NoTellin, usually it's the other way around -- you want an IEP because it has more "teeth" and instead get offered 504 accommodations (or nothing).
Right, that's why I'm asking. I don't want the IEP they are offering, he does not have a LD, and his grades are fine. I'm not convinced that he needs SE, so I'm not sure I want to spend the money pounding on them to give me the right IEP.
I guess the neuro-psyche is the person who can tell whether he needs SE nor or whether she suspects that he will in the future.
NoTellin38812.4027777778
Yes, I called the dept of special education in my county and was told that most ADHD kids in my county are given the ED category, and the minority get the OHI category. I'm in a pocket of the country that is playing this game, and everyone has bought in. This means an uphill battle for me. I also talked to a parent advocate and she said that ultimately the services offered on the ED path are wrong for the ADHD child. They offer counseling and therapy and the emphasis is behavior. The ADHD child has a neurological condition and needs environmental modifications, and no amount of therapy is going to help. The OHI path offers what he needs, and the emphasis is academic, not behavioral.
I have been trying to get an advocate. They are not calling back and the closest one is over an hour away. The next IEP will be scheduled soon. The parent advocate told me to fill out the attendance form stating that I wish the IEP meeting to be rescheduled to a later date because I am educating myself about the situation and disagree with the category. She also says this delay will delay services.
NoTellin39125.4467824074Yes, I am quite frankly afraid to attend another IEP meeting. It's easy to be manipulated when you don't know the ins-and-outs of the process, and the real agenda of the other attendees.
I have one other lead for an advocate that I will try today. Unfortunately my son is not in SE and I don't even know where the classroom is. I could just imagine loitering outside the room waiting for SE parents .
NoTellin39125.4478935185No, I really think you still need an advocate to answer these sorts of questions. My 11-year-old daughter, who has bipolar disorder, has straight As and no LDs (or none the school district will recognize), but if the school offered us an IEP, I'd grab it. We are going to be lucky if we get 504 accommodations with her grades (our meeting is April 20).
Are you concerned because the kind of SE they want to offer is another placement entirely? (Is that what I'm remembering correctly?)
Here's how I got my advocate (and we are paying her out of pocket) -- I asked other parents whose kids I know have special needs who they had used. I also asked my daughter's psychiatrist who other parents of her patients had used. I got a list together of about 5 names. I called them all and interviewed them over the phone. I chose one and met with her. I liked her and decided to go with her. She has observed my daughter for 2 hours in her classroom (unbeknownst to my daughter). She has talked with my daughter's teacher. She has meet with me and DH twice for an hour each to discuss strategies and the paper trail we should bring to the meeting. We have our first meeting April 20 to consider whether my daughter should obtain 504 accommodations and will bring to the table a neuropsych report with diagnoses and suggested accommodations and strong letter from my daughter's psychiatrist with diagnoses, medical/emotional/educational reasons my daughter needs acommodations and suggested accommodations. I wouldn't go into ANY school meeting without my own paperwork and without an advocate.
Has anyone declined an IEP and SE services that go with it, and requested a 504 with a Behavioral Intervention Plan? NoTellin38812.3788425926