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Post by my3texans on Oct 2, 2005 17:25:18 GMT -5
I have my first meeting with the school's team on Tuesday to discuss testing DS. It is to be with his teacher, the principal, spec ed dir (for the school), and at least one other teacher. They agree that DS is struggling in school & needs to be evaluated to find out what is causing it. I submitted a request for evaluation about 2 weeks ago, & they called Friday to set up the meeting.
They did inform me that, in our state/district, they do not perform psych or OT evals. However, they will be able to perform evals that are directly related to his academics.
I know organizational skills are a big problem for DS, along with dyslexic-type problems. (still spells phonetically in 4th grade). I also know(from reading here) that dyslexia is not recognized by most schools.
DS has absolutely horrid printing skills, but has beautiful cursive skills. He also still has to really think to answer many math fact questions. I sometimes think he still mixes up addition & multiplication. Borrowing in subtraction, seems to be a foreign language to him. And his reading is choppy, he stumbles over words & will guess at some words.
I'm not sure what to expect, but I do want to cover all the bases to insure he gets a full eval from the school to find his weaknesses.
I have a notebook to take notes at the meeting & to write down some of my concerns. (so, I don't forget them cause of nerves).
Any words of wisdom, suggestions, or "don't forget to ask about....." will be greatly appreciated.
I read the board daily & have received a great deal of information from the members on dealing with individual aspects of ADD. I have also "read" about my son on the board & find it comforting to know I'm not the only one with a son like mine. I can usually find him in just about every post, along with my frustrations & ways to alleviate problems at home.
Just wanted to say thanx for everyone for helping me understand my son better. Hopefully, we can find some help for him, that he will understand & accept through these evals.
In the meantime,
Have a super day,
Georgia
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Post by Mayleng on Oct 2, 2005 17:50:05 GMT -5
I don't understand why they would say that they don't do OT eval or Psych evals. This is a requirement to get a total picuture of a child. The psych eval would include IQ type tests. Something does not sound right here. Also, schools do provide OT for kids who have problems writing and dyspraxia, so why would they not do OT evals. If your child has problems writing, an OT eval is necessary. I suggest you checkout this link and read about the various evals and ask the school why they don't do it. www.concordspedpac.org/TypesEvals.htmlGood Luck at the meeting. |
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Post by TexasMom on Oct 2, 2005 22:34:48 GMT -5
Are you actually in Texas? For some reason I think I remember you saying you are no longer here. Is that right?
I can give you some feedback about Texas if you really are here.
Let me know.
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Post by my3texans on Oct 3, 2005 5:12:45 GMT -5
TexasMom,
No, we aren't in Texas, we're in Alabama, and originally all from Texas. All our family is in Houston, Jasper, and Sulphur Springs. I do know that Alabama uses the Texas Scottish Rite Dyslexia Clinic as the basis for our state's learning centers. The Alabama director gives workshops for teachers, and sometimes parents at area schools. What I have found most amazing, is that many schools across the country use Texas as a model, so apparantly overall, Texas knows how to educate kids.
Mayleng, thanx for the link, I'll check it out. It could be that they do test, but use a different type of name or something. And I will ask about the other tests. Basically, I used a letter you had posted a link to that asked the school to test in 5 different areas: Education, Phonetics, Speech, OT & Psych. Tomorrow afternoon I'll know what types/names of tests they are going to perform, when approxiamately they will be done, & when to expect the results.
I was not surprised when they said they didn't do any psych tests, anytime I've mentioned anything remotely close to that, I have always been told schools don't do psych evals. And I wasn't sure about the OT. Now, if I re-phrase it, asking them to test his writing skills, I may get somewhere. Would you recommend that I take in examples of his work? I have most of his returned papers from this year.
Georgia
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Post by Mayleng on Oct 3, 2005 6:53:41 GMT -5
Georgia, definitely take in examples of his work to prove your point.
Goodluck.
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Post by my3texans on Oct 4, 2005 11:15:21 GMT -5
Met with the school a little while ago. I met with DS's teacher, the principal, a spec ed teacher, & the school's director or liason for helping to determine if a child needs help. She's basically the leader & is the one who is accountable if things don't happen.
They agree he needs to be tested, which will happen in about 5 weeks. (one week of which is fall break). The psychomitrist (sp? - person that administers the tests) will contact us to get the forms signed & set up when the tests will be conducted. Time frame they gave was by Thanksgiving.
Once the tests are complete, they meet with us again to go over the results & set up the next phase.
The tests the district uses are Wrightslaw, WAIT, & Woodcock-Johnson. They explained that if they get a low score on one, they retest with a second to determine if it was just a bad day or if there really is a problem. This is between WAIT & Woodcock. They administer Wrightslaw anyway. To "classify" as a problem they need two low scores, which they believe will happen.
One thing that was recommended by the principal was to put him BACK into third grade -- he is currently completing the first 9 weeks of 4th grade. She said it would allow them to have more time to work with him before he goes on to high school (which is 5th grade here). He could then, also work on his weaknesses in math & language, as well as mature a little.
She also said that somehow he slipped through, cuz she would have had him tested prior to entering 3rd grade & based on SAT scores, along with report cards, she would have recommended starting him in 2nd grade.
His SAT scores have been consistantly below average in comprehension, math, & language.
I think the biggest thing I did get out of the meeting was they see that there is a real problem, we need to find out what the problem is & help him with it.
I came out feeling pretty good about the meeting, in general. Tickled that the school sees that he has a problem & is willing to help. I'm unsure about putting him back, but need to discuss it further with my husband.
The big obstacle in putting him back is how he is going to feel about it. He is pretty laid back, and tends to just go with the flow, but I'm not sure how he will react to it. He may love it, cuz 3rd grade still gets recess, & 4th doesn't.
In the meantime, I'm going to read about the tests that I know for sure they administer. Afterall, the only way from here is up!!!
Georgia
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Post by my3texans on Oct 4, 2005 11:18:50 GMT -5
Oh, forgot to add. They noticed he has trouble writing. No spaces between words, reversed letters, inconsistant size of letters and/or words, so they see a problem there as well. And plan to check into that also.
Georgia
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Post by 2pearl on Oct 4, 2005 12:16:29 GMT -5
It sounds like the meeting really well. You must be relieved.
I live in Chicago now but was born in raised in "LA" or in others words, Dothan, Alabama.
2pearl
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Post by Mayleng on Oct 4, 2005 13:48:39 GMT -5
Georgia, I have not heard of Wrightslaw as a test. The only Wrightslaw I know are the Legal Advocates. Am glad that they are getting things moving along and will check on the writing. As for retention, that is a big decision. Retention has been shown not to work, HOWEVER, if they were going to teach him in a way that he can learn, and actually remediate him - that is a different story. If they were just going to retain him and not remediate him then I would not hold him back. You have to weigh the benefits (if any) versus his emotional well being.
Make sure they get the approval forms to you ASAP and make sure they start the evals soon. Don't let them waste any more time. Keep them on their toes.
Your son does not have alot of time to waste.
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Post by my3texans on Oct 4, 2005 14:22:56 GMT -5
If I followed the principal correctly, the idea of returning him to 3rd grade would be re-teach him & remediate at the same time. If I put him back, they would have most of 3rd & all of 4th, for sure to remediate then he could go on to 5th with a year & a half of learning new ways. If I leave him in 4th, they would have the rest of 4th to remediate, but then he goes to 5th at the high school where they change classes, & I would have to start parts of the process over again. New principal & 6 teachers to contend with, along with about 6 times the homework load, along with new standards to meet for passing a class.
Retaining him could also let him mature & be on the same level as his classmates.
Now, one good thing is that the school board recently approved a plan to build a middle school for 6, 7, & 8 grades, and to begin construction on a wing to bring 5th to the elementary. If I retain him, the wing would be complete by the time he gets to 5th grade, otherwise, he becomes a high school kid.
I could be wrong about the Wrightslaw, the principal was trying to remember the test names off the top of her head. She knew at least one involved an IQ test, some are achievement oriented, others dealt with comprehension abilities, and looking for a learning disability. I suspect the psychometrist can tell me exactly which tests will be administered.
I believe that they believe he has some sort of learning disability, we just have to find out what it is. And then, teach him in a manor that takes the disability into account.
I have to let them know about returning him to 3rd grade by Friday. Then, we are on a week break from school. I figure if I give them another week after they return to school, then I should hear something from the testing dept.
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Post by Mayleng on Oct 4, 2005 17:47:56 GMT -5
Why don't you wait till the testing is done before deciding on retention. The last thing you need is for them to come up and say there is no LD, but we will retain him anyway for him to catch up and not have to remediate him. Be very careful there. It is a little pre-mature to talk retention before you find out exactly what are his issues. Don't let them pressure you into making a hasty decision. And document everything, if verbally told to you, write a letter back to confirm that this was your understanding of the conversation. Make sure you keep good documentation. If it is not documented it never happened.
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