Re: Transitioning to Kindergarten from Preschool and fighting the whole way

February 1, 2010

You might want to head over to <www.wrightslaw.com> to learn more about

your rights in the sped process. Do not let people take services away

without proof that she has met her goals and is age appropriate. If

you disagree, you can request an outside Independent Evaluation at

school expense. For ESY, it can be really difficult to get! I know

the law says more than just " regression " . It also includes recoupment

of skills and emerging skills. In fact, I just went and looked up a

great article for you to learn more about ESY.

<http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/esy.standards.barlev.htm> I get so

tired of it when sped people just say, " No regression " as if that is

the end of the discussion. I don't know if your dd will qualify, but

if you learn more about the law, you may be able to advocate better.

As for what tests - the professionals will know which tests to apply.

Just jot down the areas that you feel are compromised so you can make

sure they cover everything you see going on.

How do you explain things? I often jot down notes. For instance, when

my youngest ds had speech problems, they school never saw them. This

is because he was so quiet and reserved at school. I took notes so

next meeting, I could say, " This is what happens... " and give several

examples of the problem. Many websites out there have developmental

milestones that you can look up. Just google " developmental

milestones " and search around.

Roxanna

" The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do

nothing. " E. Burke

( ) Transitioning to Kindergarten from

Preschool and fighting the whole way

My first IEP meeting (for summer) with the special preschool my

daughter

has been attending was horrific... they basically stripped her of all

her remaining services including speech and then they said she didn't

regress over the holiday break so she wasn't even going to be able to

attend the preschool over the summer!! I managed to get that back.

They kept saying her " testing " was all normal. Yes, she's intelligent

and can learn in this special environment that she has been in since

she

was 2.

I asked for social skills therapy and they wouldn't give it to me but

would advocate for it when we had the Kindergarten IEP meeting in May.

??

I requested a second meeting and now I can have some defense prepared!

I

have feelers out for her to see a neurologist and a psychologist for

testing on my own... Recommended by our developmental pediatrician's

office... I have no idea what testing to ask for. I know that the TOPL

2

would help prove her pragmatic problems but it's for age 6 and up. She

just turned 5.

I don't know what to do. Right now my plan is to just recite to them

what the heck Asperger's syndrome is (which of course they already

know)

and try hard to pick my daughter's behavior apart and use examples of

her home behavior to show she needs these services. It's hard because

you just get used to their behavior and she' my only child. I don't

have

a normal 5 year old around to compare her to yknow? I'm actually

considering video taping me asking her questions that would show her

pragmatic language disability and showing it at the meeting ... but

what

questions do I ask?? And, my hubby would have to somehow secretly film

it because as soon as my DD sees a camera it's all over. LOL!

THIS IEP is most important, not the fall one. I can't wait for the

spring IEP to fight for services because we might be moved to Wisconsin

by then (hubby's job) so I need a strong IEP NOW to bring with me to

this totally different and alien state! And if we DON'T move to

Wisconsin, we will definitely be moving to a different school district

in the area beginning of May which is the month the fall IEP meeting

would be in. ???

It will be much easier to get services if they are already on the IEP.

This I'm almost sure of.

I asked at the school little seminar about transition to kindergarten

about services and homeschooling and you'd think I was an alien from

Mars and they said something like hurry up and file something!!! ?? I

have to do something very important right away but I didn't catch it

before they took the next question...

Any advice is appreciated,

Jen

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07:35:00

February 2, 2010

You should write a very professionally worded " parental concerns "

section to her exsisting IEP (she has one right?).

I would write something like this:

We are concerned that our daughter's educational needs will not

be met by the recent changes proposed. We do not agree with the

changes. She has a pervasive DD (or AS) and needs to have services in place for

OT, speech and social skills " . We are requesting a

neurodevelopmental evaulation be done as soon as possible " .

Your daughter is too young for a neuropsychological test

but a neurologist or a nuerodevelopmental peditrician should be able to give you

a DX of AS or PDD and recommend services.

You really need this type of a person involved. If the school is

not paying for it and you are, ask the doctor's office if they include

strong recommendations for needed services and not just a DX, you need that.

I don't know why it is so hard to get professionals to help

us with school advocacy. Make sure the person you are going to

pay for will provide this service even if it is just a written

note.

Pam

>

> My first IEP meeting (for summer) with the special preschool my daughter

> has been attending was horrific... they basically stripped her of all

> her remaining services including speech and then they said she didn't

> regress over the holiday break so she wasn't even going to be able to

> attend the preschool over the summer!! I managed to get that back.

>

> They kept saying her " testing " was all normal. Yes, she's intelligent

> and can learn in this special environment that she has been in since she

> was 2.

>

> I asked for social skills therapy and they wouldn't give it to me but

> would advocate for it when we had the Kindergarten IEP meeting in May. ??

>

> I requested a second meeting and now I can have some defense prepared! I

> have feelers out for her to see a neurologist and a psychologist for

> testing on my own... Recommended by our developmental pediatrician's

> office... I have no idea what testing to ask for. I know that the TOPL 2

> would help prove her pragmatic problems but it's for age 6 and up. She

> just turned 5.

>

> I don't know what to do. Right now my plan is to just recite to them

> what the heck Asperger's syndrome is (which of course they already know)

> and try hard to pick my daughter's behavior apart and use examples of

> her home behavior to show she needs these services. It's hard because

> you just get used to their behavior and she' my only child. I don't have

> a normal 5 year old around to compare her to yknow? I'm actually

> considering video taping me asking her questions that would show her

> pragmatic language disability and showing it at the meeting ... but what

> questions do I ask?? And, my hubby would have to somehow secretly film

> it because as soon as my DD sees a camera it's all over. LOL!

>

> THIS IEP is most important, not the fall one. I can't wait for the

> spring IEP to fight for services because we might be moved to Wisconsin

> by then (hubby's job) so I need a strong IEP NOW to bring with me to

> this totally different and alien state! And if we DON'T move to

> Wisconsin, we will definitely be moving to a different school district

> in the area beginning of May which is the month the fall IEP meeting

> would be in. ???

>

> It will be much easier to get services if they are already on the IEP.

> This I'm almost sure of.

>

> I asked at the school little seminar about transition to kindergarten

> about services and homeschooling and you'd think I was an alien from

> Mars and they said something like hurry up and file something!!! ?? I

> have to do something very important right away but I didn't catch it

> before they took the next question...

>

> Any advice is appreciated,

> Jen

>

> No virus found in this outgoing message.

> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com

> Version: 8.5.432 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2657 - Release Date: 01/30/10

07:35:00

>

February 2, 2010

Thanks all for the info.

At the first meeting I managed to convince them on the ESY but lost her

speech and there was no social worker therapy added which the social

worker herself had recommended to me and then denied!

Thursday morning is our second meeting... No IEP yet, just a draft...

So, we will be getting 2 group sessions of speech 30mins a week (by law

if you have autism you get this!!) and I will be 'asking' for another

session outside in the public realm to help her navigate with children

in other settings. Ha.

Then we will be getting one 30min session with the social worker per

week 1:1. She thought it was necessary and all of their observations on

her behavior modulation support it as well as my own.

I am not going to be happy with anything less than this. I've already

started writing up observations and I might be recording some

interactions between her and a neurotypical girl her age this afternoon

when I go see a friend of mine... Although I've wondered if her daughter

was an Aspie too... LOL!

DD has been seeing a developmental ped for years but I haven't gotten

recommendations from her regarding particular school issues except one

time and I can remember what that was for. I'm now having this doc

evaluate DD for ADHD this month but it's after the meeting. Made sure to

get a hour appt cuz she only really sees a 30min DD at our appointments

and this doesn't really show much. Plus, she needs to see the records

from school and my own observations. I didn't realize that this

diagnosis fit her so well. I think this add on diagnosis will help her

get the supports she needs in school. I hope!

Wish me luck!

Jen

H wrote: