Reviving this post ... I'm the OP.

So, we're still waiting for an EMT to be scheduled. I just checked in with the teacher, who says she's still below grade level in reading and writing. She also struggles with math. She is doing a little better, but doesn't seem to enjoy any of it, esp. writing. It seems like a genuine struggle for her.

At any rate, teacher says the principal now meets to meet with her in late January, before meeting with us. This seems like a long time to wait (who knows how long it will take them to set something up, or maybe they will decide we don't need a meeting after all?)

My question: should I reach out to the principal at all on behalf of my child? Would that help or hurt? Anyone btdt?

We also have an appointment with the ped coming up soon.

OP, if you can afford the private assessment I would do it. My DD (also in 2nd in MCPS) sounds similar to yours. We had a neuropsych done and once we had the results it still took a good 3 months to get an IEP in place. We did that during first grade and now in second with proper supports my DD is doing so much better! I am very glad we didn’t let things get any worse before taking action.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you all.

It's just hard to know where to go from here. I feel like I want to do something in the interim while we're waiting for this meeting to happen. Should I hire a tutor, or just have DH and I work with her more at home (which we do already?) I hate to throw money down a rabbit hole not knowing if it will help.

Just trying to figure out where the academic spark is for her. Nothing seems to hold her interest for long and while it isn't painful to do homework (most of the time), she puts the least amount of effort into it to get it over with. She never picks up a book to read or look at it for pleasure. As I think ahead to things like book reports and little research projects, I worry about her. I see what other kids her age accomplish and while I'm not comparing, she she isn't anywhere near that. They color the whole page and label things, she doesn't color at all and might label two things. They read a text and provide several details in written form. She struggles to put down down details at all. Even with things like arts and crafts, she enjoys them, but only for five minutes at a time.

She's a physical kid and excels at anything sporty/active. She's also enjoyed theater camp or opportunities to act or dance. She likes to cook and play with slime.

I'm rambling now. Thanks for listening...

NP here. Your DD sounds a lot like my son in terms of little 'yellow flags' which made me feel that something was not right. Meanwhile, my DH was in denial about anything being wrong.
Ultimately what made me go for the full eval with a neuropsychologist (when he was 9) was an episode that DS had at school where he wasn't able to control his impulsivity. This was the push we needed--for me to schedule something finally (I'd been finding the process daunting) and for DH to go along. In your case, you might not have that 'urgent episode' but it's critical to move forward even if your DH is resistant to admit a problem. You'll need to work it out with him so that he is willing to go through the eval process for your DD--I wish you well on that and hope you can get him on board.

As part of the eventual evaluation, the neuropsychologist asked both me, DH, and the teacher to fill out assessments. This was important because he compared and contrasted all 3 responses. DH was more tolerant/forgiving of what I saw as "issues". However, the teacher's eval (we asked last year's teacher, as we had the eval over the summer) was very clear in indicating that DS's behavior had certain issues.

I was so relieved to get the eval/diagnosis and have a starting point. It's so draining to parent a child like mine and the diagnosis gives you a road map to work with the school counselors etc. It helped me understand my kid a bit more, even. We haven't finalized the plan with the school counselors (we expect that we'll develop a 504 plan), but the eval was so helpful when DS started his new class/school and it got the counselor's attention and helped them understand what DS's challenges are. And I'm hoping it will formalize the interventions he needs (like extra time to write down his homework assignments each day in his planner....which I think the teacher otherwise would not get around to doing for him.)

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you all.

It's just hard to know where to go from here. I feel like I want to do something in the interim while we're waiting for this meeting to happen. Should I hire a tutor, or just have DH and I work with her more at home (which we do already?) I hate to throw money down a rabbit hole not knowing if it will help.

Just trying to figure out where the academic spark is for her. Nothing seems to hold her interest for long and while it isn't painful to do homework (most of the time), she puts the least amount of effort into it to get it over with. She never picks up a book to read or look at it for pleasure. As I think ahead to things like book reports and little research projects, I worry about her. I see what other kids her age accomplish and while I'm not comparing, she she isn't anywhere near that. They color the whole page and label things, she doesn't color at all and might label two things. They read a text and provide several details in written form. She struggles to put down down details at all. Even with things like arts and crafts, she enjoys them, but only for five minutes at a time.

She's a physical kid and excels at anything sporty/active. She's also enjoyed theater camp or opportunities to act or dance. She likes to cook and play with slime.

I'm rambling now. Thanks for listening...

Op many of the issues you are listing now were not in your original post. It might be no issues, but you might want to get evaluation going on. IEP is not the goal at the beginning in my opinion. You need to have a good picture if what is going on and the IEP will follow. If I were you I would do private evaluation. I know its expensive, but it is what it is! Hang in there, not knowing is the hard part, when you know what is going on, then you can get her the support she needs.

OP here. Thank you all.

It's just hard to know where to go from here. I feel like I want to do something in the interim while we're waiting for this meeting to happen. Should I hire a tutor, or just have DH and I work with her more at home (which we do already?) I hate to throw money down a rabbit hole not knowing if it will help.

Just trying to figure out where the academic spark is for her. Nothing seems to hold her interest for long and while it isn't painful to do homework (most of the time), she puts the least amount of effort into it to get it over with. She never picks up a book to read or look at it for pleasure. As I think ahead to things like book reports and little research projects, I worry about her. I see what other kids her age accomplish and while I'm not comparing, she she isn't anywhere near that. They color the whole page and label things, she doesn't color at all and might label two things. They read a text and provide several details in written form. She struggles to put down down details at all. Even with things like arts and crafts, she enjoys them, but only for five minutes at a time.

She's a physical kid and excels at anything sporty/active. She's also enjoyed theater camp or opportunities to act or dance. She likes to cook and play with slime.

I'm rambling now. Thanks for listening...

Where did you go from there, 1426?

At our EMT meeting the school did not document anything. It was just a larger meeting and the specialists were involved. The assistant principal didn't come to our meeting but I heard she sometimes goes to other EMT meetings. Ours did not progress to a 504 or IEP despite things not improving.

Anonymous wrote:Op here. The teacher mentioned getting an EMT together with us to discuss issues. Is that different from an IEP or a precursor to getting one? She has tried various interventions, she's in an after school club to help and we've worked with her at home. She is basically failing math, so something is not clicking for her and she needs help.

Yes EMT is different than IEP, but it's more formal than just talking to the teacher about informal intervention. My understanding that in this meeting they document what are the objectives for the student and what kind of support they will provide. If things don't improve, then it can turn into IEP eligibility meeting. I think it's a good place to start. I agree with other posts that being behind academically doesn't mean disability, your kid might just need more time to catch up or in certain topics, she will not be straight As a student and that is ok. A friend of mine though her daughter had a disability because she was doing poorly with math despite private tutoring, the school did the evaluation and there was no LD and they told her to accept that math is not her daughter strength.

Getting to an IEP can be a lengthy process. Have you considered talking in detail with your DD's teacher? You indicated she was a veteran teacher so maybe she would be willing to tell you the process. It's good that you are getting as much information as possible. Many kids don't have advocates for their needs and you are doing a good job getting as much information as you can. Keep asking questions until you receive the answers you need. The process can be lengthy but you will be able to get through it. Wishing you the best.

Anonymous wrote:Op here. The teacher mentioned getting an EMT together with us to discuss issues. Is that different from an IEP or a precursor to getting one? She has tried various interventions, she's in an after school club to help and we've worked with her at home. She is basically failing math, so something is not clicking for her and she needs help.

That "help" could be a private tutor or you working with her more at home. It's not necessarily something that's on the school.

The EMT meeting in MCPS is not part of a formal, legally mandated process but just a scary name for a meeting where they get multiple people at the school together to brainstorm how to help a child. It might include the math specialist if there is one and the issues are social/behavioral, which I know your child's aren't, it might also include the counselor.

It does not mean a child has a suspected disability. In fact, IME, if a child has a suspected disability the school would suggest you go the 504 or IEP route instead of the EMT route. It's just a meeting, nothing more, but after discussing what's going on more thoroughly with the teacher another staff member may see red flags for an LD which might make them make new recommendations or might prompt you to seek a private evaluation.