Reply to Denied evaluation for autism spectrum child at FCPS. Now what?

Forum Index » Kids With Special Needs and Disabilities

Reply to "Denied evaluation for autism spectrum child at FCPS. Now what?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous]I'm telling you what the policies are at several FCPS schools where I have worked.  I'm not saying I agree with it.  I have done educational testing when LD chairs have come up with excuses.  We have actual meetings about this where special ed department chairs talk about reasons to test, reasons not to test, reasons we "don't have to test."  That is why she is running into a staff that will not test. It's a team decision.  If they all gang up on mom and say that they have no concerns, then testing is thrown out the window.  I'm telling her the easiest way to get action- bring in test scores from private therapists that list deficits, needs, and accommodations that should be provided at school.  And get ready for school testing to try to get out of whatever they recommend.

Testing is still a "best practice" for re-evals.  I had several high school students throughout the years who were not tested since elementary school.  My boss has fought in many meetings to get educational testing done because a lot changes over the course of 6 or however many years.  I have fought for my students to get testing.  I have fought even over the age of 18 when LD chairs say that there is no need to test because the programing won't change.  It may not, but if a child has a traumatic brain injury, seizure disorder, progressive neurological condition, they may suddenly qualify for ID and get community services that they wouldn't otherwise.  The rebuttal I get is "whatever happens after school is not why we test.  We test to develop IEPs and determine services."  This is not just one school.  They do file reviews instead of testing.  One of my severely disabled kids almost didn't qualify for medicaid or ID services (I can't remember which) because he didn't have updated testing.  The school was arguing that they didn't have to test because he was in an ID program and nothing would change with testing.  His mom had to bring in a file review with his IEP goals and hope that the medicaid office could see that there was a significant delay.  If not, she was going to have to pay, out of pocket, for educational testing.  And she was a special ed teacher.  Until it's in writing that there must be testing for any eligibilities, schools will get out of them.

With an IEE, you can go and get one all you want, but it doesn't mean FCPS will pay for it.  You'll have to go through due process and let them decide if it was necessary.  If that's the route she wants to take, it would be better to go through due process before paying out of pocket because it likely won't be paid for.  They may come back to the school and make them test because it would cost them nothing.  They denied to pay for a physical examination for one of my students who had a progressive medical condition and no health insurance.

OP, put in a referral to care connection for children.  They have advocates who can go with you to meetings like this and fight for you.

If socialization is the issue, I don't understand why community programs are a joke.  I don't care what program it is, library story time, sports, clubs.  He would be around other kids and someone, other than mom, could encourage socialization.  It sounds like this battle is going to take awhile since they flatly refused to do anything.

PP, I'm sorry if my post offended you, but I was trying to let the OP know WHY that happened, the best way to go about fixing it, and what happens within the schools.  It doesn't mean that it's right, but these are the policies that we're told to follow.  [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics