IEP eligibility meeting question

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thanks for the replies.

Yes I do think he needs services. He's had a 504 and stills struggles. His adhd is severe but he also has dyslexia, yet has managed to stay on grade level so far. He definitely needs reading help.

I just don't want them to say that his problems are all from his ADHD and not provide him with the reading services he needs. He comes out as borderline low average/average on most tests but below average in some areas.

If this is DCPS, be prepared for them to say he doesn't qualify for services since he's on grade level.

[Anonymous]

Yes. It happened to us. Here is the US Department of Ed guidance on dyslexia which says there is nothing that prevents schools from identifying dyslexia in the IEP (It is mentioned in IDEA.)

http://www2.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/memosdcltrs/guidance-on-dyslexia-10-2015.pdf

This letter may also be helpful to you:
http://www2.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/memosdcltrs/13-008520r-sc-delisle-twiceexceptional.pdf

OP: bring copies of work that demonstrates the struggle. Bring the tester if you can. Bring information about the benefits of Orton-Gillingham instruction (the Yale Center on dyslexia will have this.) Another website that is helpful:
http://www.dys-add.com/

DCPS as a system and its special education teachers have access to the Wilson Reading Program which is OG.

DIBELS is a screening test for lexile levels, but it does not screen for dyslexia. You can have a kid with a high lexile level because of their vocabulary, but it does not mean they do not have problems decoding. Don't let them go there when CTOPP and other tests are more reliable ways to screen for dyslexia.

Finally, the school psychologist's handbook for DCPS still urges the use of testing measures and the discrepency method to ascertain the need for instruction while minimizing what happens with classroom performance. This maikes it very hard to get services from DCPS unless there is an ASD or physical impairment diagnosis. There is more than one psychologist who does not believe dyslexia warrants anything but accomodations if the child is passing classes. I ran into at least two. GL!

[Anonymous]

Op here- we are in FCPS, fwiw.

[Anonymous]

^^ hit send too soon. Lots of great info here. Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Thread from December 2015 about people's experiences with services for dyslexia in FCPS that may be of interest OP although you are still at the eligibility stage.

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/518210.page

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have my child's IEP eligibility meeting coming up and I want to make sure I have my information right before going in.

If the majority of the team, outside of myself, says that my child does not need an IEP and can do fine on a 504 and I don't agree where does the meeting go from there?

Do I have to concede for the moment and then file a due process hearing? Do I have to sign the paperwork?

If an IEP is granted, do they decide at this time what they will do for the child? My kid has dyslexia and ADHD, if they decide to give an IEP for OHI instead of LD does that mean they won't provide special education in reading but will for something like organization?

Thank you!

His diagnosis, OHI or LD, should not impact what areas are addressed in the IEP. If he's below grade level in reading, he should get reading services.

If you want more than an IEP, you need to go into the meeting with more than your opinion about it. To get an IEP and not just a 504, you need to show that the child needs specialized instruction in order to participate in the curriculum. Do you have work samples or specific examples of when you know your child could not master a skill or take in something being taught because he did not have the support of a special education teacher? OR can you share an example of something he did do with a lot of support from a sped teacher? Share such a work product and ask the team if they genuinely believe the child could have done it on his own. Even better, ask if they have any specific work samples showing that the child is doing grade-level work on his own with only accommodations and not teacher support.

Private testing really does not prove anything about the EDUCATIONAL IMPACT that is needed to have an IEP. Your kid can have all the diagnoses in the world--it does not mean he needs special education. A private tester, unless she is also at the school every day for about a quarter watching the student and doing his grading, cannot really assess this very well. Parents need to be good observers of how their kids are functioning day to day in school, and good data keepers too, so they can advocate for their kids.