My 13-year-old son has neurofibromatosis with learning disabilities. What now?

Question

He also has inattentive ADD. He has been tested twice by our school system, but doesn't qualify for special ed or extra help. How can we get him through school this way? (We sent him to Sylvan Learning Center during one school year, but it was too expensive--$3000-to continue long-term, and wasn't that helpful.)

Answer 1

In most states if you have a Medical diagnosis (by a MD) AND there is an educational impact according to whatever the state criteria is for your state, your student would qualify for services.  If however the diagnosis is by and organization or a psychologist that doesn't count.  You might think there is an educational impact but the states have pretty significant rules on what is considered an impact.  For example if your student is getting S  and you think it should be S+ that's not educational need.  If your student is getting b and you think A that's not an educational need.  

If however there has been a complete evaluation, and Your students IQ is 140 and he/she is getting C's or failing that's a need.

Find out what the criteria is for your state for the various disability catagories.  If you have had an evaluation there needs to be a document that says what services will be provided OR that the results of the evaluation indicate that the school will not qualify the student.  

Ask someone to explain to you how or why your child did not qualify - so many times it can be that we are not as clear as we could be with parents in giving information.

Answer 2

push the issues, find an advacote and also next time you go to speak with the special education cordinator take a folder in there with all the printed off laws for special education you can find, put the largest one in front open the folder like your looking at notes on things you wanted to ask THEM. This lets them know ok shes on to something we are going to have to bend a little more.

Answer 3

Since your son has learning disabilities, he should qualify for special education.  Contact the special education director and ask why he doesn't qualify.  This is the link to the federal law in the U.S.

http://www.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/ide...

Let your son practice basic skills on these sites:

http://www.kidzone.ws/

http://www.abcteach.com/

http://www.schoolexpress.com/

http://www.edhelper.com/

http://www.softschools.com/

http://www.tlsbooks.com/

http://www.smarter.com

FUN & EDUCATIONAL SITES:

http://www.coolmath.com/math-practice-pr...

http://www.aaamath.com/

http://www.funbrain.com/kidscenter.html

http://www.kidsites.com/sites-edu/math.h...

http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/

Good luck & God bless!

Answer 4

If you would like to learn about a program that is a non-medication program for ADD visit http://www.dyslexia.com .  

I found this program for a student (who was ADD) whose mother had spent $7000 at Sylvan with no results.  This program was the answer to his learning issues in math and changed everything!  I was so impressed with the results that I got the training to provide the program!

I worked with a client in August with neurofibromatosis who was struggling with reading comprehension.  He was a 9th grader reading on a 7th grade level, by the end of the week he was reading on grade level.

This program is so successful because it gets to the root cause of the learning problem.

Answer 5

YOu have to learn the laws about special ed in schools. It's called IDEA and the best place to learn about them is

www.wrightslaw.com

The IDEA law states, and I KNOW the school did not tell you this, is

1. The school must provide prior written notice to parents for their decisions and must have LEGAL reasons for their decisions. They ahve to have LEGAL reasons for refusing sped services.

If they dont' give you this prior written notice (ask for it in writing to the district sped director) then file formal complaint with state dept of education.

If school does NOT have a legal reason for refusing sped services, they will 'magically' qualify him for servcies  because they won't want the state to know they made their decision illegally.

Top USA sped attorney  Pete Wright said that in all his years of being a lawyer, he has NEVER heard of a school give this prior written notice legally. And in ALL these it was because the school outright blantantly did nto want to help the child and made their decision to refuse sped services illegally.

2. IDEA law states that after a school does an evaluation, the parent can write to the district sped director and request an 'independent educational evaluation by public expense because I disagree with the districts evaluation'.

(you have to use these exact words to be legal)

This means that the school will pay for another eval to be done by a doctor that YOU choose, and this eval will be used by the school to determine if child qualifies for sped, even though they already said he doesn't.

When a doctor does an eval and YOU choose the dr., the eval wont' be biased or 'rigged' to show the child has no problems, as schools often do this with their own evaluations.

I have had 8 yrs of very bad experiences and have learned all their tricks, lies, etc and they WILL use their bad tricks if you ask for this independent eval, so if you need any help please email me at   [e-mail]