can't test until 3rd grade?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think why your friends had third grade stuck in their heads is that 3rd grade is when a lot of kids unravel at school b/c the learning demands are greater and the LDs or ADHD that they've managed to "cope" with catches up with them. It's why applications for many SN schools go up at 3rd and 4th grade.

+1. I'm the PP who said that your friends who said ADHD can't be diagnosed until 3rd are wrong. But, I agree with this. The legal test to get an IEP involves showing three things: 1) disorder, 2) adverse educational impact, and 3) need for specialized instruction. Often #2 is hard to show in the K-3 years because there are very few "tests" that are given in the classroom. Also, the developmental window is very wide until about age 8. What I mean by this is that schools will often say that kids acquire skills at different ages within this window and being later, but still inside the window is considered normal. So, the school may dismiss a child who is only a year behind in reading as "a late bloomer" saying everyone learns to read by 3rd grade, some in K but some not until the end of 2nd, and refuse to do more than give a little extra support in the general education curriculum in reading in the regular classroom. Honestly, this is not really legal. The law says a child doesn't have to be failing to receive an IEP. But, it is harder to document the adverse educational impact when there are no or few objective indicators to point to. Usually, there are more objective indicators by 3rd grade -- kids have "tests," they write "essays," they have spelling tests, etc.

At each stage where the demands increase, you will often find parents/students realizing that a LD is at play, usually because the child was able to compensate with strengths that masked the weakness. This is particularly true for bright/higher IQ kids. So, other typical points where an IEP or 504 is needed are in middle school or early high school.