Processing results of IEP meeting..would love some feedback.

[Anonymous]

DD had her IEP meeting today--she's about to turn three. She has been receiving services (OT, PT, speech and special ed teacher) through Infants and Toddlers since July and has made a lot of progress. Since September she has been attending a mainstream preschool three mornings a week and is holding her own, though she still has her challenges and needs a bit more support than the typical kid in her class. It was determined that since DD has met most of her initial goals with infants and toddlers, she isn't eligible for the PEP preschool program but can stay in her regular school and receive itinerant OT services for fine motor delays. She was found ineligible for the special ed teacher to monitor her progress in school.

I was told that DD's OT will serve as her case manager and if I have concerns about DD's progress down the line, I can discuss this with the OT and she'll guide me in the right direction. I guess my question is this...if new challenges arise or DD's teacher expresses concern about her lack of progress over the course of the school year, is it easy enough to upgrade her services? I'm really glad that she's going to be able to stay in her regular school because she really seems to feel safe and happy there, but I want to make sure I'm not screwed if it seems like DD needs more intensive support down the line.

The thing is, DD's challenges are definitely real but they don't necessarily affect her ability to manage preschool, at least not at this time. Her teacher has noticed some of DD's quirks and wants to keep an eye on her progress and after a period of time re-evaluate if this mainstream class is sufficiently meeting her needs.

DD is often "a step behind" in following directions in the group setting (not at home), and periodically needs verbal cues. She transitions well from activity to activity and sits for circle time, but doesn't participate in finger play/songs as of yet. She also rocks frequently to self-soothe and has some mild sensory issues that cause her to avoid sand, finger paints, etc. She has some occasional perseverative speech (but does use language appropriately the majority of the time). All in all, small things that are noticeable and "red flags", but not getting in the way of her doing well in general at school. She has a lot of strengths and is one of these "borderline" kids--her issues are there but pretty subtle. Her speech therapist feels that she doesn't need ongoing speech therapy and that the classroom experience can meet those needs.

Anyone else been in this situation? Can I expect support down the line of her needs become greater?

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

My experience is that you have to be pretty vigilant on your own once your child is out of Infant/Toddlers and into the IEP arena. Although the county says that your child will have a "case manager," subtle issues or things just not coming together will probably be apparent to you long before her case manager or teacher. Also, promises or goals will be made and not followed through, not out of malice or evil intent but just because people are stretched too thin or have too many priorities. So you have to stay on top and make sure your child is a priority. Kind of be her case manager yourself -- instead of waiting for the OT to "guide you in the right direction," I would recommend that you stay vigilant and suggest to the OT what YOU think the right direction is for your child. The OT may need firm pressure from you to follow through on new techniques or make sure your daughter is really getting as much time per week as she needs. For instance, with our daughter, we were told that she didn't meet the "five qualifying criteria" for getting summer speech services. We looked up the criteria, and then called her case manager and explained how she met them. Lo and behold, she got summer services.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My experience is that you have to be pretty vigilant on your own once your child is out of Infant/Toddlers and into the IEP arena. Although the county says that your child will have a "case manager," subtle issues or things just not coming together will probably be apparent to you long before her case manager or teacher. Also, promises or goals will be made and not followed through, not out of malice or evil intent but just because people are stretched too thin or have too many priorities. So you have to stay on top and make sure your child is a priority. Kind of be her case manager yourself -- instead of waiting for the OT to "guide you in the right direction," I would recommend that you stay vigilant and suggest to the OT what YOU think the right direction is for your child. The OT may need firm pressure from you to follow through on new techniques or make sure your daughter is really getting as much time per week as she needs. For instance, with our daughter, we were told that she didn't meet the "five qualifying criteria" for getting summer speech services. We looked up the criteria, and then called her case manager and explained how she met them. Lo and behold, she got summer services.

OP here...thanks! That's great advice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My experience is that you have to be pretty vigilant on your own once your child is out of Infant/Toddlers and into the IEP arena. Although the county says that your child will have a "case manager," subtle issues or things just not coming together will probably be apparent to you long before her case manager or teacher. Also, promises or goals will be made and not followed through, not out of malice or evil intent but just because people are stretched too thin or have too many priorities. So you have to stay on top and make sure your child is a priority. Kind of be her case manager yourself -- instead of waiting for the OT to "guide you in the right direction," I would recommend that you stay vigilant and suggest to the OT what YOU think the right direction is for your child. The OT may need firm pressure from you to follow through on new techniques or make sure your daughter is really getting as much time per week as she needs. For instance, with our daughter, we were told that she didn't meet the "five qualifying criteria" for getting summer speech services. We looked up the criteria, and then called her case manager and explained how she met them. Lo and behold, she got summer services.

OP here...thanks! That's great advice.

Different poster -- where do you look up criteria for getting specific services? What county are you in. I can find general legal information about having to have a disability and "educational impact" but I am having trouble in the IEP process showing that my child needs services even though we have testing that states so. Where does one find what specific criteria have to be met in order to qualify for specific services?

Thanks.

[Anonymous]

After Infants and Toddlers, in order to qualify for services, your child has to have a need that impacts or is likely to impact the ability to learn. So, not all needs will qualify for services through the school. I found that I had to supplement my son's county services with private therapy in order to address all of his needs.

OP, I agree with the poster who says you have to viligent after getting out of Infants and Toddlers. That being said, I found that it is pretty easy to add services as new needs develop, particularly once my son got into elementary school. This year in my son's IEP, we changed the primary disability, which allowed him to get a great deal more services than he had been receiving. I think the most important thing you can do is to make yourself available to the teachers and therapists and communicate regularly. That will make everyone see you as an important member of the team.

[Anonymous]

Different poster -- where do you look up criteria for getting specific services? What county are you in. I can find general legal information about having to have a disability and "educational impact" but I am having trouble in the IEP process showing that my child needs services even though we have testing that states so. Where does one find what specific criteria have to be met in order to qualify for specific services?

We're in MoCo. In that case, I called the parent educator at her school and she emailed me a pamphlet. It was really pretty easy to make the case for the summer services.