Quote Originally Posted by PunkyBoo View Post
Thank you so much for this, Nicci. This whole process is completely new to us and in the meantime we're dealing with a kid that is often very difficult. I really appreciate your insights and perspective- we were upset that the school told us we should have him evaluated but never explained that there is a process to have the school involved- we had to be told by the therapist that the school would do anything, and do all the research on the process ourselves. It's quite overwhelming. Thank you again!
Well at least the school isn't pushing a special education placement that removes him from the classroom. I had that scenario at one of my school's last year. There can be a lot of pressure on us to give an eligibility and recommend removal from general education when there's behavior issues. I see how difficult it is in the classroom for the teacher, but removal into special education and possibly off diploma track is a huge undertaking. I wish teachers had smaller class numbers, any TA support, behavior support, and most importantly, a developmentally appropriate curriculum in the early years. I know I'd have less evaluations for special education if the class environment was different.

I think seeking out both evaluations will have value, and you'll find out more about DS and his strengths/weaknesses. If he's doing well academically, the school may not find he has a disability that requires special education services. We do consider social-emotional impact, but we're limited by the state ED Code, as to what eligibilities a child with social-emotional issues can fall under if they don't fit criteria for Autism or Emotionally Disturbed. A 504 behavior plan may be possible if there is a medical diagnosis. If you have a 504 and DS gets in trouble, you can ask if behavior plan was followed, and if it wasn't, why not? It's not foolproof by any means, I'm yet to see one implemented fully, but it's better than nothing as onus on school to follow their plan.

We had DS evaluated by an educational psychologist and we learned that DS is solidly average, with some mild weakness in executive function when compared to other children his age. Recommendations were to push for IEP at school. To be honest I felt the psychologist was reaching to find something to recommend, as he was 10, and I know how long it takes for executive functioning to develop. DH and I had to accept that DS is average cognitively and academically, whereas both of us always tested above average. He has weaknesses in executive functioning and he struggles more in math, so we're helping him at home with extra tutoring. His issues aren't serious enough to warrant school interventions where he misses class time, he doesn't have a disability, and it's my responsibility as a parent to help him with areas of weakness. Main takeaway for us, was that DS is not us and expecting him to get good grades without studying like we did at school, is unrealistic.

It can't hurt to get both evaluations, it's more information to help figure out how to help DS.


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