School thinks DS has ASD, dev ped does not agree. Now what?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP again. I suspect the school is pushing the ASD diagnosis in order to get him an IEP. He didn't meet eligibility last year (prior to 504 diagnosis) and still wouldn't based on grades.

OP, I don't think you are interpreting them correctly. For the IEP, he needs to have a diagnosis and he already has one. The specifics of the diagnosis might help people understand child better or might encourage them to look at different interventions but his access to special education would not change because he already qualifies under OHI with the ADHD.

Or, it could be at her child's school they have a very formulaic approach (which is wrong, but happens) in which kids with OHI/ADHD get 504s and accommodations; kids with Autism get social skills training etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are a lot of posters who have weighed in with advice about how things should work and whether something is legal or not. I'm here to tell you how it really works.

You cannot get any type of services, OT, or otherwise with a 504 plan. You need an IEP. This is just a fact.

But it is pretty hard to get an IEP for ADHD, especially for a child who has good grades, as many schools get push back from the central office for that. It's more rare to have an autism diagnosis so that would help your case or the school's case if you/they believe your son needs an IEP.

What kinds of behavioral issues does your child have? Is it inattention, being silly, defiance? Meltdowns at transitions or for other reasons? Peer conflicts? Is the behavior plan working or does he need explicit instruction on how to deal with issues that come up?

If the behavior plan is not working and you agree your child needs an IEP letting them move ahead with the autism testing will be the path of least resistance.

Some people have no problem with this even if they don't believe in the diagnosis but others do. This is up to you, but keep in mind you may have to expend significant financial resources and waste a lot of time if you try for an IEP under OHI.

Also I would think carefully about the teacher ratings and try to get more information about her concerns. The developmental ped. may be more of an expert on autism but the teacher is probably more of an expert on your child. While your child may not have autism the teacher had enough concerns that her ratings on the evaluation show he may have some characteristics which probably need to be addressed given the behavioral issues.

Not true at our school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP again. I suspect the school is pushing the ASD diagnosis in order to get him an IEP. He didn't meet eligibility last year (prior to 504 diagnosis) and still wouldn't based on grades.

OP, I don't think you are interpreting them correctly. For the IEP, he needs to have a diagnosis and he already has one. The specifics of the diagnosis might help people understand child better or might encourage them to look at different interventions but his access to special education would not change because he already qualifies under OHI with the ADHD.

Or, it could be at her child's school they have a very formulaic approach (which is wrong, but happens) in which kids with OHI/ADHD get 504s and accommodations; kids with Autism get social skills training etc.

When all kinds of kids often need both, but many schools will only give you one way to get needed services.

[Anonymous]

This is the unfortunate truth. At our school ADHD usually means 504s, autism IEPs. Our child with ADHD really suffered for years before they would consider an IEP.

[Anonymous]

My school gave me a runaround like this. I was lucky enough to have Dr. Stephen Camarata of Vanderbilt, who had evaluated our son in person, including autism and academic testing, phone conference in a meeting with like 10 school personnel, including the director. They were determined to say our child had autism -- without having done the actual testing (because we had refused it). They thought our DS just looked and acted like other kids they had decided had autism, so they wanted to lump my son in that category as well.

He shredded them. Really nicely, but just shredded them. Their lack of knowledge about autism and special needs specifically was embarrassing. They quickly shut up after a few volleys of trying to out-expert him.

It was glorious. Could your developmental ped phone conference in, or at least call the school psycho or sent them a letter? They crumple quickly when actually faced with expertise.

[Anonymous]

OP here. My earlier post didn't go though for some reason.

We are thinking about pursuing an IEP under OHI. Dev ped might be willing to make a case, thought noted that "schools do what they want to anyway." Blergh.

Thanks to all who posted. I so appreciate the help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son has ADHD and has definite ASD tendencies (husband's family has some diagnosed ASD members too).

However he is getting all he needs with the "Other Health Impairment" category on his IEP (which is where they put most of the ADHD kids), and nothing would change at school were he officially diagnosed with high functioning autism.

We, on the other hand, are actively trying to bolster his social skills and understanding of non-verbal cues, outside of school.

could you share how?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. My earlier post didn't go though for some reason.

We are thinking about pursuing an IEP under OHI. Dev ped might be willing to make a case, thought noted that "schools do what they want to anyway." Blergh.

Thanks to all who posted. I so appreciate the help.

Get the ADOS done independently. Rookie mistake not to include it in the first place. The schools are supposed to consider outside reports, but the often don't, so it may not change their stance. Iep labels are incredibly general. Focus on the supports your kid needs no matter what label it comes under.

Total blergh.

[Anonymous]

"Also I would think carefully about the teacher ratings and try to get more information about her concerns. The developmental ped. may be more of an expert on autism but the teacher is probably more of an expert on your child. While your child may not have autism the teacher had enough concerns that her ratings on the evaluation show he may have some characteristics which probably need to be addressed given the behavioral issues."

I have yet to meet someone who works for a school system who knows what the fuck they are talking about when it comes to kids and disabilities. The last opinion I would trust would be from someone at a school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. My earlier post didn't go though for some reason.

We are thinking about pursuing an IEP under OHI. Dev ped might be willing to make a case, thought noted that "schools do what they want to anyway." Blergh.

Thanks to all who posted. I so appreciate the help.

Get the ADOS done independently. Rookie mistake not to include it in the first place. The schools are supposed to consider outside reports, but the often don't, so it may not change their stance. Iep labels are incredibly general. Focus on the supports your kid needs no matter what label it comes under.

Total blergh.

Labels drive diagnosis. Don't get the wrong one. ADOS is an over-rated test, not the be all, end all. Be careful if you proceed down this course, and do your own independent research on how the ADOS is to be performed and scored.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get the ADOS done independently. Rookie mistake not to include it in the first place. The schools are supposed to consider outside reports, but the often don't, so it may not change their stance. Iep labels are incredibly general. Focus on the supports your kid needs no matter what label it comes under.

Total blergh.

Interestingly, dev ped thinks it's not worth doing—doesn't think it will show much in his case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Also I would think carefully about the teacher ratings and try to get more information about her concerns. The developmental ped. may be more of an expert on autism but the teacher is probably more of an expert on your child. While your child may not have autism the teacher had enough concerns that her ratings on the evaluation show he may have some characteristics which probably need to be addressed given the behavioral issues."

I have yet to meet someone who works for a school system who knows what the fuck they are talking about when it comes to kids and disabilities. The last opinion I would trust would be from someone at a school.

Then you've been in the wrong schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Also I would think carefully about the teacher ratings and try to get more information about her concerns. The developmental ped. may be more of an expert on autism but the teacher is probably more of an expert on your child. While your child may not have autism the teacher had enough concerns that her ratings on the evaluation show he may have some characteristics which probably need to be addressed given the behavioral issues."

I have yet to meet someone who works for a school system who knows what the fuck they are talking about when it comes to kids and disabilities. The last opinion I would trust would be from someone at a school.

Then you've been in the wrong schools.

No, this is the norm. Maybe you got lucky. Schools put most of our kids and us through hell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Also I would think carefully about the teacher ratings and try to get more information about her concerns. The developmental ped. may be more of an expert on autism but the teacher is probably more of an expert on your child. While your child may not have autism the teacher had enough concerns that her ratings on the evaluation show he may have some characteristics which probably need to be addressed given the behavioral issues."

I have yet to meet someone who works for a school system who knows what the fuck they are talking about when it comes to kids and disabilities. The last opinion I would trust would be from someone at a school.

LOL. Sadly, this is often the case. It would be great if people looked more at being experts at addressing behaviors/learning styles, etc. rather than making blanket diagnoses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get the ADOS done independently. Rookie mistake not to include it in the first place. The schools are supposed to consider outside reports, but the often don't, so it may not change their stance. Iep labels are incredibly general. Focus on the supports your kid needs no matter what label it comes under.

Total blergh.

Interestingly, dev ped thinks it's not worth doing—doesn't think it will show much in his case.

You include it with the neuropsch so as to AVOID the situation the OP is in now. This isn't rocket science just common sense.