Anyone not pursuing a 504 or IEP due to political climate

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP’s child’s diagnosis isn’t in the system yet. OP does not indicate the child has or is liketto qualify for an IEP. OP doesn’t appear to be in denial.

Perhaps we can try to help OP, rather than jumping to conclusions.

Presumably OPs child has a diagnosis otherwise why is she considering an IEP? I definitely think denial is a possibility because normally a child’s needs are urgent so something as vague and frankly reaching as “the political climate” would never come into play or be a very distant factor.

OP posted once and posters have jumped all over them. Why? Is this the way we welcome parents new to the forum? Why assume they are in denial? Why even assume they know what an IEP is and the process for getting one?

They are asking for help.

They are asking for help and we are telling them - they are not making sense. They need to think this through better.

+1. We are answering the direct question. Get the IEP. Even I said that and I’m vocal about services doing absolutely nothing for my dyslexic student. Other accommodations have helped though so it’s worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP’s child’s diagnosis isn’t in the system yet. OP does not indicate the child has or is liketto qualify for an IEP. OP doesn’t appear to be in denial.

Perhaps we can try to help OP, rather than jumping to conclusions.

Presumably OPs child has a diagnosis otherwise why is she considering an IEP? I definitely think denial is a possibility because normally a child’s needs are urgent so something as vague and frankly reaching as “the political climate” would never come into play or be a very distant factor.

OP posted once and posters have jumped all over them. Why? Is this the way we welcome parents new to the forum? Why assume they are in denial? Why even assume they know what an IEP is and the process for getting one?

They are asking for help.

They are asking for help and we are telling them - they are not making sense. They need to think this through better.

+1. We are answering the direct question. Get the IEP. Even I said that and I’m vocal about services doing absolutely nothing for my dyslexic student. Other accommodations have helped though so it’s worth it.

Yep. More than happy to help tell OP which services helped and which did not and what to request in an IEP. Some years are more important for pull out/push in services (K and 1st IMO to learn to read) and other years are more important for teacher selection, cotaugh classes, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Denying your child accommodations and services that are necessary to their development, at a critical time in their growth, is willful neglect.

If your child does not need treatment or school services at this time, then you can choose not to pursue them now. But know that sometimes schools have IEP and 504 back-ups and need some time to set it all up; and that they might request an updated neuropsychological evaluation if it was done a long time ago. Waiting times for an evaluation and report can be several months long (6 months) at the best psychologists' practices. Then medication ramp-up takes several months if done with proper medical precautions at a psychiatrist's office. So all-in-all, for a child's wrap-around services and treatments to work, families and schools and experts need to work together for quite a while.

As for the political situation, it is aberrant. When this administrations leaves, no Republican or Democratic administration will pursue such fascist and authoritarian goals.

And get ready for law enforcement to show up on your doorstep with this claim, because trying to out-logic a government in which commitment to individual rights and dignity is collapsing this fast is a fool’s errand.

This is not an aberration. It has been happening, just not to people like you. What exactly makes you think that this administration will “leave”?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Denying your child accommodations and services that are necessary to their development, at a critical time in their growth, is willful neglect.

If your child does not need treatment or school services at this time, then you can choose not to pursue them now. But know that sometimes schools have IEP and 504 back-ups and need some time to set it all up; and that they might request an updated neuropsychological evaluation if it was done a long time ago. Waiting times for an evaluation and report can be several months long (6 months) at the best psychologists' practices. Then medication ramp-up takes several months if done with proper medical precautions at a psychiatrist's office. So all-in-all, for a child's wrap-around services and treatments to work, families and schools and experts need to work together for quite a while.

As for the political situation, it is aberrant. When this administrations leaves, no Republican or Democratic administration will pursue such fascist and authoritarian goals.

And get ready for law enforcement to show up on your doorstep with this claim, because trying to out-logic a government in which commitment to individual rights and dignity is collapsing this fast is a fool’s errand.

This is not an aberration. It has been happening, just not to people like you. What exactly makes you think that this administration will “leave”?

Yes, resist Trump by denying your kid reading pullouts in K. Makes sense!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Denying your child accommodations and services that are necessary to their development, at a critical time in their growth, is willful neglect.

If your child does not need treatment or school services at this time, then you can choose not to pursue them now. But know that sometimes schools have IEP and 504 back-ups and need some time to set it all up; and that they might request an updated neuropsychological evaluation if it was done a long time ago. Waiting times for an evaluation and report can be several months long (6 months) at the best psychologists' practices. Then medication ramp-up takes several months if done with proper medical precautions at a psychiatrist's office. So all-in-all, for a child's wrap-around services and treatments to work, families and schools and experts need to work together for quite a while.

As for the political situation, it is aberrant. When this administrations leaves, no Republican or Democratic administration will pursue such fascist and authoritarian goals.

And get ready for law enforcement to show up on your doorstep with this claim, because trying to out-logic a government in which commitment to individual rights and dignity is collapsing this fast is a fool’s errand.

This is not an aberration. It has been happening, just not to people like you. What exactly makes you think that this administration will “leave”?

Are you OP? Were you just trying to troll on the Special Needs Forum? You're just not credible making such large claims. The administration has done terrible things to migrants, international students, people whose NIH clinical trials were cut off mid-trial, and vulnerable populations abroad dependent on USAID. It has generated a whole new cycle of terrorists with its strikes on Iran.

But from there to insulting everyone who doesn't believe we are now in a dictatorship without elections, is a trollish move unsupported by facts.

I have reported your prior posts. Watch out.

[Anonymous]

It can be harder to get an IEP later. My DD is going to college this fall and we are using her IEP to get college accommodations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Denying your child accommodations and services that are necessary to their development, at a critical time in their growth, is willful neglect.

If your child does not need treatment or school services at this time, then you can choose not to pursue them now. But know that sometimes schools have IEP and 504 back-ups and need some time to set it all up; and that they might request an updated neuropsychological evaluation if it was done a long time ago. Waiting times for an evaluation and report can be several months long (6 months) at the best psychologists' practices. Then medication ramp-up takes several months if done with proper medical precautions at a psychiatrist's office. So all-in-all, for a child's wrap-around services and treatments to work, families and schools and experts need to work together for quite a while.

As for the political situation, it is aberrant. When this administrations leaves, no Republican or Democratic administration will pursue such fascist and authoritarian goals.

And get ready for law enforcement to show up on your doorstep with this claim, because trying to out-logic a government in which commitment to individual rights and dignity is collapsing this fast is a fool’s errand.

This is not an aberration. It has been happening, just not to people like you. What exactly makes you think that this administration will “leave”?

Are you OP? Were you just trying to troll on the Special Needs Forum? You're just not credible making such large claims. The administration has done terrible things to migrants, international students, people whose NIH clinical trials were cut off mid-trial, and vulnerable populations abroad dependent on USAID. It has generated a whole new cycle of terrorists with its strikes on Iran.

But from there to insulting everyone who doesn't believe we are now in a dictatorship without elections, is a trollish move unsupported by facts.

I have reported your prior posts. Watch out.

I think you are making a mistake in reporting my posts, but that is up to you (and Jeff).

HHS has been very clearly lining up the elements of characterizing parents who are treating their kids’ ADHD, depression, and other conditions with psychotropic medication as engaged in a form of child abuse. This is in addition to a long history of parents with bad access to resources being treated as neglectful, when in fact they are poor. In some ways, it is the opposite.

But the fact that it is wrong and irrational does not matter: there is no hacking the logic of this administration. They have motives that have nothing to do with what is best for our kids, and they will put those motives into action whether it hurts our kids or not.

The only thing we can control is ourselves, so we have to do what we know to be right and not be trying to guess at what federal levers will eventually be brought to bear in retaliation for that. Not pursuing a 504 or IEP “due to political climate” does not square witu that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m not sure why you posted and don’t understand your concern. Your child doesn’t currently have a 504/IEP and is getting by with private services and you are okay with this. You are hesitant to pursue anything else. Correct?

So let it be. Don’t worry over issues you don’t have.

My kid had an IEP and we found we had to do everything on our own anyway. When we moved to private school, the things they put in place made it so we didn’t even tell them about the IEP. We kept the private tutoring.

OP's child has just started in school. I am guessing the child just finished Prek-4 or kindergarten. At this age it is difficult to know what the needs will be, and many parents are in denial. At a minimum, a child with a diagnosis of a neurodevelopmental condition should have a 504 plan to give school staff a heads up about the child's specific needs. If the child qualifies for an IEP at this age, I am guessing they need services more than the parents realize.

I know several families whose kids have IEPs - all kids in general education classrooms - and they appreciate the services. IEPs are not designed to offer comprehensive support - they are there to allow the child to access the curriculum. Most children with IEPs also need support outside of school.

+1. Who are these people with IEPs who don’t need them. I am less than thrilled with implementation of our IEP but it is invaluable for the school to understand where my kid is coming from, to get appropriate class placements, and address issues as they come up (they always do).

Fair point. My kid was starting HS when we pulled him for private school. He had an IEP for OHI before that, for ADHD amongst other things. That was after many years of early intervention, medications, therapies and outside supports to get him to the place to be successful in the private with still the outside supports.

You asked who are these kids who don’t need it anymore. Sometimes older teens who’ve had the supports before.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My ASD child has a 504 that we obtained before the current MAHA talk of forming a registry of autistic people. I’m horrified by the possibility that DC’s information will be furnished to the current administration in extraction for school funding. The rhetoric from RFK Jr. especially sounds like eugenics to me. I get what OP is talking about.

Respectfully you need to distinguish between fears and reality. I was disturbed by the resigstry idea but guess what … my kid’s data is already everywhere. How do you think they do the annual research on autism rates for example? Presumably OP’s kid has a diagnosis- their data is already out there.

The actual threat from the Trump Admin is that cuts to federal funding will lead to reductions in services available by schools - and the gutting of the ED complaints office. But to believe that kids with 504s and IEPs are going to get rounded up and that therefore you won’t get your child services is just … not supported by any facts I am aware of.

OP’s question is really just another variety of a question that we get here often about whether some perceived stigma of a diagnosis or label is negative enough to avoid the diagnosis. Sometimes that question indicates that the child actually doesn’t have anything that big going on and the parent is having cold feet when they think about it. Sometimes it’s a phase in denial. But those of us who have kids for whom NOT getting an IEP was ever an option can tell you that this kind of waffling likely bears little relationship to getting your kids actual needs met.

There are kids that can get by without an IEP/504 but still would benefit from it. They are people and are not an insult to you. The lower the support needs, the less benefit there is from an IEP so yes the calculus might be different. In some cases, elementary schools put all the IEP and EML kids in one class to make it easier to provide services to them. I have emails from school staff confirming this. If your kid is barely getting any supports, it's not worth the disruption of being in that class which has multiple staff pushing in throughout the day. Especially if your kid have anxiety/autism/adhd which makes those disruptions even more distracting.

Hopefully, OP's school does not do this (which I think is a huge disservice to IEP and EML kids, and which I think most schools do not do). Ultimately I agree with you that OP should pursue services because I think even a small amount of services can be valuable and I think it is important for school staff to be aware of the kid's specific needs. Kindergarten is very different from preschool and the demands are different. A lot of times as these kids get older they need more support because of the increased academic and social demands.

If they can “get by without it” then they don’t meet the legal criteria. And I guess if you don’t want your kid to be one of “those” kids then that is also a consideration. I guess you are one of those parents whose kid is SN enough to need unlimited time on the SAT but certainly not actually disabled.

+1. I see a lot of this type of 504 and it’s a shame for the kids who need the support.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My ASD child has a 504 that we obtained before the current MAHA talk of forming a registry of autistic people. I’m horrified by the possibility that DC’s information will be furnished to the current administration in extraction for school funding. The rhetoric from RFK Jr. especially sounds like eugenics to me. I get what OP is talking about.

Respectfully you need to distinguish between fears and reality. I was disturbed by the resigstry idea but guess what … my kid’s data is already everywhere. How do you think they do the annual research on autism rates for example? Presumably OP’s kid has a diagnosis- their data is already out there.

The actual threat from the Trump Admin is that cuts to federal funding will lead to reductions in services available by schools - and the gutting of the ED complaints office. But to believe that kids with 504s and IEPs are going to get rounded up and that therefore you won’t get your child services is just … not supported by any facts I am aware of.

OP’s question is really just another variety of a question that we get here often about whether some perceived stigma of a diagnosis or label is negative enough to avoid the diagnosis. Sometimes that question indicates that the child actually doesn’t have anything that big going on and the parent is having cold feet when they think about it. Sometimes it’s a phase in denial. But those of us who have kids for whom NOT getting an IEP was ever an option can tell you that this kind of waffling likely bears little relationship to getting your kids actual needs met.

There are kids that can get by without an IEP/504 but still would benefit from it. They are people and are not an insult to you. The lower the support needs, the less benefit there is from an IEP so yes the calculus might be different. In some cases, elementary schools put all the IEP and EML kids in one class to make it easier to provide services to them. I have emails from school staff confirming this. If your kid is barely getting any supports, it's not worth the disruption of being in that class which has multiple staff pushing in throughout the day. Especially if your kid have anxiety/autism/adhd which makes those disruptions even more distracting.

Hopefully, OP's school does not do this (which I think is a huge disservice to IEP and EML kids, and which I think most schools do not do). Ultimately I agree with you that OP should pursue services because I think even a small amount of services can be valuable and I think it is important for school staff to be aware of the kid's specific needs. Kindergarten is very different from preschool and the demands are different. A lot of times as these kids get older they need more support because of the increased academic and social demands.

If they can “get by without it” then they don’t meet the legal criteria. And I guess if you don’t want your kid to be one of “those” kids then that is also a consideration. I guess you are one of those parents whose kid is SN enough to need unlimited time on the SAT but certainly not actually disabled.

+1. I see a lot of this type of 504 and it’s a shame for the kids who need the support.

Are you saying the 504s you see are for kids that actually need IEP? Or that Kid A's 504 for a "fake" disability impacts Kid's B's access to services for an "actual" disability? Also how do you determine that a kid's disability is not legitimate?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Denying your child accommodations and services that are necessary to their development, at a critical time in their growth, is willful neglect.

If your child does not need treatment or school services at this time, then you can choose not to pursue them now. But know that sometimes schools have IEP and 504 back-ups and need some time to set it all up; and that they might request an updated neuropsychological evaluation if it was done a long time ago. Waiting times for an evaluation and report can be several months long (6 months) at the best psychologists' practices. Then medication ramp-up takes several months if done with proper medical precautions at a psychiatrist's office. So all-in-all, for a child's wrap-around services and treatments to work, families and schools and experts need to work together for quite a while.

As for the political situation, it is aberrant. When this administrations leaves, no Republican or Democratic administration will pursue such fascist and authoritarian goals.

I agree with the first part of this. Hope you are right about the rest of it. I don’t see MAGA dying off even when this administration goes. The Pandora’s box is open and it’s now considered ok for people to share whatever vile thoughts they have about people with disabilities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD has had an IEP for 10 years and honestly the services have sucked and we have spent time and money fighting a system that doesn’t want to help. I am not sure this political climate makes it worse (is that possible?).

Definitely get the IEP but pay for outside help. As a friend loves to say- the best help you get is the help you pay for.

You’re about to lose whatever help you have left

Why do you say that? Did Trump cut IEP funding?

Yes, Medicaid funds many IEP services.

[Anonymous]

My ds has an IEP and while his support needs are low, the support he receives helps immensely. Things like being able to use a calculator on tests, extra time on tests, small group instruction to reinforce concepts taught in the larger class.

Life is hard enough as it is for someone who is NT. Harder even for kids who arent. Why make it harder for your kid when you dont have to?

[Anonymous]

One of my kids (ASD) has been anxious about using her 504 plan this upcoming year in college.