Brooke's IEP Timeline

[Dad2Brooke]

Angelia said:

and on the other comment that she made that it is not feasible for me to give two test everytime. Oh! is it not only feasible it can happen if your daughter was in a 504 plan, and she would have to do it then!

I agree completely, it was that comment that made up my mind about getting my daughter a plan. I believe my thought process upon reading that went something like, "The he11 you won't."

Thanks for the info and support.

[gabrielsmom]

Dad2Brooke:

Great website.....Thanks a lot!!!

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[Sorka]

Hey guys there is a great parent advocacy tutorial on www.tourettesyndrome.net look under the advoccy link..
It has sample letters definitions and step by step walk through of what you need to do to get testing and special plans in place.
Try it not just for tourettes kids I used it and got results! even a personal call from the school superintendent!

[eaccae]

Madison

Does your school have enrichment classes? Our school has enrichment class - and all the kids that attend leave the classroom for them too. Maybe if your school does that - you can explain that not everyone who is leaving is a " Dummy". DS for two years in a row used to leave for "math group" - it was a remedial group but none of the kids at his school ever really knew that -it was just math group. Now he is going to enrichment and had no idea that he is now in advanced either. And - luckily -our school does this topic by topic - so the kids that leave the classroom for these groups are always rotating.

Good luck!

[Dad2Brooke]

Sorry it took me a while to get back to the post, but it's beena busy weekend so far.

Brookes teacher called me Friday afternoon as a result of my email to her. She's being all super nice, telling me about all that's entailed and telling me that I can expect a call on Monday for the Asst Principal that handles IEP and 504. She even tells me she knows what I am going thru, because she has an ADD daughter

So maybe I misjudged her.

I'll keep ya'll posted.

[Dad2Brooke]

Well, I have a date for the initial meeting. Dec 17th. I could have had it Dec 10th, but naturally, I will be out of town on a business trip.

This initial meeting is my wife and I, the teacher, asst principal, school psychologist, resource teacher and I think that's it. Apparently this is the meeting in which we decide if Brooke needs testing. Then if she does they have 65 days to do that.

The teacher has been emailing me all kind of questions to help her prepare her report on Brooke. She plans to test Brooke math, reading etc, skills on the 15th to have the most current data.

I hate to say it, but I hope that Brooke doesn't do very well on those tests. Even though she seems to be doing better scholastically since the Strat and all the extra hours of homework, I don't want the school to determine that there is no problem. With Brooke's history on meds, the week after they say no, the Strat may lose effectiveness. I want that IEP for her to help her in school, but also as a safety net.

Man, what a mess, hoping my daughter will do poorly

[Dad2Brooke]

Well we had the meeting today and it could not have gone any better.

The participants were:
My wife and I
Brooke's Teacher
Asst Principal
School Social Worker
School Psychologist
LD Teacher/Coordinator

It lasted about 30 minutes and started with introductions. Then her teacher read/explained her evaluation. We discussed it for about twenty minutes with input coming from everybody, but mainly her teacher and I.

I discussed her medicine situation and although, she is improving, I can't rely on it, due to past experiences.

In the end, they decided to do a full spread of testing. It will involve educational, psychological, social skills, hearing, and vision. We are meeting with the social worker as soon as the Holidays are over. On Mar 17th, we will have another meeting for IEP approval/implementation.

I am very relieved that everyone in the meeting seemed genuinely concerned for my daughter, and were all so willing to help.

I will keep you all informed.

[Dad2Brooke]

We will be getting a visit by the school social worker tomorrow as part of the IEP evaluation process.

Any one know what I can expect?

[eaccae]

Ralph

How did the meeting go? That's a new one for me. Our school doesn't send out the school social worker. We did meet with her way back in Kindergarten though, and I specifically told the principal that I didn't ever want to talk to that woman again. She was, unfortunately, a pompus pain in the *ss who couldn't listen to save her life - even the teacher was getting frusterated.

Anyway - she came out to your house? What happened?

[Dad2Brooke]

eaccae, sorry that it took me so long to reply. I never noticed your post.

The SW asked us all types of questions. How was my wifes pregnancy? How was Brooke as a baby? Is ther structure in the home? What type of child care did she have? Any history of ADHD in either side of the family? What is our parenting style? How do we discipline?

Very thorough questions trying to get a picture of Brooke's life up until this point.

[Dad2Brooke]

We had her meeting on Wednesday (St Patrick's Day) and it has been decided that she is going to get an IEP!.

All of the tests came back and the individuals gave their reports.

The social worker gave her report on Brooke's history and homelife.

The school Pyschologist gave her report on the Brooke's IQ. Most of her scores from the WISC-IV were in the high average and superior category, but one in particular put her in the borderline category. This score was processing speed. Basically, what the test showed was that she knows the stuff, she just takes a while to come up with it. Longer than the average kid, a lot longer.

The educational specialist tests indicated the same thing. Low processing speed, and high in all other areas.

So, her processing speed is so low that they actually classified her as LD and OHI (Other Health Impaired ie: ADHD)

Her IEP will be written to help her with "whole language arts and math."

As of last Wednesday they have 30 days to write the IEP.

On Friday, I got a called from the LD teacher. She wants to meet with Michelle and I and the rest of the child study team on April 1st (why do we always meet on holidays) to go over her IEP.

She said that she would send the completed IEP to me a few days in advance so that I can go over it ahead of time. After I related some horror stories about IEP meetings and schools running roughshod, she said that we didn't have to sign it that day, and we could talk it over with whoever we wanted.

She also emailed me Brooke's proposed classes. Essentially, if I approve it she will do about half her day in the LD classes and half with her normal classes. I still need to find out the structure of the LD classes prior to signing anything, and I want to sit in on them prior to her being in them. (I know that if I sat there with Brooke in the class she wouldn't do anything, she would spend her time trying to get my attention. It would be a waste of time.)

I have to say, my experience with her school has been nothing less that positive. The people on the child study team really give the impression that they care what happens to Brooke. I am relieved, but I won't become complacent. I didn't get this far to relax now.

I will update more in the future.

[shardstar]

That's GREAT Ralph! I'm so glad you did this. We have an IEP for my daughter in 1st grade and I feel that it has helped her tremendously!

These days there are so many kids receiving special help, that I don't think it has the stigma that it had when we were kids. I just don't see kids being teased as much for needing extra help as they used to. In my daughter's class, half of the kids get extra help in something and 10 out of 22 kids have Resource room for something or other!

I feel that teasing is nothing compared to a kid who is far behind the rest of the class because she can't focus or has trouble with the work, and sits there feeling bad about herself and praying that the teacher won't call on her!

Good Luck, and I hope that things go well for Brooke!!!

[Dad2Brooke]

Well, the IEP is finally in place. Brooke will start on April 12th, when spring break is over.

The meeting went very well, and the IEP is very thorough. I sat in the LD teacher's class room, and saw how things went. Of course, the teacher was wonderful, but you have to expect she would be with a parent present, but the kids didn't act like anything was different.

I am really looking forward to it. Brooke will have a 6 to 1 ratio in the classes that she is having trouble with, instead of 25 to 1. There is also a teacher's aid.

They have made accomodations for testing, for extra time to complete assignments, to grade for quality over quantity, seating, extra clarification of assignments, more 1 on 1 instruction in difficult areas, and the list goes on.

I am very pleased and relieved that it has gone this well. The "child study team" members have been so nice and accomodating. I really expected to have to fight for everything.

I hope I haven't built this IEP up in my mind as a "cure all", but I really expect to see Brooke improve a lot in the coming months. That should do wonders for her outlook on school, now that they are willing to work at her speed.

I will keep you all posted.

[HooDunnit]

Sounds great. You are an effective advocate for her. All your efforts are paying off. Better than just leaving her hanging and frustrated with continual attacks on her self-esteem. Good going.


NOW THAT'S A DAD!!


Barry

[finnmom]

D2B

That´s sound´s great! It´s a good start, may not solve all your problem´s but help´s a lot!

WAY TO GO

Marja