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VClute
01-14-2013, 10:02 PM
DS's IEP has some pretty standard accommodations in it: separate testing location, additional time, allowed to read questions aloud and preferential seating.

But all of these seem pretty generic to me - there are no specific accomodations to address any sensory processing problems, or fine motor awkwardness or communication issues, or his preference for structure/scheduling.

We're going to have DS tested independently to see exactly what his issues are (I could tell them, but I have nothing other than anecdotal evidence to support my views) and, more importantly, how they can be accommodated/addressed in the classroom and IEP.

If you all have different accommodations in your IEP, what are they? What problems do they address?

sariana
01-14-2013, 10:08 PM
If there is any chance your DS may react negatively to a situation, creating a behavior issue (such as hitting someone), make sure you include that in his IEP! My son tends to lash out when he gets frustrated, and having that mentioned in his IEP protected him from being expelled when he hit the teacher in first grade. (Thankfully that teacher was awesome and really worked with him that year.)

There are specific laws about how a child with an IEP is treated, discipline-wise, and it is important that the IEP includes references to any potential behavior issues.

If you are not completely satisfied with whatever plan is offered, do not sign it. YOU have the final say, so take the time to look over the plan and decide whether it meets your son's needs.

Also remember that you can call an IEP meeting at any time for any reason. So if you find that things are not working for him, you can revisit.

karstmama
01-15-2013, 08:58 AM
maybe a place he can go for sensory stim? i'll have more next week - we'll be updating ds's then.

Gena
01-15-2013, 02:02 PM
I don't have DS's IEP in front of me, so this is from memory, but his accommodations include:

- Small group instruction (due to difficulties processing verbal language when in a large group).
- Extended time to finish work.
- Reader and scribe for standardized tests.
- Frequent breaks.
- Testing in isolated area.
- Visual supports to organize day and tasks.
- Prior warning to changes in schedule, including fire drills.
- Additional seating support for low muscle tone.
- Slant board and pencil grips available to help with writing.

Some of his accommodations are wrapped into his IEP goals. For example, he has a goal to learn how/when to request a sensory break. Similarly, he has a goal to build his own visual schedule each day. He also has several goals to improve his social skills and communication.



We're going to have DS tested independently to see exactly what his issues are (I could tell them, but I have nothing other than anecdotal evidence to support my views)

It's funny how sometimes having a professional tell the school something carries more weight than the parents' report. In addition to autism, DS has albinism, which causes some very specific vision problems. For years I requested specific accommodations, provided doctor's reports, and gave the team handouts from the largest national albinism group. None of that made much difference. So last year I pushed to have a vision expert from the Regional Special Ed Center come and do a Functional Vision Assessment on DS and make recommendations. She wrote a thorough report for the IEP team and attended the IEP meeting. She told the team all the same things I had been telling them for years. But her word carried a ton more weight than mine. Suddenly it was written into DS's IEP that he needed seating in an area with no glare, his work printed on off-white paper, access to colored overlays, simplified graphics, larger text, protection from changes in lighting, breaks for eye fatigue, etc. It was amazing what a difference it made having the "right" expert make the recommendations.

VClute
01-15-2013, 08:22 PM
I don't have DS's IEP in front of me, so this is from memory, but his accommodations include:

- Small group instruction (due to difficulties processing verbal language when in a large group).
- Extended time to finish work.
- Reader and scribe for standardized tests.
- Frequent breaks.
- Testing in isolated area.
- Visual supports to organize day and tasks.
- Prior warning to changes in schedule, including fire drills.
- Additional seating support for low muscle tone.
- Slant board and pencil grips available to help with writing.

Some of his accommodations are wrapped into his IEP goals. For example, he has a goal to learn how/when to request a sensory break. Similarly, he has a goal to build his own visual schedule each day. He also has several goals to improve his social skills and communication.



It's funny how sometimes having a professional tell the school something carries more weight than the parents' report. In addition to autism, DS has albinism, which causes some very specific vision problems. For years I requested specific accommodations, provided doctor's reports, and gave the team handouts from the largest national albinism group. None of that made much difference. So last year I pushed to have a vision expert from the Regional Special Ed Center come and do a Functional Vision Assessment on DS and make recommendations. She wrote a thorough report for the IEP team and attended the IEP meeting. She told the team all the same things I had been telling them for years. But her word carried a ton more weight than mine. Suddenly it was written into DS's IEP that he needed seating in an area with no glare, his work printed on off-white paper, access to colored overlays, simplified graphics, larger text, protection from changes in lighting, breaks for eye fatigue, etc. It was amazing what a difference it made having the "right" expert make the recommendations.

Gena, thanks so much for your always insightful and helpful posts and responses. You're such a treasure!

Dixon's real problem is language - expressive AND receptive. Besides the psych testing I've already arranged through the testing center, I was thinking I could have more speech and auditory testing done. I've been reading up on Wrightslaw about all of it, but I find myself getting really angry that I'm having to put in all this work. I'm not an educator - Why should I have to wade through all this stuff to get the right thing for my child? Why wasn't any of this suggested to me some time ago by the people who tell me they "only want the best" for DS? Hmph...

crl
01-15-2013, 10:46 PM
Gena's suggestions are much more thorough than mine, but ds' accommodations have included:

Access to noise blocking headphones that we provided as needed
Visual schedule
Preferential seating
Adult support for transitions

Catherine

Sweetum
01-16-2013, 06:07 PM
An IEP provides a program that meets the educational needs of the child. Sometimes they are accommodations and sometimes they are direct services. These can range anywhere from social-emotional, OT, speech, therapy and social groups. When a parent has concerns or when a child has been in EI, they need to address. They would do psych, speech and OT testing. Parent concern should be enough to initiate these. If after that they say that he does not need services or if you think it does not meet his needs, you are allowed to ask them to pay for an independent evaluation, and they may tell you that you can only choose from their list, but really that is not true. If you are ok to pay for it yourselves and avoid the delay in getting the eval, you should seek an psych to provide you with specific recommendations for setting, services and intensity of these. Note that they must be all education related goals since the SD is only required to provide these. It's great that you are on your way to getting an eval, but again, the SD should be doing this.

DS was in EI and so the school district tested, but found him ineligible for any services, after which we sought an independent diagnosis, even after which they did not provide all the services, so we sought an educational evaluation with specifics and are still negotiating with the school district. The best part about the educational evaluation was that our concerns were not just validated but there were specific action items for us/SD to help DS through. We got recommendation for preschool, speech, OT, social groups, social dyad, intensity in how much time for each of these.

Sorry that I sound distrustful of the school district, but our experience is/has not been good and that is why I am so.

Hope that helps.

VClute
01-17-2013, 04:46 PM
An IEP provides a program that meets the educational needs of the child. Sometimes they are accommodations and sometimes they are direct services. These can range anywhere from social-emotional, OT, speech, therapy and social groups. When a parent has concerns or when a child has been in EI, they need to address. They would do psych, speech and OT testing. Parent concern should be enough to initiate these. If after that they say that he does not need services or if you think it does not meet his needs, you are allowed to ask them to pay for an independent evaluation, and they may tell you that you can only choose from their list, but really that is not true. If you are ok to pay for it yourselves and avoid the delay in getting the eval, you should seek an psych to provide you with specific recommendations for setting, services and intensity of these. Note that they must be all education related goals since the SD is only required to provide these. It's great that you are on your way to getting an eval, but again, the SD should be doing this.

DS was in EI and so the school district tested, but found him ineligible for any services, after which we sought an independent diagnosis, even after which they did not provide all the services, so we sought an educational evaluation with specifics and are still negotiating with the school district. The best part about the educational evaluation was that our concerns were not just validated but there were specific action items for us/SD to help DS through. We got recommendation for preschool, speech, OT, social groups, social dyad, intensity in how much time for each of these.

Sorry that I sound distrustful of the school district, but our experience is/has not been good and that is why I am so.

Hope that helps.

Don't worry - I'm not as trustful of them as I once was. I've already scheduled DS for psych testing at a nearby psych/ed center. He'll have some tests that will check his cognitive function. I'm hopeful they'll also make some recommendations about how to accommodate his difficulty processing language.

I've also made an appointment with his regular speech therapist to have his speech (expressive and receptive, pragmatics, etc) reevaluated, and I will ask her to make recommendations. He already receives OT and ST through the school system, and while I take him (happily!) to ST outside of the school as well, I don't take him to OT because in this one-horse town, finding an OT is really difficult. The two we had previously both left and the therapy center finally stopped searching for one, and (although I regret this now) I figured DS's negative reactions to certain sensory input had so improved, I just stopped trying to find another OT.

I *will* refer to the eval his school OT provided which makes mention of his visual processing problems and see if we can't request worksheets to be more cut and dry rather than so full of decorations and script he can't see through all the noise to figure out what he's supposed to do.

I do have to say, this is the most intellectually stimulated I have been in a really long time, and I look forward to our next IEP. I will be well-prepared and less emotional than I have been in the past. I've learned empirical evidence is much harder to argue with than a weepy mom. :)

Sweetum
01-17-2013, 06:20 PM
I've learned empirical evidence is much harder to argue with than a weepy mom. :)
:yeahthat:
THe best approach is to be business like. And make your points not emotional but very logical and irrefutable. good luck!