I need direction, suggestions for IEP

allhaileris

Crumbling Family Rock
My daughter was (finally) diagnosis with Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD)-not otherwise specified this summer. Communication/Language was the one area that was fully in the autsim category. Because it's Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD)-not otherwise specified and not High-Functioning Autism (HFA), we are not eligible for services from the Regional Center here in CA. I've had her in ballet classes since May and she's doing okay. She's still having the same issues in class, doing poorly and talking back. I've been really working on husband to get him to not yell at her, and the harmony in our house has been getting better just a tiny bit, but there are the same issues, we're just not trying to get so upset about them.

I know her IEP will be coming up in Dec. I've fowarded her diagnosis to her teacher and the school psychologist. Neither have suggested any differences to her education. I feel like they kind of went, yeah, okay, so what with the diagnosis. I'm at a loss on what to suggest to help her in school. Also, the regional center said it's up to the school to provide her with any "help". I don't understand how they can help at home? I want her to get behavior mod classes but have no idea how to get them for her. I also want her to get into the Waldorf school that is part of the public school dist here. There is a huge waiting list. Does anybody know if I can request that on her IEP and make it happen? What do I need to actually ask the school to change? I'm at a loss as to what to actually ask for.
 

tictoc

New Member
Hi,
What services does your daughter currently receive at school? I take it that this is not her first IEP meeting???

Sounds like she should be receiving Occupational Therapist (OT), speech therapy, and social skills therapy. How are her gross motor skills? She might also qualify for Adaptive P.E. (which is a heck of a lot of fun for my difficult child).

Does her school offer a social skills/Autism inclusion program? My difficult child gets social skills therapy 2x/week in this program and it has helped him a lot (his diagnosis is Tourette Syndrome/ADHD, but he has social cognition deficits that are pretty close to Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)).

As for the Waldorf school, does it offer any programs or scheduling alternatives that would benefit your daughter, ie programs that her current school does not offer? Our neighborhood school does not have a social skills therapy program, so difficult child's IEP states that he will attend a different public school (also in our district) that has that program.

And, PM me and let me know where you are in CA. I might have some more specific info for you, depending on your location.
 

susiestar

Roll With It
Tictoc listed some great things. You should also post this on the Special Education forum. Those ladies are the real experts on school issues.

FWIW, I would speak to your daughter's doctor and ask them to change her diagnosis to one that more closely shows autism. Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD)-not otherwise specified IS an autism spectrum disorder, so the regional place should be a source of help and therapy, in my opinion. I have noticed here that many places are doing all they can to NOT provide services because they have had so many funding cuts.

As for the IEP, make sure you read the Explosive Child again (skim it) to keep those principles in mind. Maybe offer to give a copy to any teacher/staff person who will read it? Or just one copy for the library? (you can find inexpensive copies of most books at www.abebooks.com or alibris.com )

If you have a Parent Report be sure you update it and make copies of whatever info you want school to have. You DO NOT have to give them any or all of it. I would maybe prepare an executive summary of it and share that rather than the full report. Many here have had it used against them when they shared the entire report.

If you don't have a Parent Report, I urge you to complete one. It will help you think of things that will help her. It is just a report that you write about her, with all the info that you have received from all the "experts". Long ago some parents here came up with it and it is truly helpful in getting what your child needs.

Here is a link to it: http://www.conductdisorders.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10
 

allhaileris

Crumbling Family Rock
Services she's getting now - They stopped speech therapy last year because she was "caught up". Right now I think they have an aide come in and give her some one on one time with schoolwork, but not a lot. I know she's with the occupational therapist doing some language thing because she sends home worksheets I have to read to her and have her answer and make sure she's understanding the picture and what I'm actually asking correctly. I don't think she's getting much more than that right now and that's where I'm not sure what she should get. She definitly could use some social skills therapy. I worry about her not having friends. Her gross motor skills aren't bad, but that's one of the reasons I have her in ballet.

Our local school is just a regular school, we have her in an "alternative" school, which means that there is extra parent participation and some electives. I want to have her go to the Waldorf school because their approach to learning is different and she's having such a hard time with math especially. She's visual and they do things like make their own books instead of using workbooks, a lot more arts, teacher moves with the class for each grade. Her school is stopping the alt program at the end of the year as well. I don't think that our neighborhood school would be right for her due to the high instance of ESL kids (common all over the city, we have a large immigrant farm worker population here). She has a hard enough time with English alone! So it sounds like I need to specifically ask what programs they offer for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) kids and use their lack of it (because I assume there is none) as a way to get into the school we want?

And yeah, we're still working on the diagnosis. I have not been able to find her a local doctor to help her with all this (the medication community here s*cks, I just found a woman doctor for myself after living her 4 yrs). I know I need to contact the children's hositpal about an hour from us to get another evaluation, or a recommendation for an evaluation from a closer doctor.
 

tictoc

New Member
Hi,
The options you suggested in your follow-up message sound good. Start checking out the neighborhood school and see what they DON'T have (as well as what they do have). Your reasoning for wanting your daughter in the Waldorf school seems sound.

Does your daughter have any auditory processing issues? I'll pm you with the name of someone in your area who does evaluations for Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD).

Is the Occupational Therapist (OT) helping with interventions in the classroom to accomodate your daughter's need for visual learning? If not, I would ask for this. If she has trouble with transitions, has the school provided her with a visual chart to cue her for transitions? My son's K classroom has visual icons placed around the room to help him with transitions.

How is your daughter with self-regulation? Does the school use visual prompts to help her with self-regulation? (Google the program I pm'd you about...It uses a great visual scale to help with self-reg.).

These are just a few more ideas. If you can post more about your daughter's specific issues at school, we can offer more ideas.

Good luck.
 

allhaileris

Crumbling Family Rock
Specific school issues, I know I'll miss some, here are what I can think of:

Math - she just doesn't get it. I've asked them to teach her in another way, but I'm not sure what's going on so far this year. She's still counting on her fingers (she's in 2nd).
Talking back to teacher, not listening.
She exposed herself to a boy because another girl told her to. I have a hard time keeping her modest. I think the issue here is more about doing what other kids tell her to do rather than the exposure.
No real friends, she doesn't get invited to playdates. I have been hounding husband to get them set up for her. He's horrible at this, has a hard time talking to the other moms. Not being able to watch her at school makes it hard for me to know what the interaction with other kids really is. She got in a fight a couple weeks ago where she called the other girl a b*tch and an a**h*le. She didn't get in trouble much because apparently the other girl was being really mean to her and daughter just didn't know how to express herself correctly.
Still having problems writing correctly. She could use some Occupational Therapist (OT) with this.
Lying - both at home and at school. We're really trying to work on this.
Does something wrong, knew it was wrong and uses the "it was an accident" excuse. Like picking up a kitten by one arm. How many times do we have to say not to? You'd think she could get it after a while but continues to do it. husband and I were joking that she needs to figure out how to not get caught!
I know there are more academic issues, I just don't know exactly what right now (husband is the SAH parent).
 
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