Child with previous diagnosis of CAPD and now ADD and LD.?

Question

I have an 8 year old that was diagnosed last year with a CAPD. We have known there is something "more" going on, and she has seen a psychologist for hours of testing, and is now diagnosed with ADD, short term memory issues, and a learning disability in reading and writing.....especially with phonological reading. The psychologist is sending his report to the school, and then we have to see if we can get an IEP. Any tips or anything helpful for getting us to that point and what to do when we get there. I have heard nothing but horror stories about IEP meetings!!!!!!! Any help would be great!!!!!

Answer 1

I had a wonderful relationship with the LD teacher at my son's school(she was responsible for the IEP). I had full input in his IEP, as a matter of fact I wrote his IEP for a couple of years. Their teacher and special Ed. teachers have to sign off on the IEP and you may have some trouble there, if they don't agree. I did have a teacher that would not follow the IEP because he said my son was just lazy!!!!!!!!! I truly believe that most educators have the child's best interest at heart. Meet with the school ahead of time. If you live in Toronto or Durham contact the Learning Disabilities Assoc. and seek support from them if encounter difficulties. Good luck and God Bless

Answer 2

Horror stories are not only for the IEP meetings, but the whole process of special ed, for the whole time the child is in school.  Hate to say it but it's true.

You have to learn the laws that mandate special ed in schools and follow them.  THey are called IDEA 'individuals with disabilities education act'

Here's the best 2 sites to learn about the laws and the process --

www.wrightslaw.com

www.reedmartin.com

It is a very complicated process, but it has to be done in order to make the school do the way they are suppose to. Lots of times, this doesn't even make them.

The first thing to do in order to see if your child can qualify for special ed (IEP PLAN) is to write a letter to the district  special ed director requesting 'an initial full educational evaluation testing in all areas of suspected disabilities to determine if my child can qualify for special ed services as specified by IDEA law'.

You HAVE to use these words or they will ignore you.

It's great to let the school see the testing you have done privately,  but this does not guarantee the child will get an IEP plan. You can use this testing as part of the process of determining IEP eligiblity, but the school HAS to do their own evaluation first to determine eligiblity.  The IEP team will use the testing that THEY do, along with other things like school work, doctor notes, teacher observations, etc.

And hardly any parent knows this,-- YOU are an EQUAL member of the IEP team. YOU make the decisions WITH the IEP team on what should be done for your child and if you don't agree with what they want to do, they can't do it.

Write a letter letting the school know you will be recording the meeting. This is legal, they can't stop you. One reason for recording is becuase these meetings are VERY stressful and intimidating (on the schools part) and it will keep you from forgetting important things in the meeting.

Another reason  for recording is sometimes this will stop the school from doing their c**p and intimidating, but I have heard some horror stories with the tape running.

Before you go to meeting, get things ready to take to the meeting. Take a copy of the testing you had done. THey might say they didn't get the copy you give them (I woudlnt' doubt this a bit)

Make a list of all your childs problems, make a list of things you feel taht the school can do to help. Give a copy of both your lists to the head of the meeting and state you want them to be kept in your childs permanent records. This way they can't come back and say you didn't tell them he had problems.

If possible have the doctor who did testing come to meeting with you. THis is rare but has happened.

You might need an advocates' help. Call your state dept of education and ask for info for the 'federally funded parent advocacy agency'.  Every state has one and they help parents for FREE.

The advocate will help you with every step of the IEP process.

There is so much more to this, if you would like me to help you email  [e-mail]

I would love to help!!

Answer 3

My daughter had a list of labels: ADHD, CAPD, SPD, and has social problems. This past summer we saw a neuropsychologist who diagnosed her with autism. I don't use the other "labels" because autism sort of comes with all that stuff. Anyway, it's now january and I'm still fighting with the school. I did however just start to do things the right way (letters, not phone calls), but they're still dragging their feet.

I did have a slightly better experience with my son (preschool IEP), but still had some problems.

Do not sign the IEP at the meeting. Take a copy home and look over it, have the child's dr look it over, and find yourself an independent source to review the evals and look at the proposed IEP.

I will be taking my own advice at my son's annual meeting, and for my daughter's initial meeting.

Good luck

Answer 4

I have been to hundreds of IEP meetings and most have been just fine. Believe it or not, the educators sitting around the table really care about your child and want to help her.

There are several important pieces in every IEP meeting. I am going to just give a few that you need to understand.

Goals and objectives: These will be in each area of concern. These are not usually problematic and are not the only things your child will be taught during the year.

Accommodations and Modifications: This page is important because it lists ways that your child's disability will be accommodated or how materials will be modified to meet your child's needs. I would like you to go to your IEP meeting with a list with some of the following items:

*Repeat oral directions

*Use one or two step verbal directions

*Provide a visual copy of items presented orally

*Demonstrate tasks to be performed

*Use visuals to support learning

*Use manipulatives when teaching math concepts

*Provide visuals when teaching phonetic concepts

*Include active and passive activities

*Allow legitimate movement

Assistive Technology

*FM sound reproduction systems  - This is going to be hard to get, but it is very helpful. The teacher wears a microphone and your child wears ear buds. Information is delivered directly to her ears and helps with any noise distractions in the environment. They will usually run a systems trail to see if it works for your child.

Services - Here is the sticky wicket. You want to make sure that your child gets enough services to make her successful. This will be the amount of time that she sees a special ed teacher. This kind of depends on how behind she is.

She will also need a Speech Language Pathologist. This person will probably be at the meeting and should have a report. If not, you need to request that this assessment be done!

Resource Services - This is the amount of time she will spend with a special education teacher to do remediation. Make sure she gets at least 60 minutes or more per day if she is placed in the regular classroom.

Placement - This totally depends on the academic level of your child and her ability. If her IQ is within the average range, she should probably receive regular class placement with Resource services.

If her IQ is below average, she may be placed in a small group setting for her entire day, coming out for specials. Children in these classes often are mainstreamed into classes where their ability is on par, for instance, math.

If her IQ is quite low, she will be placed in a life skills type class where she learns to do the basics. If she is placed in such a class, she will not be on the regular diploma track and will eventually earn a special diploma.

You will be given a copy of procedural safeguards at the beginning of the meeting. This is not just paper for the bottom of the birdcage. It tells you how to proceed if you do not agree with the IEP team's decision.

Your very best bet is to go to the Wright's Law website and read up on IDEA and some of the issues that come up.

If you do choose to go with an advocate, instruct her that you do not want any antagonistic or confrontational tactics. Remember that you will have a long relationship with school personnel and you don't want to spoil it in the beginning.

If you don't agree with the team, don't get excited, just be firm and consistent.

Answer 5

As a special education teacher, it sound as though your child might qualify for services at their school.  IEP meetings are not horrible or intimidating especially if you are in close contact with your child's teacher.  The purpose of the meetings are to work together to determine the best plan, academic or social goals, and placement for your child to be successful in school.  Getting an advocate, especially if you are unfamiliar with the system, is a great idea.  They are free of charge and many parents find them extremely helpful and informative.  They will accompany you to the meetings and provide helpful feedback and support.  Just remember, it isn't you against the IEP team.  You are PART of the IEP team working towards the same goal:  your child's success in school!  

From an insiders perspective, when the parent walks into the room, they usually feel intimidated by all the people sitting at the table (counselor, speech pathologist, staffing specialist, teachers, etc.).  But from our end, we are happy if parents show up and are concerned about their child's progress.  You would be surprised how many parents never even bother to come to these important meetings!  Also, many of us have been sitting in that conference room all day doing meeting after meeting, so we are mostly tired.  That is why, as a parent, it is important to bring up any points you think we might have missed.