Tips for Seeking IEP for Incoming K at MCPS?

[Anonymous]

We have concerns regarding inattentiveness, memory issues, handwriting issues, reading/letter recognition skills, according to preschool teacher for our 5 year old who will be entering K in the fall. We have a private neuropsych scheduled but not until November. I've gotten the paperwork to start the process with MCPS. Any tips, things I should know, etc would be much appreciated. This is for a school that feeds into Pyle/Whitman.

[Anonymous]

If your child is in services privately (and I would do private), I would have each provider do their own evaluation and recommendations and provide it to the school.

[Anonymous]

You could try to get a psychoeducational test done, may be a shorter wait. Ours was started within a month or so of contacting the psychologist we used. And/or get on the list for Childfind, if it isn't too late for that.

[Anonymous]

I don't think you'll get an IEP for that. Start private OT for handwriting and see how she does the first few months of K.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think you'll get an IEP for that. Start private OT for handwriting and see how she does the first few months of K.

Really? They seem to be signs of ADHD and dyslexia. Do they not offer IEPs or services for that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have concerns regarding inattentiveness, memory issues, handwriting issues, reading/letter recognition skills, according to preschool teacher for our 5 year old who will be entering K in the fall. We have a private neuropsych scheduled but not until November. I've gotten the paperwork to start the process with MCPS. Any tips, things I should know, etc would be much appreciated. This is for a school that feeds into Pyle/Whitman.

OP, it's entirely unclear what you want: 504 plan? IEP? EMT meeting and "intervention" from the teacher. What "paperwork" and what "process" have you started with MCPS.

We can provide better tips if you are more clear about what your endgame is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have concerns regarding inattentiveness, memory issues, handwriting issues, reading/letter recognition skills, according to preschool teacher for our 5 year old who will be entering K in the fall. We have a private neuropsych scheduled but not until November. I've gotten the paperwork to start the process with MCPS. Any tips, things I should know, etc would be much appreciated. This is for a school that feeds into Pyle/Whitman.

OP, it's entirely unclear what you want: 504 plan? IEP? EMT meeting and "intervention" from the teacher. What "paperwork" and what "process" have you started with MCPS.

We can provide better tips if you are more clear about what your endgame is.

I would like an IEP for K and to ensure that he'll get any available and appropriate support for these challenges which I'm guessing may include OT and pull outs for reading. I suppose other accommodations too. I'm not familiar with the process. We were too late for Child Find so need to complete paperwork to request and evaluation by the school. It is called Private/Parochial School Student Referral for Special Education Services.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think you'll get an IEP for that. Start private OT for handwriting and see how she does the first few months of K.

Really? They seem to be signs of ADHD and dyslexia. Do they not offer IEPs or services for that?

Not unless they interfere with access to the curriculum, which is far from clear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have concerns regarding inattentiveness, memory issues, handwriting issues, reading/letter recognition skills, according to preschool teacher for our 5 year old who will be entering K in the fall. We have a private neuropsych scheduled but not until November. I've gotten the paperwork to start the process with MCPS. Any tips, things I should know, etc would be much appreciated. This is for a school that feeds into Pyle/Whitman.

OP, it's entirely unclear what you want: 504 plan? IEP? EMT meeting and "intervention" from the teacher. What "paperwork" and what "process" have you started with MCPS.

We can provide better tips if you are more clear about what your endgame is.

I would like an IEP for K and to ensure that he'll get any available and appropriate support for these challenges which I'm guessing may include OT and pull outs for reading. I suppose other accommodations too. I'm not familiar with the process. We were too late for Child Find so need to complete paperwork to request and evaluation by the school. It is called Private/Parochial School Student Referral for Special Education Services.

I just don't see how you think you'll get pullouts for reading. At least half the class won't even be reading at all yet! Give it a few months in K to see what happpens and do private OT in the meantime.

Can she draw or write her name now? Sit during circle time?

Don't forget you have a whole 6 months before K even starts.

[Anonymous]

OP get the evaluation in the fall.

After that, ask in writing for an IEP meeting and send the school the report. You will be in a stronger position and the report will specify what your child needs to be successful in school.

Going in with just your concerns and the preschool teacher’s observation, before your daughter has even started school, doesn’t make a lot of sense, unless she is profoundly disabled, in which case she’d probably be in early intervention through the county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have concerns regarding inattentiveness, memory issues, handwriting issues, reading/letter recognition skills, according to preschool teacher for our 5 year old who will be entering K in the fall. We have a private neuropsych scheduled but not until November. I've gotten the paperwork to start the process with MCPS. Any tips, things I should know, etc would be much appreciated. This is for a school that feeds into Pyle/Whitman.

OP, it's entirely unclear what you want: 504 plan? IEP? EMT meeting and "intervention" from the teacher. What "paperwork" and what "process" have you started with MCPS.

We can provide better tips if you are more clear about what your endgame is.

I would like an IEP for K and to ensure that he'll get any available and appropriate support for these challenges which I'm guessing may include OT and pull outs for reading. I suppose other accommodations too. I'm not familiar with the process. We were too late for Child Find so need to complete paperwork to request and evaluation by the school. It is called Private/Parochial School Student Referral for Special Education Services.

I just don't see how you think you'll get pullouts for reading. At least half the class won't even be reading at all yet! Give it a few months in K to see what happpens and do private OT in the meantime.

Can she draw or write her name now? Sit during circle time?

Don't forget you have a whole 6 months before K even starts.

Good point about the reading. She had write her name though R backwards and writes from the bottom up. She is fine sitting during circle time but just is not retaining information and sometimes refuses to do tasks that are difficult for her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP get the evaluation in the fall.

After that, ask in writing for an IEP meeting and send the school the report. You will be in a stronger position and the report will specify what your child needs to be successful in school.

Going in with just your concerns and the preschool teacher’s observation, before your daughter has even started school, doesn’t make a lot of sense, unless she is profoundly disabled, in which case she’d probably be in early intervention through the county.

Is it worth getting the school evaluation in the interim? I thought the school will come and observe her in the preschool class.

[Anonymous]

The school can test as part of the IEP process. It’s a long process and they will likely report back that there is either no problem or no educational impact. Once he is there and they see the struggles firsthand, you may find they change their tune but there are no guarantees. Hiring an advocate may up your chances but your description makes it sound like your child may not qualify even then. We know of a number of families denied an IEP for ADHD. Of course a big factor is the particular school. Our school recently had a complete changing of the guard and things are much better than they used to be.

Your child is unlikely to get OT even in a very supportive school. We were told they only provide OT as an add on to speech therapy and the deficit must be very severe. My child could not cut, write or even use a glue stick (he had a documented physical disability that affected his fine motor). We were told if he didn’t qualify for speech he couldn’t have OT. Fortunately he did end up qualifying for speech and his disability was severe enough they agreed to OT. Sadly, the OT provided was worthless. It was group with 3 kids, once a week, and frequently canceled. As DC got older it became clear he had LD and the school fought adding it to the IEP based on their testing. We did private testing and hired an advocate. Success? Not really! They provided pull out and push in but it wasn’t effective. We did private therapy for everything for years. With both disabilities, accommodations were the main benefit of the IEP. With that said, you might find it easier to ask for a 504. Obviously, a good IEP with both effective interventions and accommodations is what you want, but my child had a beautifully written IEP that meant nothing.

My other child with a well documented history of motor planning issues and years of OT under his belt was denied OT completely. He had an existing IEP in place for speech before K. We hired an advocate and met before the year started and got nothing.

Definitely go private for OT. Don’t wait until they deny you because early intervention is really key. Ask to be put on cancellation list for the neuropsych so you can come armed with documentation from the start. And then consider an advocate if you truly believe your child can’t be successful without supports. The system really stinks. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have concerns regarding inattentiveness, memory issues, handwriting issues, reading/letter recognition skills, according to preschool teacher for our 5 year old who will be entering K in the fall. We have a private neuropsych scheduled but not until November. I've gotten the paperwork to start the process with MCPS. Any tips, things I should know, etc would be much appreciated. This is for a school that feeds into Pyle/Whitman.

OP, it's entirely unclear what you want: 504 plan? IEP? EMT meeting and "intervention" from the teacher. What "paperwork" and what "process" have you started with MCPS.

We can provide better tips if you are more clear about what your endgame is.

I would like an IEP for K and to ensure that he'll get any available and appropriate support for these challenges which I'm guessing may include OT and pull outs for reading. I suppose other accommodations too. I'm not familiar with the process. We were too late for Child Find so need to complete paperwork to request and evaluation by the school. It is called Private/Parochial School Student Referral for Special Education Services.

I just don't see how you think you'll get pullouts for reading. At least half the class won't even be reading at all yet! Give it a few months in K to see what happpens and do private OT in the meantime.

Can she draw or write her name now? Sit during circle time?

Don't forget you have a whole 6 months before K even starts.

Good point about the reading. She had write her name though R backwards and writes from the bottom up. She is fine sitting during circle time but just is not retaining information and sometimes refuses to do tasks that are difficult for her.

If she can write her name at all, and can sit during circle time, she's going to be able to participate in K. Reversing letters is normal at this age, and she's able to pay attention/follow rules in an age appropriate way.

By way of comparison, we did get an IEP for my incoming Kindergartener (not MCPS). This was because he had a history of being severely disruptive in preschool and had a severe fine motor delay. He tested as a 1 yr old in fine motor skills as a 4 year old. At 4.5 he could barely even make a mark on paper, much less write his name at all! The other kids I know of who got IEPs before Kindergarten or right after after starting has ASD diagnoses or a history of disruptive behavior and other delays.

Honestly your child doesn't sound delayed, or only very slightly. I think private OT would be a good step for you to get her fine motor skills assessed.

This is not to say there's nothing going on - especially if you have a family history of inattentive adhd. Just that I don't think she sounds delayed academically right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The school can test as part of the IEP process. It’s a long process and they will likely report back that there is either no problem or no educational impact. Once he is there and they see the struggles firsthand, you may find they change their tune but there are no guarantees. Hiring an advocate may up your chances but your description makes it sound like your child may not qualify even then. We know of a number of families denied an IEP for ADHD. Of course a big factor is the particular school. Our school recently had a complete changing of the guard and things are much better than they used to be.

Your child is unlikely to get OT even in a very supportive school. We were told they only provide OT as an add on to speech therapy and the deficit must be very severe. My child could not cut, write or even use a glue stick (he had a documented physical disability that affected his fine motor). We were told if he didn’t qualify for speech he couldn’t have OT. Fortunately he did end up qualifying for speech and his disability was severe enough they agreed to OT. Sadly, the OT provided was worthless. It was group with 3 kids, once a week, and frequently canceled. As DC got older it became clear he had LD and the school fought adding it to the IEP based on their testing. We did private testing and hired an advocate. Success? Not really! They provided pull out and push in but it wasn’t effective. We did private therapy for everything for years. With both disabilities, accommodations were the main benefit of the IEP. With that said, you might find it easier to ask for a 504. Obviously, a good IEP with both effective interventions and accommodations is what you want, but my child had a beautifully written IEP that meant nothing.

My other child with a well documented history of motor planning issues and years of OT under his belt was denied OT completely. He had an existing IEP in place for speech before K. We hired an advocate and met before the year started and got nothing.

Definitely go private for OT. Don’t wait until they deny you because early intervention is really key. Ask to be put on cancellation list for the neuropsych so you can come armed with documentation from the start. And then consider an advocate if you truly believe your child can’t be successful without supports. The system really stinks. Good luck!

Was this DCPS? The OT thing is because of the weird way the DC regulations define special education. OT alone is a "related service" and not special education, so a kid who only needs OT does not qualify for an IEP. That's why you also needed speech, which then pulls OT into the IEP! Pretty dumb when you have a kid who literally can't hold a pencil, as you know.