind) son to read on a 4th grade level by the end of the school year and are therefore applying pressure for him to continue 3 days/week in co-op program and only 2 in adult program run by UCP. I'm cynical, frustrated, and defeated, and in that state can only assume that there's now a requirement that they prove that they tried. Really, teach a blind kid to read in 9 months? Suddenly they're miracle workers.
I've put away my armor. It's been a complete waste of time, effort, and heartache to try to obtain FAPE in LRE. I cannot get them to understand they are dealing with an almost 19-year-old *man* here - an academic unit on fables is just beyond condescending, IMHO, and I fail to see how that is going to yield any "results oriented" goals.
Just venting - there is no solution. It's been a lousy ride in special ed with Boo. I can only be thankful that the end is in sight. This will be the last bologna standardized testing he will have to endure. Thank goodness he's a patient and tolerant soul.
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