Reply to Montgomery county public school dragging feet about re-testing dyslexic son

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]My child also has dyslexia and adhd. We are currently trying to get her a 504, but the special ed department said that poor handwriting (it's completely illegible) does not qualify her for any special instruction.  I don't know why Montgomery County is deemed as such a great system for kids with disabilities.  I think it's awful!  It's kids like ours who fall through the cracks and they just turn their backs.[/quote]

My child has dysgraphia and has an IEP.  You need to show three things to get an IEP -- 1) disorder, 2) adverse impact and 3) need for special instruction.  Write a letter to the principal that says that you are concerned about dysgraphia, that you think your child needs special instruction and an IEP.  Provide some examples of the poor handwriting and describe how it is impacting the child in class -- how is the child able to "demonstrate understanding" if he/she can not write?  is the poor handwriting having adverse impact in other ways, i.e. causing emotional problems like calling oneself stupid, or avoiding activities in the classroom?

Tell me how old your child is and I will try to help you figure out what kind of data you can ask for to help show adverse impact.  Also, think beyond just handwriting -- does your child have problems that seem age-inappropriate with oral spoken expression?  organizing thoughts on paper?  maintaining attention long enough to write a paragraph?  grammar?  spelling?  These can be indicative of other "disorders" like Mixed Expressive/Receptive Language Disorder, Executive Function problems, ADD, problems with phonic knowledge, coordination disorder, etc.

Yes, the MCPS IEP team will dismiss "poor handwriting" as something that's not a problem and may just offer a 504 plan with accommodations for extra time and a computer instead, but if you think more is going on, you can continue to press -- register your objection to the failure to determine IEP eligibility, go to mediation, get outside private testing, etc.

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