IEP eval

[Guest guest]

Just finished an eval for my 15 y/o dd (to possibly enter 11th grade

public school from private homeschooling).

We undertook this eval b/c her team at UCLA insisted we try to get

her into the only apropos placement for someone like herself: a non-

public school. They said she should get an IEP based on their

evaluations and recommendations (their report was given to the local

highschool) and then get a referral to special school (we have a

couple here for aspergers). I addressed idea of independent study

(through public school) and part time classes, but they (UCLA team)

said no, not enough specialized help avaiable or soclalization

through that approach. So I decided to see what we could find out by

doing the local IEP eval.

So: She does not qualify as emotionally disturbed, as having a

specific learning disability, or as academically challenged-so there

can be no IEP.

She does have OCD (they acknowledged); a processing disorder (caused

by the anxiety-thus very poor on timed tests, and it rendered some of

her IQ testing invalid or " non-interpretable " (?); a manual

dexterity problem (also affects processing); and they agree with her

dx from UCLA (schizotypal-where she was treated for atypical eating

disorder). They also agreed that schizotypal sounds almost identical

to aspergers except maybe more " superstitious " as opposed

to " concrete " in thinking.

They also think she attempts to dress " too fashionably " to qualify

for " typical " apergers (i.e she should not care at all about

fashion). Yet her dress/style is nonethless very odd, though in a

way " stylish " (but that all is bit of a tangent).

So their recommendation, since they actually do believe she could not

function full-time as a student in a highschool w/ student population

of nearly 4000, with a college-like campus, is that she try summer

school on campus, and then decide if she wants to try highschool (for

11th grade).

If she wants to try highschool in the Fall, and begins to fail, then

they can revisit the IEP, but as it stands she has normal

cognitive/academic ability, normal emotional ability.

So won't this be the case with almost all OCD kids(and maybe

asperger's too): They do not qualify for full-time aide or

significant academic tutoring, or significant degree of accomodation

b/c they do not have an academic/learning/cognitive disability?

Yet OCD impacts ability to " access " learning. Is this then an

academic impediment or not? And is it necessary to undergo severe

distress and/or progress to failing to get a partial to full-time

aide or tutoring, or a part-time schooling schedule? (I'm still

considering the independent study program, that UCLA advised against

but this does puts alot on the parent-my 13 yr old does it currently

for middle school).

I can appreciate how the school has limited means to provide for

students who are borderline or don't quite fit special-ed criteria,

after all they run off taxpayer funds.

I'm not really blaming them for not having (yet) devised a system to

accomodate students who are really hard to categorize, and whose

abilities and deficits are so divergent within one individual. (My dd

scored superior in several tests, but like 6 yr old on others?-also

her IQ, measured at 176 4yrs ago, is now measured at 84-but they said

part of the test was " uninterpretable " due to her anxiety???).

So their eval was comprehensive and helpul in showing to me that what

I have observed myself is consistent with the difficulties she

presented to them. And I did feel they were sympathtic to my dd, and

non-judgemental (which they could have been as regards homeschooling-

which they actually seemed to admire as accounting for her superior

academic scores). And in trying to figure out where to fit my dd in,

they were honest in agreeing, from what they saw, that my dd could

very well fall apart as full-time student-yet that would have to

happen before further steps could be taken.

What it boils down to, is really how much can the school help with a

student who does not have obvious LD or medical impediment? OCD is

not so well recognized, for example, as is AD(h)D yet- it is in a

sort of orphan category I think.

Too, I am ambivalnent about full-time schooling and the whole

highschool setting and my DD's vulnerabilities, like tendency to

assume habits or behaviors she observes, or to laach onto someone to

mimic. So as of yet, I am not getting up in arms about whether they

they are fair or accomodating enough or not.

So as parents we face a big problem knowing how to help " borderline "

or " non-categorize-able " students. And what about when part of the

test scores are " uninterpretable " due to suspected OCD and/or

anxiety? Do they take those tests again? Should she do it at home

where she is less anxious?

So where to put them, what about future? What about socializing and

aquiring the know-how and skills (that come naturally to others) to

function? It is hard when they are so smart and so intellectually

stimulated and oriented-yet so deficient in certain very practical as

well as more subtle ways. It is hard for a smart student, who values

personal intellectual skill or stimulation, to feel " dumb " in

evaluations.

With my 10 y/o son son (504-no IEP-butthat needs to be revisited

before next year-don't know what I am going to do with him either) he

is in similar category: not academically/cognitively challenged,

(based on last year's testing) yet homebound b/c he cannot be in

school witout being chroinically triggered in his OCD, so cannot

really access learning in the school. He got to this point by

progressing to total inability to participate in school, and then

refusal to attend-those weeks of refusal were pretty traumatic for

all.

Should I consider putting my daughter through a trial ilke this which

would chalk up to " failure " on her self-esteem-meter if she does in

fact fall apart? Is it fair for me to guess she will not do well thus

try to brainstorm other approaches, or does my educated guess mean

I am pinning low expecations upon her?

So it seems the evaluation gave me more information, or confirmed

some of what I knew, but it does not really give me any more

direction.

Guess I'm wanting someone to say " this is precisely what we should

do, and how to do it, and step by step your daughter will progress to

college, and eventual self-sufficiency...