Where do I start??

[Shandawn]

Hi. I'm hoping someone here can help me out. My DD has been in a private school since preschool. After much debate (due partly to the tuition hike this year) we have decided to TRY public school this year. She'll be in 5th grade. What I need to know is who do I talk to first about an IEP and what all do I need to present? My DD has ADD & dyscalculia. Shes definately going to need help with math, organization, & handwriting. (She cannot write in cursive AT ALL!).

I know this sounds odd & I SHOULD know the basics, but in a private school I never HAD to know--They just tried whatever accomodations I recommended. I'm just hoping someone can give me a few guidelines to get me started on our way to setting up an IEP for her so she doesn't fall behind. Thanks!

[TexasMom]

You will need to request a full educational evaluation as soon as possible. They have something like 60 school days to do the testing and get you the results so you want them to get moving on it right away. Otherwise by the time they test, determine services, and get the services going it will be Christmas time.

There are some sites online that have sample letters on how to request an full evaluation. It is up to you whether you want to formally do it with a letter or verbally do it. Many people recommend do everything in writing. However, I have always wanted to try to not seem threatening and have done most requests verbally so I don't seem to "pushy." However, if they hadn't responded to my verbal request or in a timely manner you bet I would have written a letter. I try to play "nicey-nice" as much as possible and try to be as firm and demanding as possible without seeming witchy. I am lucky that I have been in a good school and school district and haven't had to get too pushy to get what our son needs. Although at his first school I did have to start playing hardball and they backed right down.

I would recommend that you also ask your question on the message board at schwablearning.org since there are a lot of very knowlegable, experienced people there. Just remember that they are not all experienced or knowlegable and some may suggest you be more pushy than you are comfortable or less so. Like all things, pick out the advice you like and toss the rest. Someone there can also quickly give you links to sites with sample letters if you would like too.

[Shandawn]

Ok, Thanks Texasmom! Do I have to get the evaluation even though shes been evaluated already through her previous school? It was originally thought by her 2nd grade teacher that she had an LD. She was evaluated & thats how we learned she also was ADD. Its all in her records, which will be transferred to the new school. Meanwhile, I will check out the other site you recommended.

[Mayleng]

Shandawn, I would call the Sped Director of the school district and tell them that you will be transferring your daughter. That the Private School has done some evaluation, and the Doctor has diagnosed her with ADHD and the other school has dxed her with dyscalculia. Ask her if the Public school will accept the old schools' evaluation/findings and put your DD under an IEP under OHI (for the ADD) or under Specific Learning Disability (SLD). If she says no, then tell her you will be writing to the school requesting them to do an evaulation. I would write to them to maintain a record, things get done faster when it is done officially. Get this going soon, or like what Texasmom said, it drags on and it would be 6 months before anything is finalized.

Here's a site with sample letters and other information.

www.listen-up.org/rights/rights.htm#comp

www.concordspedpac.org/

[Shandawn]

Mayleng, THANKS! Those sites are wonderful! I really appreciate it, especially as we don't have much time to get this all finished before school starts.

[Mayleng]

You are most welcomed. I am glad you liked those sites.

[SharonF]

Shandawn--

Your daughter's combination of difficulty with handwriting and with math MAY mean Nonverbal Learning Disability. There is no IEP category for NLD and most teachers haven't even heard of it. But if your daughter has NLD, there are things teachers can do to keep her from falling through the cracks and allow her to be more successful in school and life.

There is no single test for NLD. Instead, a neuropsych or other neurocognition expert can look at a series of tests (from IQ to achievement to motor to eye-hand coordination) and see if there are patterns that match NLD.

I'd encourage you to Google for Nonverbal Learning Disability, but be forwarned that much of what's on the web is about kids with severe difficulties. Most NLDers are not that severe. NLD is a huge umbrella with lots of different variations on the strengths and weaknesses.

That said, www.nldline.com is one site. Their description of NLD executive function difficulties is pretty much the same as ADHD executive function difficulties.

My 14-year old has ADHD-inattentive type, NLD and central auditory processing disorder. She has an unusual mix of strengths and weaknesses that baffle most teachers and even psychs. These difficulties were not as obvious in early grades. But as she moved into about 5th grade, we knew something wasn't quite right.

She has a lot of difficulty with fine motor (she also cannot write in cursive and her printing is too small to be legible--smaller than the head of a pin. She now uses a laptop instead of writing by hand); struggles to "read" 2D images such as maps, timelines, charts and graphs; cannot tell time on an analog clock; went through vision therapy in 6th grade because her visual-motor integration was unbelievably low and letter "moved" on the page; struggles with abstract concepts like math, physics, figurative language and drawing inferences; is overly sensitive to light; and is quite shy because of social insecurity. She also has language processing difficulties that affect her reading and written expression (CAPD), and has ADHD-in (easily distracted, trouble with executive function, trouble concentrating.) Yet she is generally a B student with mostly routine accommodations. She just works her tail off.

It may be worth an evaluation to see if your daughter has NLD.

[Shandawn]

SharonF, Where did you have your daughter evaluated for NLD?? Will a school evaluation pick this up or should I take her elsewhere? I have a friend whos son has NLD but I was under the impression that the biggest part of it is not being able to read social cues & facial expressions. My DD cannot read a clock either, has sloppy printing (as well as not being able to stay on the line well, running words together, etc.), cannot ride a bike, Just learned to tie shoes well at age 10 & cannot do math well. She understands the concepts of math problems but cannot put them to use. But she has no social problems, reads above her grade level, & writes a mean book report! Loves to write stories too, although she tends to get long winded & misspells WAY too many words! Seems like she cannot retain the spelling of words she learns, although she can read the words & understand their meanings. I'll look into NLD though, thanks!

[Mayleng]

You need to take her to a neuropsychologist who is familiar with NLD. The school cannot test for this, they only test for academics and IQ.

[SharonF]

Shandawn--

Like I said, NLD is a huge umbrella. It CAN mean difficulty reading facial expression and body language. But not always. It can mean written expression problems, but not always. It can mean handwriting problems, but not always. It can mean difficulty with abstract reasoning, but the specific type of abstract reasoning and extent of difficulty varies widely among NLDers. Many NLDers have difficulty with parts-to-whole concepts. But again, not all NLDers have the same set of difficulties. NLD is about fitting a *pattern*--not a specific check list.

Most of the NLD research has been about severely impaired kids. Many NLDers are not severely impaired. Most NLDers are like your daughter. Most NLDers struggle with things that other kids learn more easily---like tying shoes or reading an analog clock or playing softball. It's not life-threatening. But it can be frustrating!

I have NLD (self-diagnosed) and have excellent fine motor skills. I do calligraphy. I studied piano for 14-years. I love writing and have always had jobs that involve a lot of written expression (radio and tv news anchor/producer, speech writer, public relations director.) I have always had very strong language processing ability, both reading and writing.

My weak areas are visual memory (how to get somewhere without a map), spatial estimation (parallel parking), advanced algebra and physics, doing math in my head, any type of drawing, gross motor skills, and reading body language. I have trouble calculating how much wallpaper I need for a room, with altering patterns for sewing, with hitting a softball unless the bat is six feet wide. While my strengths and weaknesses definitely fit under the NLD umbrella, they are not going to be identical to other NLDers. My daughter's NLD difficulties are not identical to mine. My mother's NLD difficulties are not the same as mine. We all fit the NLD pattern.

Like Mayleng said, a pediatric or developmental neuropsych test for NLD. But most schools know little or nothing about NLD and don't have effective programs for addressing the needs of NLDers.

[Shandawn]

Thank you for clearing that up & for helping me by giving examples!! I have never really read much about NLD, but I will be looking closer at it now (And researching).