Reply to IEP Change from Developmental Delay to Narrower Label (Speech Impairment)

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Reply to "IEP Change from Developmental Delay to Narrower Label (Speech Impairment)"

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[quote=Anonymous]Our DS, age 6, has had an IEP since age 3 for developmental delay.  That label can't extend into age 7, and it's time for his triennial IEP review.  At eligibility meeting, school suggested to change the label from developmental delay to speech/language impairment.  Although that's one aspect of his issues, it doesn't nearly capture all of them.  School says if he's found eligible, he'd still be able to continue getting educational and OT services under a speech/language label in the IEP.  Does anyone have experience with this being the case?

I've long suspected DS has high functioning autism (probably aspergers).  His issues concern focusing/attention/organization, pragmatic speech, perseveration, social skills, difficulty with abstract concepts, overly sensitive to sounds, significant fine motor delays and less severe gross motor delays.  His strengths are excellent memory for rote information and spelling, reading above grade level (though comprehension is questionable), and pretty good ability to generate ideas in writing (handwriting is terrible, but the content is on point).  This is a kid who memorizes and perseverates on calendars, maps, names of presidents, car makes/models, street names - you get the idea.  His teacher, who has been teaching for many years, also has expressed, when I raised it, that she sees HFA traits in him.

The school only did speech and OT testing this year, and recommended deferring cognitive and academic testing until next year, because his reading/writing/spelling currently are above grade level (concern that this might reduce what services for which he'd be eligible for 1st through 3rd grade).  Still, there are so many issues that impact his ability to access the curriculum, and "speech impairment" doesn't nearly seem to capture them all.

Has anyone else been in a similar situation when transitioning from developmental delay to a different label?  If so, what did you do, and how did it go? 
 
A related question is whether we should wait to have the school test DS for autism - which would be sometime in the late Fall -  or whether we should just do it sooner privately.  We did have DS evaluated for autism at NIH at age 3 - he was borderline but not diagnosed because of his level of engagement/eye contact with the evaluator.  They indicated this didn't preclude a diagnosis when he's older.  Another option is we could test privately for ADD/ADHD (school said diagnosis must be from medical doctor) - if he is (very likely), then he could qualify for services under the OHI label.  I'm trying to figure out how to approach the label and testing - globally (possibly autism) or piecemeal (speech and/or possibly ADD).

TIA for any advice or anecdotes you might have.

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