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<blockquote data-quote="mistmouse" data-source="post: 5490" data-attributes="member: 289"><p>Martie</p><p></p><p>I figured you remembered the situation quite well.</p><p></p><p>difficult child did have a neuropscyh evaluation in kindergarten when her initial evaluation took place, but I was disappointed that it didn't entail anything medical like MRIs or such. To the best of my recollection without going and getting the report, it seems that most of it was geared toward the results of such and such test not explaining her "violent" behaviors she was showing at school. I always felt it was an effort on the part of the SD to show why they had not provided difficult child with even an interim IEP while holding her in a behavior classroom, because they wanted it to show she was just an undisciplined child. I am not sure what all tests should have been done, but I know that stands out in my mind the part about it not explaining difficult child's violent behavior. Mind you we had a claustrophobic five-year old who was being put in a small time-out room and the door being held when she couldn't calm down, and the "violent" behaviors documented were her fighting to get out of time-out or when being dragged to time-out. However, I was just beginning this warrior mom journey and even though the neuropsychologist evaluation didn't seem complete, it did have the words that difficult child did qualify all along with what information they had before they sent her for the neuropsychologist evaluation, and that it was their recommendation she be given an IEP. I was under the belief that if we could get appropriate services it didn't matter what we called it, and I still believe that is somewhat true if you have a SD who is going to fight every idea you have for why things are the way they are. </p><p></p><p>But, now we have a child who is experiencing difficulties at sixth grade level after staying on grade level through all the changes from being sent home almost daily, to being held in time-out for six or seven hours, to being on homebound for more than a semester, to being moved against my wishes from one school to another, to a 45 day placement under a dangerousness complaint (that stretched out to more than twice that), to finally being returned to regular education in fifth grade.</p><p></p><p>As for the Occupational Therapist (OT) evaluation, been there done that. I asked for it during the initial evaluation and they said, she had no need. It was kindergarten so I let it go for the time being. It was brought up again in first grade, nothing done. It was brought up again in second grade by the psychologist who was brought on board after the HO ordered it. A screening was done and they found no need for services, although the report says difficult child was asked to copy a sentence and did so with difficulty and decreased legibility and then she was asked to write a sentence of her own and again did so with difficulty and decreased legibility. At her annual IEP I asked for a complete Occupational Therapist (OT) evaluation rather than just a screening, and they did do one, but again saw no deficits...difficult child is above age level. I requested an independent evaluation and was refused. Would have had to go to due process to get that, so we let it go for the time being since they wrote accommodations and modifications into her IEP. Not that they were followed with any consistency, and mostly not at all. So, I began trying to get an independent evaluation but was having difficulty finding somebody in my area that medicaid would approve. The one the developmental behavioral pediatrician wanted is in a different state, as is she, but medicaid said no. I was able to get a referral from PCP to see an Occupational Therapist (OT) at the hospital here. The Occupational Therapist (OT) was great, and he had worked for the SD before so knew the tests they use, obtained them and administered them. He wrote a report showing difficult child did have visual motor and some other deficits. Took it to IEP meeting at beginning of third grade, it was dismissed as not being of value as they considered the service she was getting "medical" rather than educational so the SpEd director said she would order a new Occupational Therapist (OT) evaluation. Same tests done a few weeks after the ones from the independent Occupational Therapist (OT), but only a few weeks later she is above age level rather than the two years behind. Still couldn't get an independent evaluation without going to due process, but accommodations were written into her IEP. It wasn't until part way into fourth grade they provided the AlphaSmart.</p><p></p><p>A while back I heard something about left-handed children who hold their hands straight and write the same as a right-hander does, rather than the turned upside down way most left-handers write (don't know if I am explaining it correctly) are also left-brained rather than the typical left-handed/right-brained and vice versa. I am wondering if this is also contributing or if it is another sign of what you are saying about a nonverbal "wire crossed" somewhere.</p><p></p><p>I don't think we will get a computer in the elementary school classroom. They have ones for the teachers in there, but the only other one is for taking the AR tests and if it was made available for difficult child then there would be no computer for the other students to take the reading tests on to make their AR points.</p><p></p><p>I think it is some of what you are saying about sixth grade girls not liking to have messy handwriting, only it carries over to not wanting to be using the AlphaSmart because it makes her "different". I had hoped we could get through sixth grade in spite of the refusal to use the AlphaSmart, adn in 7th grade she would be given a laptop along with all other 7th graders. However, this is the last year for that program because they lost their funding. So, difficult child goes to 7th grade next year, but the laptops for students program doesn't exist anymore so this year's 7th graders were the last to benefit from that.</p><p></p><p>As for how things are going otherwise? difficult child's behaviors are mostly under control. I could not have asked for a better teacher, sped teacher, and aide last year in being supportive, and consistent in following difficult child's IEP and BIP. It is what I always predicted, if the IEP was followed completely and consistently, then difficult child could progress both academically and socially in the regular classroom. Add to that that difficult child has matured to the point of now being embarrassed to "lose it" in front of her peers, and it has resulted in an overall spectacular success behaviorally.</p><p></p><p>It is that very phenomenon of now having the behavior issues somewhat in the background, that makes it more obvious with the academic problems along with the more difficult requirements of sixth grade. I have always believed she had dysgraphia, but was fighting a bigger battle at the time, you know what I mean? The dyscalcula possibility hit me when I began trying to figure out what could be making such a drastic difference in her math grades this school year. I knew she was unable to learn basic math facts, but in reading some info on other posts I came across a link that discribed dyscalcula and I said, "that is my daughter".</p><p></p><p>We are still in litigation with the SD, and I am not sure there are resources to add to the fight, so I am probably going to be on my own to try to rectify this.</p><p></p><p>By the way, I haven't posted in quite some time because I am aware of somebody within the district monitoring my activity on this board and printing out my posts and sending them to the SD's attorney. This came out when some of the forwarded posts came out in discovery in preparing for trial. As you know I had this problem the first time we went to due process, and at that time I had Fran delete my registration and all posts. Then a few months later I reregistered, with no personal identifying information, but some way they are tracking it, so I assume unless they read thousands of posts until they found ones that sounded like what is going on in the litigation, then it must be through my email address.</p><p></p><p>Thanks for any and all help. You have always been a great source of help Martie, as has Sheila. It is a shame I can't give and get more support because of the fear of whatever I write being read by SD personnel and passed on to their attorney. I have never given them the name of this site, and have no idea how they found it the first time.</p><p></p><p>mistmouse</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="mistmouse, post: 5490, member: 289"] Martie I figured you remembered the situation quite well. difficult child did have a neuropscyh evaluation in kindergarten when her initial evaluation took place, but I was disappointed that it didn't entail anything medical like MRIs or such. To the best of my recollection without going and getting the report, it seems that most of it was geared toward the results of such and such test not explaining her "violent" behaviors she was showing at school. I always felt it was an effort on the part of the SD to show why they had not provided difficult child with even an interim IEP while holding her in a behavior classroom, because they wanted it to show she was just an undisciplined child. I am not sure what all tests should have been done, but I know that stands out in my mind the part about it not explaining difficult child's violent behavior. Mind you we had a claustrophobic five-year old who was being put in a small time-out room and the door being held when she couldn't calm down, and the "violent" behaviors documented were her fighting to get out of time-out or when being dragged to time-out. However, I was just beginning this warrior mom journey and even though the neuropsychologist evaluation didn't seem complete, it did have the words that difficult child did qualify all along with what information they had before they sent her for the neuropsychologist evaluation, and that it was their recommendation she be given an IEP. I was under the belief that if we could get appropriate services it didn't matter what we called it, and I still believe that is somewhat true if you have a SD who is going to fight every idea you have for why things are the way they are. But, now we have a child who is experiencing difficulties at sixth grade level after staying on grade level through all the changes from being sent home almost daily, to being held in time-out for six or seven hours, to being on homebound for more than a semester, to being moved against my wishes from one school to another, to a 45 day placement under a dangerousness complaint (that stretched out to more than twice that), to finally being returned to regular education in fifth grade. As for the Occupational Therapist (OT) evaluation, been there done that. I asked for it during the initial evaluation and they said, she had no need. It was kindergarten so I let it go for the time being. It was brought up again in first grade, nothing done. It was brought up again in second grade by the psychologist who was brought on board after the HO ordered it. A screening was done and they found no need for services, although the report says difficult child was asked to copy a sentence and did so with difficulty and decreased legibility and then she was asked to write a sentence of her own and again did so with difficulty and decreased legibility. At her annual IEP I asked for a complete Occupational Therapist (OT) evaluation rather than just a screening, and they did do one, but again saw no deficits...difficult child is above age level. I requested an independent evaluation and was refused. Would have had to go to due process to get that, so we let it go for the time being since they wrote accommodations and modifications into her IEP. Not that they were followed with any consistency, and mostly not at all. So, I began trying to get an independent evaluation but was having difficulty finding somebody in my area that medicaid would approve. The one the developmental behavioral pediatrician wanted is in a different state, as is she, but medicaid said no. I was able to get a referral from PCP to see an Occupational Therapist (OT) at the hospital here. The Occupational Therapist (OT) was great, and he had worked for the SD before so knew the tests they use, obtained them and administered them. He wrote a report showing difficult child did have visual motor and some other deficits. Took it to IEP meeting at beginning of third grade, it was dismissed as not being of value as they considered the service she was getting "medical" rather than educational so the SpEd director said she would order a new Occupational Therapist (OT) evaluation. Same tests done a few weeks after the ones from the independent Occupational Therapist (OT), but only a few weeks later she is above age level rather than the two years behind. Still couldn't get an independent evaluation without going to due process, but accommodations were written into her IEP. It wasn't until part way into fourth grade they provided the AlphaSmart. A while back I heard something about left-handed children who hold their hands straight and write the same as a right-hander does, rather than the turned upside down way most left-handers write (don't know if I am explaining it correctly) are also left-brained rather than the typical left-handed/right-brained and vice versa. I am wondering if this is also contributing or if it is another sign of what you are saying about a nonverbal "wire crossed" somewhere. I don't think we will get a computer in the elementary school classroom. They have ones for the teachers in there, but the only other one is for taking the AR tests and if it was made available for difficult child then there would be no computer for the other students to take the reading tests on to make their AR points. I think it is some of what you are saying about sixth grade girls not liking to have messy handwriting, only it carries over to not wanting to be using the AlphaSmart because it makes her "different". I had hoped we could get through sixth grade in spite of the refusal to use the AlphaSmart, adn in 7th grade she would be given a laptop along with all other 7th graders. However, this is the last year for that program because they lost their funding. So, difficult child goes to 7th grade next year, but the laptops for students program doesn't exist anymore so this year's 7th graders were the last to benefit from that. As for how things are going otherwise? difficult child's behaviors are mostly under control. I could not have asked for a better teacher, sped teacher, and aide last year in being supportive, and consistent in following difficult child's IEP and BIP. It is what I always predicted, if the IEP was followed completely and consistently, then difficult child could progress both academically and socially in the regular classroom. Add to that that difficult child has matured to the point of now being embarrassed to "lose it" in front of her peers, and it has resulted in an overall spectacular success behaviorally. It is that very phenomenon of now having the behavior issues somewhat in the background, that makes it more obvious with the academic problems along with the more difficult requirements of sixth grade. I have always believed she had dysgraphia, but was fighting a bigger battle at the time, you know what I mean? The dyscalcula possibility hit me when I began trying to figure out what could be making such a drastic difference in her math grades this school year. I knew she was unable to learn basic math facts, but in reading some info on other posts I came across a link that discribed dyscalcula and I said, "that is my daughter". We are still in litigation with the SD, and I am not sure there are resources to add to the fight, so I am probably going to be on my own to try to rectify this. By the way, I haven't posted in quite some time because I am aware of somebody within the district monitoring my activity on this board and printing out my posts and sending them to the SD's attorney. This came out when some of the forwarded posts came out in discovery in preparing for trial. As you know I had this problem the first time we went to due process, and at that time I had Fran delete my registration and all posts. Then a few months later I reregistered, with no personal identifying information, but some way they are tracking it, so I assume unless they read thousands of posts until they found ones that sounded like what is going on in the litigation, then it must be through my email address. Thanks for any and all help. You have always been a great source of help Martie, as has Sheila. It is a shame I can't give and get more support because of the fear of whatever I write being read by SD personnel and passed on to their attorney. I have never given them the name of this site, and have no idea how they found it the first time. mistmouse [/QUOTE]
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