researching

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 7/12/02 10:51:23 AM Eastern Daylight Time,

tollytx@... writes:

> I truly believe that 's potential is really high if he was just given

> the right environment. I just can't afford it out of pocket. If any one

> knows of any laws or if they have done anything to get the school district

> to pay for outside things let me know.

>

,

Maddie goes to an approved private school that sounds much like the one you

are looking at for (cept it's even more expensive). She leaves here

each day at 8, and is back home by 4. Sara's Elie goes to one too. We

fought HARD (I'm not kidding...I did my homework all year long) and won

placement at Melmark. The SD did NOT want to approve it; in fact, Maddie is

the only child from Philadelphia to go right into MM from early intervention.

I was told that the usual course of events is to place the child in the SD

and only if that fails, will private placement be considered. Well, I said

NO WAY would I wait for them to make a mistake with Maddie. I already KNEW

(because of my homework a full year before) that there was nothing in our

district appropriate for her. While they fought us during a 4 1/2 long

transition IEP (that was extremely emotional), the things that did work for

us was two letters from docs I had (one from my pedi and one from Dr.

Capone), two of the best advocates for Maddie who knew her from the time she

was 6 weeks old and adored her (the social worker and her teacher, who she

had from the time she was 2), specialized autism treatment program at private

schools, safety (we were adament and didn't back down that they simply could

NOT keep her safe) and the biggie was we insisted it be written in the IEP

that transitioning would not be possible until Maddie had adapted to her

program, which could take 6 months to a year. We were totally prepared to

go to due process for this....the placement they wanted for her was a

multiply-handicapped classroom, where kids are actually on

ventilators....can't you just SEE Miss Maddie climbing those wheelchairs and

dangling those poor kids' breathing cords?!?!?!?) What you have to do is

demonstrate to the IEP team what this school has that they can't provide for

and that it is IMPERATIVE, CRUCIAL that have this kind of academic

program (VERY important to use strong language). A lot harder to do than it

sounds; especially when you've got a SD that doesn't want to shell out bucks,

which let's face, that's pretty much all of them. There were hurdles after

that, but that was the first and most challenging. Let me know if you have

any questions or if there's any way I can be of help.

Donna

[Guest guest]

and Donna,

We are going through something similar with Gabby right now... after two IEP

meetings lasting each aout 2.5 hours they are recommending a sdc class and no

" inclusion " besides lunch, recess, etc. I have serious reservations about this

placement, not the least of which is the teacher to student ration which is...

high. They also want to take ABA away and augh. I could go on but won't bc it's

too draining. I left the mtg saying no way to their placement and they said no

way to mine. Now I am considering private placement but I don't know where to

find a private schools in my area. Any help out there??? I'm about to give in

and say, let's homeschool her but y'know what? That takes A LOT of guts and

know-how and honestly, I don't think I can do it.

I'm in CA btw....

Also, Donna, did you have to retain legal help during this period? I already

have detailed reports from many med professionals that say exactly what Gabby

needs that won't be provided in this setting.

TIA,

Sandy

mom to Gabby (6, ds-asd) and Adam (2)

Re: Researching

In a message dated 7/12/02 10:51:23 AM Eastern Daylight Time,

tollytx@... writes:

> I truly believe that 's potential is really high if he was just given

> the right environment. I just can't afford it out of pocket. If any one

> knows of any laws or if they have done anything to get the school district

> to pay for outside things let me know.

>

,

Maddie goes to an approved private school that sounds much like the one you

are looking at for (cept it's even more expensive). She leaves here

each day at 8, and is back home by 4. Sara's Elie goes to one too. We

fought HARD (I'm not kidding...I did my homework all year long) and won

placement at Melmark. The SD did NOT want to approve it; in fact, Maddie is

the only child from Philadelphia to go right into MM from early intervention.

I was told that the usual course of events is to place the child in the SD

and only if that fails, will private placement be considered. Well, I said

NO WAY would I wait for them to make a mistake with Maddie. I already KNEW

(because of my homework a full year before) that there was nothing in our

district appropriate for her. While they fought us during a 4 1/2 long

transition IEP (that was extremely emotional), the things that did work for

us was two letters from docs I had (one from my pedi and one from Dr.

Capone), two of the best advocates for Maddie who knew her from the time she

was 6 weeks old and adored her (the social worker and her teacher, who she

had from the time she was 2), specialized autism treatment program at private

schools, safety (we were adament and didn't back down that they simply could

NOT keep her safe) and the biggie was we insisted it be written in the IEP

that transitioning would not be possible until Maddie had adapted to her

program, which could take 6 months to a year. We were totally prepared to

go to due process for this....the placement they wanted for her was a

multiply-handicapped classroom, where kids are actually on

ventilators....can't you just SEE Miss Maddie climbing those wheelchairs and

dangling those poor kids' breathing cords?!?!?!?) What you have to do is

demonstrate to the IEP team what this school has that they can't provide for

and that it is IMPERATIVE, CRUCIAL that have this kind of academic

program (VERY important to use strong language). A lot harder to do than it

sounds; especially when you've got a SD that doesn't want to shell out bucks,

which let's face, that's pretty much all of them. There were hurdles after

that, but that was the first and most challenging. Let me know if you have

any questions or if there's any way I can be of help.

Donna

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

The school sounds great! I have never fought the out of district placement

battle but I know Donna and a few other people in the group have. Have you

ever looked at www.wrightslaw.com, that site will give you a starting point.

I hope you will be successful in getting this placement.

Charlyne

Mom to Zeb 9 DS/OCD ?

[Guest guest]

----Original Message Follows----

From: " Sandy Coronilla " <rickvargas1@...>

Reply-

Remember, while you are in dispute - the current setting must be maintained.

The keep the place setting is in the law.

Maybe mediation would help. The solution that I was able to use was the

school psychologist who helped me find the appropriate private school for my

son and defended it at the IEP meeting. What reasoning are they using to

want to d/c ABA?? What are they offering in its place? Is your son in an

autism type placement? Could this be an alternative? Does he have a DSMIV

dx of PDD/ASD??

Sara - Choose to make lemonade, not complain about the lemons.

_________________________________________________________________

Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com

[Guest guest]

Thanks for responding Sara!

yes, Gabby has a diagnosis of ASD and the reason the sd is giving for

discontinuing ABA is that she lacks functional skills and has problems

generalizing. I spoke to the pivotal response therapist about this and she

questioned why the ABA program couldn't include functional skills as it is! I

just don't get it... seriously someone explain this to me.

Every *single* year, it is a new thing... last year it was that they wanted to

take speech away completely (!!!) - non-verbal, non-communicative child here,

hello! LOL And the service of choice this yr is ABA.... I'm simply tired of

working so hard to make things work with them and then having to babysit them

every step of the process and of course having them play these little mind games

just.... it's exhausting.

Listen to what happened today. out of the blue, the dir. of spec. ed leaves a

msg on my machine. I call back and she says that since filing for due process

will take a while, she wants to make sure that Gabby isnt missing out on school.

She then proceeds to offer placement of half time, spec day class, other half

included in reg. kinder class w/ one-on-one aide. I told her we were evaluating

our options and that we would not be sending her to school pending the findings

of due process since no placement (even if we used stay-put clause) is

appropriate I feel. Last yr she was considered a kinder but was in a pre-k

class. This yr she is 1st grader but still in a pre-K class (?).... no. Not even

pending the due process findings. I will keep her home. She says that would be a

change in placement (I guess meaning homeschooling) and that she couldn't

support that!! Funny, I thought that was a TEAM decision. She then said, well

you can't just keep her out of school, she's 6 and must be in school. I'm left

thinking... is she gonna call the police on me?! LOL She did mention something

about a affidavit of homeschooling. Does anyone know what that is? How can I

legally (heh, w/o facing repercussions) keep her home until this mess is worked

through?

Sorry to write such a novel... now I'm changing topics here.

Oh wait... what are they offering in place of ABA you ask.....? Big flat zero...

(whoops) I mean, the ABA director will assist her new teacher in any way she

needs/ act as a consult. Sigh.

And the professionals who I used last yr wrote absolutely marvelous

recommendations for Gabby's education. They aimed high knowing the school would

want to offer less. I suppose I go back to these professionals now, eh? Go

knocking at their doors LOL Luckily, they truly did care about the situation and

offered to call and talk to the dir. of spec ed themselves....

Sandy, sorry again for the novel

mom to Gabby (6, ds-asd) and Adam (2)

rickvargas1@...

Re: Researching

----Original Message Follows----

From: " Sandy Coronilla " <rickvargas1@...>

Reply-

Remember, while you are in dispute - the current setting must be maintained.

The keep the place setting is in the law.

Maybe mediation would help. The solution that I was able to use was the

school psychologist who helped me find the appropriate private school for my

son and defended it at the IEP meeting. What reasoning are they using to

want to d/c ABA?? What are they offering in its place? Is your son in an

autism type placement? Could this be an alternative? Does he have a DSMIV

dx of PDD/ASD??

Sara - Choose to make lemonade, not complain about the lemons.

_________________________________________________________________

Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 7/17/02 2:36:16 AM Eastern Daylight Time,

rickvargas1@... writes:

> Every *single* year, it is a new thing... last year it was that they wanted

> to take speech away completely (!!!) - non-verbal, non-communicative child

> here, hello! LOL

Sandy,

I remember this snotty ST Maddie had in her EI program (only one of two

people there I had problems with in all 7 years Maddie was there) told me

it's ridiculous to do a ST eval and speech on a child who had no verbal

language!!!! I know how you feel; I remember wanting to smack her...instead

I layed out all the reasons (along WITH articles from Libby Kumin) on why it

was so important to include ST in Maddie's program and that I was totally

justified in asking for an eval so we could have a baseline from which to

work (she didn't want one because then she might be called to task if no

progress was made).

<<Not even pending the due process findings. I will keep her home. She says

that would be a change in placement (I guess meaning homeschooling) and that

she couldn't support that!! Funny, I thought that was a TEAM decision. She

then said, well you can't just keep her out of school, she's 6 and must be in

school. I'm left thinking... is she gonna call the police on me?! LOL She did

mention something about a affidavit of homeschooling. Does anyone know what

that is? >>

I'm not sure about all this Sandy. Keeping her home may indeed be a change

in placement. It's certainly different if safety is the issue. If you

take it upon yourself to sign an affidavit of homeschooling (don't know what

that is BTW), then I would think that too is a change in placement and it

might look bad for you at due process, if indeed you are looking for them to

continue ABA services. If homeschooling is a final issue wiht you, then

jsut go for it and see how you can receive ABA services paid for through the

district. My neighbor is currently headed for due process asking for ABA

services to continue at home. Luke is school age and has already *bought*

the extra year of early intervention....this one is very tough because the SD

is willing to pay Bancroft provided he receives services on the premises.

Maybe there is some sort of letter you need to write or someone you need to

contact and state your reasons for keeping Gabby home. I'll be interested

to hear what those more knowledgeable in the legalities of this have to say.

Good luck!!! You're right; they sure don't do anything to make our lives

easier.

{{{{{{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}}}}

Donna

[Guest guest]

Re: Researching

<<

I'm not sure about all this Sandy. Keeping her home may indeed be a change

in placement.

I definitely think it will be considered a change in placement but how on

earth can the dir. of spec. ed just say " no " without even talking to the rest of

Gabby's IEP team? Shouldn't her opinion be only one piece of the ultimate

decision?

It's certainly different if safety is the issue.

If I claim safety as the issue, will it be o.k. in, well, the State of CA's

eyes that she is not in school? What have parents here done?

If you

take it upon yourself to sign an affidavit of homeschooling (don't know what

that is BTW), then I would think that too is a change in placement and it

might look bad for you at due process, if indeed you are looking for them to

continue ABA services.

It is so hard when you're stuck between rock and a hard place. But it's also

great that I have great minds like yourself looking out for us! :-) See, I was

thinking it would look bad if I allowed her to be in either of these placements.

It doesn't sit well with me that she would be sitting around in a classroom with

pre-k students and not being in a decent placement. Oh boy... it is late lololol

If homeschooling is a final issue wiht you, then

jsut go for it and see how you can receive ABA services paid for through the

district.

I don't want to homeschool past this temporary period. I actually got in touch

w a local private school that serves children with learning disorders but the

person I spoke to said that they also serve autistics. We are going to a tour

tomorrow. Anyway, she said that sometimes when parents are going thru due

process, they will send their kids to their school (if the school is the desired

placement) pending the d.p. decision and when/if we win, we will be reimbursed

for the costs of attending the school during that interim period. Problem with

this is we very much cannot afford to pay out of pocket. *Shrug* We'll see what

they say tomorrow.

Thank you so much for talking this out with me Donna..... lol.... sometimes

things make more sense when you write them out, get them out of your system.

Glad I have this list!!!

Sandy

mom to Gabby (6, ds-asd) and Adam (2)

rickvargas1@...

[Guest guest]

I have had a medical condition for a few years now with no resolve. Now I am

starting to wonder if my implants have anything to do with it. I have had a

chronic jaw/neck pain, achy body, and hip joint pain. I have tried everything

for the jaw pain. Massage, physical therapy, TMJ treatment, acupuncture,

chiropractic among many other things. The problem is the pain is not getting

any better and the doctor's can't figure out why I am really even having any

pain. Now I am starting to wonder if my implants have anything to do with it.

My symptoms don't quite seem like the individual's I have been reading about so

I am not sure. All I know is my pain is more than I can describe and is

starting to cause depression and I definitely have a loss of energy. Any info

of similar experiences would be great. It is just hard to spend the time and

money getting them taken out when there is no real correlation.

Thanks

[Guest guest]

,

Hi and welcome.

I'm sorry to hear about the troublesome pain you've been having. It sounds

pretty debilitating!

It is hard to say if your problems are implant related if you do not think you

have some of the other symptoms we have described in our group home page. On

the other hand, the loss of energy and the debilitating pain is very common

amongst implant women, and I would not be surprised if what you are experiencing

has a direct correlation to the presence of the implants. (It sounds like it to

me). A few women have had pain so bad that they chose to be on narcotics, but I

can tell you that this is NOT an answer with long term results. I've known

women who have had spinal surgery even, with no satisfactory results because the

root problem was never addressed. (the implants...)

All over body pain is surely a symptom that your body is out of

sync....fibromyalgia is quite common.

Do you suspect you may have that?

I can understand your hesitation to remove the implants. I didn't want to

entertain the thought that I needed to remove mine either. But in the end, it's

the one thing I had to do to get better.

It's going to be your choice, and I know it's a hard one, but ask yourself this

question:

Will you be healthier in the long run with the presence of implants, or

healthier in the long run without them?

You owe it to yourself to have the best possible chance to live well.

I personally believe that if a woman becomes desperately ill with mysterious

symptoms that doctors can't figure out, the implants ought to be the first

things to go. They certainly don't help.

Healing is a long process for some. It took me 4 years...

Let us know how we can help you further. If you decide to explant, PLEASE! Be

sure to have it done right! You must have a proper explant with the capsules

removed!

Ask us any questions...

Patty

>

> I have had a medical condition for a few years now with no resolve. Now I am

starting to wonder if my implants have anything to do with it. I have had a

chronic jaw/neck pain, achy body, and hip joint pain. I have tried everything

for the jaw pain. Massage, physical therapy, TMJ treatment, acupuncture,

chiropractic among many other things. The problem is the pain is not getting

any better and the doctor's can't figure out why I am really even having any

pain. Now I am starting to wonder if my implants have anything to do with it.

My symptoms don't quite seem like the individual's I have been reading about so

I am not sure. All I know is my pain is more than I can describe and is

starting to cause depression and I definitely have a loss of energy. Any info

of similar experiences would be great. It is just hard to spend the time and

money getting them taken out when there is no real correlation.

> Thanks

>

>