Child keeps struggling even on IEP

[Anonymous]

Op again - he does get speech in school and the therapist is concerned that some of these issues are appearing now and not in earlier grades and she thinks he is not mastering some basic things now....I think he may not always process the questions that she's asking if that makes sense...the school keeps saying how concerned they are and it worries me...we are seeing the neurologist again in October but I'm not seeing anything worrisome anywhere else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's a given that even with the IEP many kids will struggle academically. It's not that the IEP is a magic cure all. It gives them supports and help but it doesn't necessarily make them catch up to their typical peers. He likely will always struggle even with accommodations.

Pretty much this.

Find out how you can support at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op again - he does get speech in school and the therapist is concerned that some of these issues are appearing now and not in earlier grades and she thinks he is not mastering some basic things now....I think he may not always process the questions that she's asking if that makes sense...the school keeps saying how concerned they are and it worries me...we are seeing the neurologist again in October but I'm not seeing anything worrisome anywhere else.

It could be a huge issue if how she does things does not work for your child. If you ask mine, he may not get if you ask it one way but will get it when you ask another. Its part of the receptive language. It was probably always there. The better question is why didn't she notice it or it come up in her testing? A neurologist cannot do much about a language disorder. I'd supplement with private speech.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op again - he does get speech in school and the therapist is concerned that some of these issues are appearing now and not in earlier grades and she thinks he is not mastering some basic things now....I think he may not always process the questions that she's asking if that makes sense...the school keeps saying how concerned they are and it worries me...we are seeing the neurologist again in October but I'm not seeing anything worrisome anywhere else.

It sounds like you need a full neuropsych and psychoeducational eval. There's more going on here. At 9 I'm assuming he's in 3/4th grade which is when SOLs start, so it's pretty critical you get this nailed down as soon as you can. He likely needs more/different support than what is currently in his IEP. However, as I said (I was the first comment on this thread), even with an IEP, he will likely always struggle. Temper your expectations for what an IEP can do and what a child with learning disabilities or communication disorders can achieve. If you can realign your paradigm for what he is capable of doing and achieving, his successes will actually feel like successes- not failures to reach the goals his typical peers are capable of reaching.

[Anonymous]

A neurologist can only tell you so much, OP -- about whether your child has an illness or structural issue or genetic disorder. You need a neuropsych, which is administered by a psychologist, not a neurologist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op again - he does get speech in school and the therapist is concerned that some of these issues are appearing now and not in earlier grades and she thinks he is not mastering some basic things now....I think he may not always process the questions that she's asking if that makes sense...the school keeps saying how concerned they are and it worries me...we are seeing the neurologist again in October but I'm not seeing anything worrisome anywhere else.

It sounds like you need a full neuropsych and psychoeducational eval. There's more going on here. At 9 I'm assuming he's in 3/4th grade which is when SOLs start, so it's pretty critical you get this nailed down as soon as you can. He likely needs more/different support than what is currently in his IEP. However, as I said (I was the first comment on this thread), even with an IEP, he will likely always struggle. Temper your expectations for what an IEP can do and what a child with learning disabilities or communication disorders can achieve. If you can realign your paradigm for what he is capable of doing and achieving, his successes will actually feel like successes- not failures to reach the goals his typical peers are capable of reaching.

I agree with this PP. If the public school is concerned but their interventions are not working, perhaps they haven't fully identified his disability (or disabilities) and therefore he is not receiving the right services or all the services he needs. Without a full understanding of what the problem is, your son will keep hitting a brick wall.

I would recommend an evaluation at Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore just because they have an ability to work as a team to do a full evaluation - Educational, Neuropsyc, Speech, Neurologist, etc.- all under the same roof and sharing the same files. They can let you know prior to testing if your health insurance will cover the testing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it's a given that even with the IEP many kids will struggle academically. It's not that the IEP is a magic cure all. It gives them supports and help but it doesn't necessarily make them catch up to their typical peers. He likely will always struggle even with accommodations.

Pretty much this.

Find out how you can support at home.

You need to press the school system. If the IEP is not working (i.e., your son is not making progress), then the school system is not meeting its legal obligations. I agree with someone who posted previously that schools often don't understand the impact of speech-language issues. Get a full neuropsych - Kennedy-Krieger is good, so is Children's. There are others. Good luck, OP!

[Anonymous]

It sounds like you are doing everything you can to get help for your son. An IEP will only work if the teachers are following it. If your child has multiple teachers, then they all need to be on the same page about the best strategies for your son. I would ask the teachers what is being done to meet the requirements of the IEP. In addition, I would do what I could as a parent to help him get back on track. It will take some work on your part, but I am confident that you can help him improve. Good luck to you!