Re: Our district is trying to use my son's speech eval against him

[Guest guest]

Hi Trina,

I am an SLP, as well as a mom of a child with an ASD. It would be totally

unrealistic to expect that a child with an ASD to perform well on demand and

the language delay is a major part of the disability, so I don't think your

district people understand the disability very well. My son is going into

regular 2nd grade in about 3 weeks and his language testing is at about the

4 year level...he too didn't really talk until age 4. I too think you need

a second opinion if at all possible. Due process rights in special ed

require that the district pay for an outside evaluation if you disagree with

the evaluation that they have conducted. However, they can take it to due

process and make someone else say whether or not the outside eval is really

warranted. Districts will usually try to avoid due process if they can, so

you might have a chance here. Even if the district were to prevail at due

process, the law requires them to consider ANY evaluation or results that

you make available to them, whether they paid for it or not. So, if you go

out on your own and pay for an eval, the district must consider it if you

bring the results " to the table " so to speak. Any outside testing you can

provide that rebuts or provides additional information about your child has

to be taken into consideration, if you let them have the report. I know

this is a pricy option...we are saving for a several thousand dollar

evaluation for Graham, although we are not totally dissatisfied with the

district's handling of his case, I believe the evaluation was seriously

flawed and the outside consultation the district paid for was essentially a

rubber stamp on the district.

I don't know if this is helpful or not...as an SLP, all I can say is that

you would expect a child with an ASD to have language delays and perform

poorly on standardized testing....most of them do. I know my son did. I

also know that those tests are not necessarily representative of what a

child can do. My son went to regular first grade with supports last year

and performed academically at about the same level as the other kids in his

class, with huge verbal language delays. It is only one piece of the

puzzle. It's a shame your district is so inflexible (or so it seems). Good

luck and keep us posted. I will be sending *positive, assertive* vibes your

way for your meetings.

Fondly,

J

[Guest guest]

Hi Trina, Have you considered the possibility of having a personal aide in

class for your child?? His speech is behind, and it seems like his

cooperation level is not up to par either. I had the same problem with my son

at testing time. Unlike your school who wants him in a seperate room, my son

is integrated into the regular class at certain times with the help of his

aide, so he gets the social times he needs. But as far as academics, he does

better in a resource room, 1 on 1. Due to the lack of his cooperation, the

overall testing was inconclusive, and thus, he was dubbed " developmentally

handicapped " , which means mentally retarded, which we all know is not

correct, but to get the SERVICES he is intitled to and needs, we OK'd it. To

me, the " label " means nothing as I know my son has disabilities and needs

help to succeed, and I want that for him so he does not fall farther behind

that of his peers. I did have to do my " homework " to get this accomplished

and my school board is not familiar with autism. First, know your childs

rights. Call your State dept. of education and get the guideline book(ours is

called " rules for the education of handicapped children. I live in

Ohio).Second, call your local board of Mentally Retarded/Developmentally

handicapped or MR/DD (usually in the phone book or from your school board)

and ask them if they have " parent advocates " for you to speak to. These are

parents who have been there, done that who can guide you through the IEP

process, and I found them to be very helpful. Also, you may qualify through

the MR/DD board for Family resources, which helps pay for services your

insurance won't, especially if you choose to seek outside testing and the

school won't cooperate and pay for. If your school district needs and

education on autism, the MR/DD will do this for you also. My son's ped. has

also played a great role in helping get the aide with her written

recommendation; it was there in black and white. It sounds like you son may

not have been diagnosed yet????? If he has seen an outside psychologist, the

testing has to be accepted by the school board. If not, let them test him,

you will only gain services which are vital for his sucess. This is my

personal opinion and you can take it or leave it, but what matters most is

your child gets the help he needs, regardless of label. The multifactored

evaluation in Ohio, has to be performed before the IEP can be written. From

that, they focus on the areas your child needs the help. Best of

luck,,,,,Cheri*****