Responses:

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Subject: school help
From: Lana
Date: 03 Mar 2000 3:09 AM

Research special education journals at your local university library. I found some excellent ones when I was in college, many out of Canada. As for the disagreement about whether your son has a disability, you will have to jump through the hoops to get this "proven" and documented. You need to officially request in writing your concerns and desire for him to be tested. Talk to people in your community in special education, like those at the education college nearest you. Find out if there is an independent living center (often called Center for Ind. Liv. [CIL] or some seemingly unrelated name) in your area or at least your state. They often help with daily living skills like teeth brushing and should be able to point you in the right direction to find an advocate for your schooling issues. In my community, we have the Special Education Action Committee. Get a copy of the law that applies, it used to be PL-142 but I think it has a new name now (ask the college educators who are training the special ed teachers or your local congressman's office). Some of this assumes we're talking about public education, but can apply, with more work, in private school, too. Local media may be able to point you to community organizations who can help. United Cerebal Palsy (UCP), although not serving your exact situation, may have suggestions. If you want to go out of the mainstream, contact the Association for Research and Englightenment (ARE) Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona and/or their headquarters in Virginia Beach, VA. They do some interesting and successful work with common conditions, but you need an open mind. Their magazine ran an article many years ago about a woman researcher who was developing a dolphin experience program for autistic children. For attention issues, read everything on nutrition and be willing to change your way of looking at food and it's role in health. I hope this helps.

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Subject: more school help
From: Gin
Date: 04 Apr 2002 4:28 PM

I am a public school teacher. I don't know about your state but in the state of TN if a parent requests an assessment team meeting with the special education department at the school, the school (by law) has to meet on the issue. The parents, reg. ed. teacher and special ed. teacher are involved in the meeting. Usually the school psychologist is present as well. The group will decide whether or not to test the child for the suspected problem. The public system in your area has to pay to have the child to be tested if they cannot test them there at the school. You have to be an advocate for your child. Sometimes that takes being a little on the pushy side. It is their job to educate your child in the least restrictive environment whether they want to or not. Hope this is of some help.

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Subject: School
From: Heather
Date: 04 Apr 2002 9:34 PM

I am also a public school teacher, in Virginia, and we too are required by law to act on a parental request! Check to see what your rights are.

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Subject: Learned the hard way.
From: Lina
Date: 08 Aug 2002 1:42 AM

I want to share my experience and success with you. I too, was getting anywhere with my son's school. I hope you can use my experience and understand how important it is to get him the help today, instead of allowing them to push it aside year after year. I will begin with as a toddler I could see my son Jeremy's motor skills and processing skills were not as develpoed as his older brothers. Not that I was comparing them, but I had knowledge of how a toddler develops and I knew, Jeremy, was different. He started school and his K teacher said I should just pay more attention to him and read to him more often, and insulted me to the point I stayed away from her and the classroom, she won! Then his 1st. grade teacher as well as second still blowed off by insulting parental comments. It wasn't until his thrid year that after bing rejected from the school board, again, I decided to fight back. I knew at resource spealist that was also a child psycologist, so two professions in one smart individual was wonderful. She gave me step by step directions on what to do to ensure Jeremy his right to be educated to his ability. My task began, after a short time and many minutes of expressing assertiveness I didn't know I had, today Jeremy is in Middle School, being main streamed in regular ed. and is doing wonderful. Since that time I have taken those steps that were given to me and shared them with three other moms I had witnessed going through the same rejection my husband and I had. All three of these students are achieving and showing signs of progress everyday. The disability they have is ADD, when it comes to learning disable, they all need that extra help and have a right to it. With the new standard President Bush initiated two years ago, "No Child Left Behind" supports your rights for your son. If you simply write on a piece of paper your request to have an evaluation and testing for a disorder on your son with a follow up of an IEP (will be a meeting that discloses the outcome of all test results as well as an Individual educational plan for the student) within a 14 day period, your process, by law will begin. IT HAS TO BE SUMMITTED IN WRITING. Keep copies of all documents. Be assertive, you will find it from within somewhere. Your son needs you to be his advocate, because he is not able to do this. Don't make the mistake we did, with being imtimidated with the staff of this school. Today I work for these people, and even though at first, they seemed to be a little upset, they understand and respect us for standing up and fighting back. Too, many districts like to place money in places that make them look good from the outside, so when a parent is asking for some to be spent on their individual child, they play this little game of lets brush this off, maybe we can get away with it long enough, the student will eventually transfer out or move on to middle school, either way, no longer their issue. Well, today, it is their issue and they need to step up and claim it. I am ashamed of our educational program when the facilators place polotics before students needs. I have changed my major in college. I know longer feel I need to educate the children in our socity, instead I want to teach those parents like yourself, that not every student is the Sally's and the Johnny's with perfect functional developmental brains, and that your son and my Jeremy deserve just as much as any other student sitting in the classroom. Teachers are taught while attending college to learn how to teach that children will have a variety of learning styles, and that they should teach according to it, but once placed under a dictator such as principal, that has to face the super intendent of the district on how much more money their school needs this month as oposed to last months, they shiver up and begin to displace the learning ability to areas that would not hold their school accountable. I employ that you hold them accountable, if not for your son, then what about the mother of another child that don't know this process as well and cries at night because she sees her son falling so far behind and not having anyone that will help. Please feel free to email me with any questions or coments. I wish you well and pray for your son.