Thanks all! Crazy, you are correct. I understand what IDEA says and the intention, but the reality is that this sd has listed under it's definition of ED something that basicly indicates a behavioral problem. This is what the teachers learn. The way this effects things is 1) with the ED class, some services cannot be access because everything listed in the iep for that child must be indicated as behavior modification oriented and 2) it has taken over 3 years for things like inattention in class to be listed as "unable to stay focused" instead of "refuses to pay attnetion". I understand that it makes no difference if accomodations are provided; but the appropriate accomodations don't get provided if people read something and assume that it's a behavior issue, not a problem that the child can't help. Not to mention the fact that the difference in the way teachers treat my son, talk to him, etc is soooo different when they understand that he is exhibiting these things due to an illness, not due to his choice. And, the proof in the pudding is the fact that for the past 18 mos since we've been approaching things this way at school, my son is no longer considered a behavioral problem- even without ANY behavioral modification tactics in place.
The reason I am addressing it now is 1) it is his time for the required 3 year review and the diagnosis changed within that time and right now, people are available at school to verify that he is not posing a behavioral problem in class or at school, however, without the accommodations that they are providing, my son would have flunked out already2) he is due to change to high school, with entirely new personnel at the end of this school year- in the best scenario- or others will be looking at his IEP through county assistance, Residential Treatment Center (RTC), or whatever. If it is written "refuses to pay attention" instead of "cannot pay attention" it makes a world of difference in things. Not to mention, that at least in this school, with the ED class, all goals, benchmarks, etc must either be written as behavioral or academic. Under OHI, you can get things in there like social goals, etc. Therefore, whether or not this is the way it is supposed to be, accommodations are indirectly limited.
Two examples come to mind: 1) my son has suicidal tendencies at times. I hope people can understand that those do effect his ability to perform and meet his academic potential. If the sd involves him in certain social, recreational, sporting activities, these tendencies improve, therefore he can perform better at school. Right now, he can't get anything like that written in his iep because he's listed as ED. They do provide it for him at his school, in a very limited way, but it's not because it's written anywhere and he's going to need this in high school2) One of the therapuetic goals for my son is to learn triggers for mania and depression and then learn how to manage mood cycling as much as possible. Right now, this is listed as a "behavior" issue. Would it be a behavior issue if it was a diabetic trying to learn physical signs that blood sugar was dropping? Is it a school issue? Yes, in my humble opinion, if it's happening at school and effecting their ability to learn, it's a school issue.
There are other things- my son tests low in executive functioning areas, as is typical for kids with BiPolar (BP), and that effects things at school. When he;;s cycling or unstable, he can't get to school. Is that a behavior issue? Should that be portrayed in a way that leads teachers to believe that he's refusing to go to school just because he doesn't want to?