Clarifying difficult child's stuff

[klmno]

Since I got a couple of questions about my thread this morning regarding the IEE and haven't gotten many responses, I thought maybe I should clarify/update difficult child's status and diagnosis.

As most know, he went into Department of Juvenile Justice with a BiPolar (BP) diagnosis, however, other psychiatrists had said unipolar depression or mood disorder not otherwise specified or adjustment disorder instead- and a couple listed disruptive behavior as a second diagnosis.. A psychiatric and psychiatrist evaluation'd him in processing and listed him as BP1. Then, he was transferred to this facility where he is now. The psychiatrist at this one is trialing difficult child off medications. (by the way, after the facility ran out o lithobid a couple of weeks ago, the psychiatrist just kept difficult child off of it.) He also has a therapist where he is now. As far as I know, the psychiatrist is waiting to see how difficult child does off medications before reviewing the diagnosis and I have no idea what his therapist thinks about it. The therapist and psychiatrist don't communicate with each other and I'm not allowed to talk to psychiatrist and therapist can't tell me much about difficult child because I don't have the rights of a custodial parent right now. Plus, difficult child is 14 so that changes his privacy rights here. I am going to ask her what she thinks about his diagnosis after she has worked with him for a while without the medications. (Oh- he is still on 25mg of seroquel ea night but difficult child said he might ask to drop that.)

Then, throw in the school psychiatric who has the position just like in any other sd. She did not communicate with the therapist or psychiatrist and just reviewed difficult child's Department of Juvenile Justice and sd files and did the basic school tests. She is the one my earlier thread was about. I hope that helps, for those that might be interested. My letter requesting an IEE is to the Special Education director at that school. She seems to think he has no mental illness but is just CD and social maladaptive and headed toward anti-social personality.

I'm writing another letter to difficult child's IEP case manager at the school- I only had two corrections about his history listed iin her proposed IEP and I asked her to relay some things the teachers have reported about difficult child's demeanor and social difficulties to his therapist.

 

[JJJ]

I guess what I have lost in all of this is what services you want from the school district when he comes home from Department of Juvenile Justice.

 

[klmno]

I want him to still be qualified for an IEP. He will be because the other reports I've gotten in from this school on the Department of Juvenile Justice facility say they feel he needs one and this was his triennial review, and they are apparently intending on keeping him on one. IOW, they only did this evaluation because difficult child was due for his triennial anyway and I tried to get his homeschool to do it before things got to this point but they didn't. So, difficult child is stuck with an evaluation from people who didn't know him. But since it has taken 3 mos to get it done, they do have reports in from teachers now because these kids went to school all through the summer. The other reports recommend keeping him on the IEP for ED unless it does get confirmed that he's BiPolar (BP), then they will consider changing the class to OHI. That isn't a big deal except that the home sd treats ED like nothing but behavior problem.

Based on the school psychiatric's report alone, I'm not even sure difficult child would qualify for an IEP. And she seems to be looking at the question like "is it BiPolar (BP) or just a bad kid" where I'm looking at it like "is it BiPolar (BP) or the other things brought up before". And, she just wants him on a behavior contract, which we tried when difficult child first was put on an IEP and that went horrible. When the focus of the IEP changed from monitoring behavior and having a contract to providing accommodations for things like organization, planning, extra time when overwhelmed with projects, and they started giving him positive reinforcement, is when his behavior greatly improved at school. Of course, that took over a year getting the home sd to see that more was going on with difficult child than bad behavior and he needed supports. It doesn't look like the school psychiatric looked at anything pertaining to that.

Whatever IEP difficult child gets put in place here will be used when he goes back to his home school (or wherever he goes) upon his release. I don't want him having to be monitored for stuff that he did in 5th grade when they didn't have those issues with him in middle school or in Department of Juvenile Justice. I don't want him back on a behavior contract, as long as he is behaving at school, and I want him to get the supports in the other areas that he needs.

There are apparently a lot of people who think BiPolar (BP) means "depressive cycles and bad behavior cycles" like the kid is supposed to be blamed for all of it. He was very unstable during the fall and she wants all that considered as truancy.

 

[Marcie Mac]

Its been a while since I had to deal with the school psychologist, but here in Ca. Conduct Disorder, and what ever terms they present it as, i.e. anti social, socially mal adapted and the like, automatically EXCLUDE you from any services - its right in the Education Rules and Regulations.

My personal opinion, I would not trust a school psychologist to correctly diagnose a hangnail nor would I trust anything that came out of their mouth. Check your states website please for qualifying diagnosis's in order to get/keep your child's IEP. I was ever so thankful I found this place before the battle royale with the school to get Danny services started. I had to finally hire a P.A. to deal with them eventually, but I learned enough to know their game and a load of bull when I heard it.

If she is already spouting SHE doesnt think there is anything mentally wrong with him, then I have a tendancy to think one of the boxer's is in the ring already waitin in the corner for you, the other one, to step thru the ropes.

Marcie

 

[klmno]

That's why I'm asking for an IEE. I am worried though because I want difficult child off medications and this contract psychiatrist they have only sees and talks to difficult child minimally. difficult child is going around acting like he's fine because he knows that if he gets sent to a psychiatric hospital from there, it doesn't count as time served so he doesn't want anyone knowing when/if he's falling apart. So I'm worried what diagnosis he will get from them.

He just called. I'm encouraging him to tell psychiatrist and therapist if he feels depressed or wierd or emotional and letting him know that it doesn't mean that he'll be put back on medications or sent to a psychiatric hospital but he needs to start opening up to them. I told him not to make anything up but all info can't keep coming thru me because the legal people don't beleive me when this happens. They need to see it themselves. I am fully aware that difficult child manipulated and lied to me at times, but there were other times when he was not and every time that he was an emotional basket case was not faking and I am sure of that.

 

[slsh]

klmno- just a thought here. Might it not be better to play your IEE card *after* psychiatrist finishes playing with medications? Closer to when difficult child will be coming home? He's in a highly structured environment now, with a lot of medication changes going on. An IEE done now may well be completely useless once this chapter is over.

While I completely understand the drive for a definitive diagnosis, the waters are so muddy right now (and have been for a while with various opinions from various profressionals), for school purposes only I would probably focus more on specifically what services you want in place for him now. Since the IEP in Department of Juvenile Justice is going to follow him home, let them do their thing now (I'm assuming he *will* have an IEP in Department of Juvenile Justice, right?), and then request an IEP mtg in home district when you have a date for his return. That might be a better time to request IEE if home SD is still being difficult. A lot can change between now and then - staffing, difficult child, etc.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[klmno]

That's a good thought- I am not sure I can get that then though because this evaluation had to be done within a certain amount of time for the triennial review. If I wait I'm thinking this sd would say then the home sd can evaluation him and I KNOW the home sd will just look at what this state sd came up with. That's my concern. He's on an IEP now and they are using it at this sd. Teachers give him glowing reports in the area of behavior but report that he does have difficulties in some areas (which are indicative of ED or BiPolar (BP) or something), so I thought this might be a good time to try to "lock in" that even when his behavcior is not a problem, he needs an IEP. This would suffice until his next triennial review unless something major changed.

Also, he's probably going to get the "early release" from Department of Juvenile Justice for good behavior. That gets him out in Mid-Feb, meaning all parties have to be notified and records transferred to sd by mid-Jan. If it takes 3 mos to get testing and the report, the IEE would need to be started by early Oct. at the latest in order to give us time to have an IEP meeting afterwards. I guess I'm afriad to wait to request it.