Wednesday, October 15, 2008

IEP Rant and Reason

The reason you claim that my daughter is not eligible for IEP services at this time is because you don't understand her and her complex social needs. You don't want to validate the parent's view points or the professional assessments from three psychologists and two occupational therapists or the IEP we had prior to moving to this hillbilly rural town because if you do acknowledge my daughter's diagnoses, then you will have to step up and actually retrain your old fashioned minds to learn something new. Stop coasting and stop hiding behind state governed regulation clauses that give you the excuse to be ignorant and not face the facts. The facts that my daughter is special. That she will become someone important. That she has needs that go beyond ABC's and 123's. She is a first grader reading on a ninth grade level. Of course she is getting straight A+s! If she didn't she would go into an emotional shock. If she didn't perform and get along at school in front of her favorite teacher and peers, she would burst. She would burst into a hot lava fit of rage just like she does a many of days right before school and right after school. But hey! You say you aren't responsible for the child when she is outside the school doors.

More on my rant about this later. Daughter is home now.

3 comments:

hellokittiemama said...

OH MY GAWSH.

Why are the people at school districts such idiots. You know, the whole "customer is always right"... the parent is right, the parent knows the kid. I hate that everything has to be a fight!!!!

Keep fighting and pushing!!!

And when you've got a chance, I tagged you with an award on my blog!

Unknown said...

I can understand how you feel. We have 3 special needs kiddos. My two steps have sensory and attachment problems and then my youngest has SPD, possible aspie, and medical stuff too.
We have to fight tooth and nail to get any help for the older two and even then, it's along the lines that as long as they aren't a problem at the school then they are fine.
On the other end they are giving the youngest therapy we didn't even request.... Go figure.
School's are silly in what they believe a kid needs. Used to they would listen to the parent. Now the parent doesn't know anything according to them. *sigh*
Just know you aren't alone.

Elizabeth Channel said...

My experience with giftedness is that as long as you can do your work and maintain during school hours, they really don't care about challenging your child; they might want to hang on to you because you boost their test scores with your "99.9%ed-ness."

Except even with that on math and verbal if you don't test in a top percentile for the *one* test they care about, which happens to be nonverbal, you aren't eligible for the "super" gifted program anyway. Even if you are the top kindergarten reader. Even if you are in kindergarten and read on a 7th grade level and do 4th grade math. Even then. That does not mean you are gifted in my district. Lots and lots of children work that far ahead and they are *not* gifted. (Where are they please so I can find a peer for playdates???) Giftedness depends on how they perform on this one test. And don't ask me to re-test your child again. He does not qualify. I don't care if he can do algebra at 6. He is not gifted. And if he needs a bit of OT for handwriting, well, he's a goner because we don't do OT here--we're a gifted school!

(This was a public magnet school.)

Well, where else can I send him?

"I don't know, ma'am. I think you'd better move to a larger city with more options."

See, I can rant with the best of them! OK, I'll calm down.