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Welcome to A2Z Educational Advocates message board. A2Z helps parents obtain special education services for their children.

 

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Sent: Sunday, October 30, 2005 9:46 PM
Subject: 13 year old with adhd

My son is 13 years of age and has been diagnosed with ADHD and he has a slow processing disorder as well as homework related anxiety. My childs school insists that he does not need an IEP. However, dispite the fact that we negotiated a 504 my son is still not passing his classes.
The school refuses to put my son in a special math class and insists that he must stay in algebra. He also has a huge volume of homework that they expect him to accomplish dispite the fact that it is written into his 504 that I can sign off on homework. I feel that he is being held to a standard that is imposible for him to meet. Please help.
Sincerley,
Parent

what district are you in? if you are local then i can help you better. in the meantime, write a request for assessments and ask for an iep. they must hold on if requested. then if they deny qualification for iep you take it to the next level. see sample letters on our website to request an iep, request records, notification of intent to tape record the iep.
these are some starting places. if he has been assessed then you can disagree w/ the assessment in writing and notify district you will be seeking your own independent assessments at the district expense.
jane


Sent: Friday, September 16, 2005 8:19 AM
Subject: I need help

My son's was diagnosed by Westside Regional Center with PDD NOS in October of 2003. My son is very high functioning, however, he has deficits in expressional language and with abstract thinking and well as a string of behavioral issues. He is in a mainstream classroom and can do the work but he doesn't stay on task with the rest of the class which gets him in trouble. I tried to advocate for a one on one aid but the school gave me a song and dance about his having to be placed in a special education class and have been in there for a while to even consider a one on one aide. I am reluctant to make waves only because he is in the school using an old nieghbors address. He was initially in the schools district but I have had to move since then and didn't want to change schools cause it would upset him. He doesn't deal well with change. His Kindergarten experience was not a good one. He's being treated as a kid with a behavioral problems as opposed to a kid with autism. I don't want his academics to suffer but none of the teachers are really educated in how to work with a child like my son. This teacher is trying but I can tell that she is only willing to do so much just by the reports that she gives me. His IEP only addresses the speech and language aspect of his diagnosis cause that's what the school zeroed in on . They have been laxidasical (spelling?) with that as well. I am at my wits end and need help. Do you know of any schools that have mainstream classes working with PDD children or is there a way to fight for a 1:1 in a mainstream class? I am unemployed right now and a single parent. His dad and I work together but i'm stuck on what to do.

please help me.

Sincerely,

Parent

i got you were on the westside but i don't know which district. my son has had a one-to-one aide since pre-school. he has always been mainstreamed and is extremely high functioning. the IEP is supposed to be an "individual" plan. therefore, i would like to see a written district policy that says that he can only have a one-to-one after being in a special day class or anything else. the school has to look to the least restrictive environment, which would be mainstream w/ supports.
you are in a tough position however, regarding the address. i don't know if you changed districts when you moved or just home schools. there is a difference on how a move would be handled depending on a number of things.
if you want to discuss this further then you need to contact our office for information. if you don't advocate and remedy the situation your son can become demoralized and give up. i deal w/ that w/ many clients and it is hard to get these kids back once they get into their head that they can't keep up. then the behaviors get worse.
jane


Sent: Friday, September 16, 2005 2:52 PM
Subject: P.A.L. Training in Santa Barbara

I was on your website and saw that you are planning on holding a PAL training session on October 15 in Santa Barbara. I am interested in learning more about this session.

My daughter is entering high school in Santa Barbara County, and has special needs. To be honest, the assessment and IEP in California public schools is confusing to me. I wonder if attending the session on October 15 might help me better understand the process and enable me to make better decisions about my daughter‚s education and have more informed (and therefore more effective) IEP meetings with her school?

I would very much appreciate your insights as to whether this training session would be appropriate for me.

Thank you for your consideration of this inquiry. Also, thank you for your website, I found it very helpful and informative.

the feedback i get from the parents who have attended this training is that they feel it is very informative. Some have gone on to further advocacy training and enjoy this line of work. Others have just used the information for their own child. I would hope to think that everyone who attends receives a benefit. At least at the end of the training you will understand the IEP process and shouldn't be confused.

jane


Sent: Friday, August 19, 2005 11:07 AM
Subject: Question for you

Hi! I'm hoping you can provide some direction for us; my husband and I are desperate.

My son just finished his junior year of high school and has struggled with math. He doesn't have any disabilities, but I'm afraid math is his disability. After failing Algebra, I asked the school to test him in his freshman year, which indicated math computation at 5th grade level. Not giving us any help or recommendation, we enrolled him in Kumon. We learned later that Kumon is a very slow program and after 9 months, he was still not at a level to help him with Algebra. We then enrolled him at Sylvan and he was able to pass Algebra. However, he passed Geometry with a D in his junior year.

Can you recommend a place to have him tested to see if he has some type of disability with math concepts? We are very frustrated because he is very bright and does well in language.

Thank you.

he may have a disability if there is a significant discrepancy between his cognitive abilities (IQ) and his academic performance in a core area. this is a specific learning disability and it can be in math. first thing you do is ask for an assessment at the very beginning of the school term. do this in writing at the school. review our website for this information. the district has 15 days to respond to your request. if they agree to do the assessment then they need to complete it and hold an iep w/n 50 days. again review our site and follow the guidelines. good luck. and if you don't get cooperation give us a call.

jane


Tuesday, August 16, 2005 at 14:40:46
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Subject: 504 plan?

My 11 yr old has struggled with many issues that stem from her
adoption. Her school evaluated her last year and determined she is not
eligible for classification. Currently, we pay for tutoring to bring her
up to grade level in math and reading. Trying to keep up with current
work and do remedial work creates tremendous pressure on her. We would
like to seek accomodations through a 504plan. 1. Do we need an
evaluation by a psychiatrist who would probably label her either RAD
and/or Generalized Anxiety Disorder? We spoke to someone who would
charge us $1200 for that.
2. The school says they don't do 504 plans unless it is a physical
disability. That means we will probably have to hire an advocate to go
with us?
Thanks, Parent

It seems to me like you are getting only partial information from your
school. It is not true that 504 plans are ONLY for physical
disabilities, for example. I have known of kids with ADD who had 504
plans. Also, what reasons did the school give for why she was not
eligible? Did they look only at Specific Learning Disability as a
possibility or did they look also at Emotionally Disturbed? Even if a
child has anxiety disorder, this could possibly classify her in some
circumstances under ED or OHI.
I don't know what your school district is, but unfortunately it is
likely that you would have to go to another level (including private
assessments) in order to challenge eligibility for an IEP or a 504 Plan.
You may eventually want to have an advocate or an attorney represent
you, but in the meantime, there are things that you can do to start the
process. First, if you have the funds to obtain a private assessment,
you can put your school district on notice that you disagree with their
evaluation and are going to seek an independent educational evaluation
at public expense. They then will do one of three things (1) ignore
your letter, at which time you just proceed with an assessment and then
seek reimbursement from them later; (2) file for Due Process to assert
that their assessment is appropriate, and if they choose this option,
you would still want to proceed with your assessment to have an expert
to testify; or (3) inform you that they will fund the evaluation, and
they may then provide you with information about how to proceed from
there. Second, you can also disagree with their finding that she is not
eligible.
I hope that this information is helpful. Good Luck!
Carrie


Sent: Tuesday, August 02, 2005 11:21 AM
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Subject: Nick

Hello, I have a few questions that I would like to ask if you are willing to answer for me. My son is Nick, he is 15 years old and has learning dissabilities and ADD.

Nick was diagnosed with LD's at the end of 6th grade. Our entire process in this discovery has been a nightmare from start to finish. Let me give you a little background so you'll understand why I am so frustrated.

When Nick was in elementary school I knew that something was not quite right and yet the school kept telling me that Nick was just lazy. He had several teachers tell me that they did not want to make Nick redo papers or complete assignments because they did not want to make him upset because he was just so cute and happy all the time. I could not believe what I was hearing. So, because I thought they see kids all day long and see Nick compared to other children his age, I must be too hard on Nick. I'm expecting too much. Nick has always been extremely articulate and very bright from the age of 1 on up. He spoke like most 3-5 yr olds at 1-1/2. I had no idea he was so ahead at that time. I just thought my son was just smart and happy. Well, turns out he is very bright. His IQ tests show him in the superior range across the board.

When Nick made it to Jr High in 6th grade was when the "fun" started. I had several of his teachers calling me constantly because Nick was so disorganized and it took him the first 20 minutes just to get ready for class while everyone else was already halfway through their assignments. Something wasn't right. We all worked together to try to change things. Organize him and they even looked through his backpack each day to find his competed homework that he could never find. Life was a mess. In October (seemed much longer than that) we all met and decided to have Nick tested. This was on the 18th of October. They said I should hear from the psychologist soon to sign some papers. Well even though I constantly inquired where the papers were and we continued to work together (teachers and myself) nothing happened. At that time I did not know that they had 30 days to get started (CA). I ended up walking in to the principals office ready to sit all day until they did something in May of that year. When she heard when we had requested the testing she called the psychologist in to her office and told her that Nick would start his testing that day. I finally received my IEP meeting in June just as school was letting out for the year.

The psychologist was let go that year, THANK GOD!!! In the process Nick's tests were lost and we had to hunt for the them. In the middle of his 7th grade year they were found. Just as I was to the point of demanding they be retaken. Nick has been enrolled in RSP classes in since. I didn't see alot of progress in the last 3 years. Nick is now going to be a sophomore in High School and he still cannot write a proper paragraph and I really dont see where he is being "made" to do so. He doesn't do his homework regularly. Most would say that is where I come in and I would agree. The only problem being that I requested that the teachers make Nick write in his agenda every day and they sign every day to verfiy that the correct assignment is written down. It rarely happens. They will do it for a week or so and then they tell me that Nick needs to remember to bring it to them. He can't remember to turn in papers he has completed but he is going to remember to do this? And they say it is not their responsibilty, but I find it hard to believe that I am being held responsible for incomplete assignments and he is failing classes but yet they dont think they have to complete the agenda? I dont understand how he is ever going to have the sense of accomplishment of we dont give him the tools to gain it.

Nick is not dumb by any means. He was diagnosed with a processing delay. He takes longer to do most everything. He cannot copy what is on the board and get all the information (he is improving), but he is still no where near being ready to graduate. This is what scares me. When I speak with his teachers all they talk about his just "getting graduated". As if Nick is not able to do more. He is so bright. No one would know there is anything wrong if he would be tested verbally. Its his writing skills that are affected which spills over into his math and so on. He is at a 7th grade level right now yet they want to keep promoting him.

What do I do? I want him to get a tutor. I heard of a program at the Stowell Learning Center that would help his processing speed. A friend of mine whose son has CP told me he has progressed two school years in six months. If Grayson can do that imagine what it would do for Nick. I'm just frustrated that all they are doing is stamping a number on their behinds and pushing them through like cattle.

Nick does have one good teacher that truly cares. I see him trying to give me hints to push for things because he cannot tell me what to do or it would jeopordize his position. I just dont know where to turn anymore. I dont know what the right choice is for my son. I dont want to have to worry about him as an adult. I want him to have a family and a career. He is a good young man. He's a hard worker when he sees the payoff. Unfortunately try as I may, I haven't been able to show him the payoff in school. He just tells me he's dumb and what does it matter. He is anything but dumb. He is our Albert Einsteine, how do I make him see that? And how do I make the school help him? I just need someone to tell me what his rights are. I feel like he is not that disabled because to talk to him and to look at him there is nothing there. Just ask him to write something and you're back in 4th grade. I feel like he is trapped inside. I want to know how to open that door for him.

Im sorry to have rambled on, its just that September is coming and with back to school shopping comes back to school stress for me. I just want to know what the right thing to do is. What am I supposed to be doing. I dont feel like Im doing it.

Thanks for listening, any help would be greatly appreciated.

Frustrated mom

you could be describing my oldest child. if it wasn't for my younger autistic son i would probably have ended up in the same turmoil.
bottom line is that the school is doing a crummy job for nick. they have put him into a babysitting class and just passing him along. what they are suppose to do is teach him strategies to address his needs. what else they are obligated to do is to follow the iep.
i don't know where you are in california. we work in the southern area. Ventura to san clemente and east to diamond bar. if you are outside of this area then i probably can't represent you if you need that.
at this point, if they school has screwed up then nick might be eligible for a non-public school to address his specific learning style.
if you read the decision we just got in a los angeles unified case it is your son only this student was much younger. we got him identified early but we had to battle it through due process, especially in light of this student's higher intelligence. read that decision, contact us for an intake if you want. definitely go through the iep and write a letter regarding everything that the school did not do (this is a compliance complaint, an example of which is on our website) remember, this isn't about the lousy quality of the services just whether of not there was compliance w/ the actual iep document.
btw, it is not your job to do or even help nick w/ homework at this age. the school has failed to help nick become an independent learner. don't let them lay this on you.
jane


Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2005 5:39 PM
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Fw: Policy questions...

Why Should Society Waste Money Providing Services to Children with Disabilities?
- A letter from a disillusioned therapist and the response from A2Z


Date: Fri, 20 May 2005 13:00:37 -0700
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Subject: JOSHUA

Joshua has an IEPwith the BarstowUnified School District on Thursday May 26, 2005. Joshua is a high functioning child of twelve years old and dianosed with autism. He is mainstreamed and has a full time aide. The district and the principal say he has to be treated like everyone else because of The No ChildLeft Behind Act.

THIS STATEMENT IS NOT TRUE!!.
WHAT GRADE IS JOSUA IN? 5TH OR 6TH?

It is very difficult for them to accomdate Joshua's individual need in the classroom.

OF COURSE HE GETS INTO TROUBLE, PEOPLE ARE PICKING ON HIM!.

He gryd in trouble because he says other people pick on him and later he may call them a name. Lasat week he wassuspended for two days because he poked another child with a pencil.

DOES HE HAVE A BEHAVIOR PLAN? IS THE AIDE FULLY TRAINED TO ADDRESS AUTISM? WHO IS SUPERVISING THE AIDE?

He continued to getworse and Joshua turned over his desk and wanted to run away. He has been arunner since he was three years old. HE RUNS BECAUSE HE IS AFRAID. I am his grandmother and I visit the school 2 to 3 times a week to let Joshua know I am supportive of hism. He has a problem dealing with anger.

HE HAS A PROBLEM W/ HIS LIFE, HE HAS A RIGHT TO BE ANGRY. THE SCHOOL SETTING MAKES HIM AFRAID AND HE DEALS W/ THAT FEAR W/ ANGER.

His mother has continually soughtt help from the school district and Inland Regional Center to no avail.

YOU NEED TO FORUMLATE A PLAN TO GO AFTER THE DISTRICT TO DO THEIR JOB.

We do not know what is the best placement for him for next year, He will have to change classes and have six different teachers.

I THINK THAT MEANS HE IS TRANSITIONING TO MIDDLE SCHOOL. MY CHILD IS AT THE SAME CROSSROADS AND IT IS VERY HARD FOR THEM.

Thank you for your suggestions. Also what is FAPE?

FREE APPROPRIATE EDUCATION IN THE LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT.
YOUR FAMILY NEEDS ASSISTANCE. WE ARE PROBABLY TOO FAR AWAY. BUT IF YOU CALL WE WILL TRY TO GUIDE YOU SOMEWAY.
JANE


Wednesday, March 9, 2005 at 17:09:51
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Subject: IEP Meetings

Entry: I feel my initial IEP meeting was way too short. It was about 1 hour. We briefly went over all the reports. What is a typical length for an IEP meeting for a recommendation to put a child into a special education class room?

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A typical annual iep takes us at least 2 to 3 hours. So I think 1 hour is too short. Make sure you don’t sign anything at the end of the hour. Just take the offer w/ you and leave to read over carefully.

jane


 

Monday, November 8, 2004 at 11:34:32
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Subject: staying put

Entry: Hello,
I have a question regarding "stay-put." We are in due process currently for placement for my son, and there was a child study team meeting during the Due Process for an IEP Annual Review. We went to the meeting, and stated we were in Due Process [as they were aware] and that we were not signing the IEP because of the pending due process on our son's current placement. The child study team director nodded in agreement, faining to understand. Apparently, in the IEP the CST Director added a sheet to the IEP (not pointing it out, or bringing it to our attention) that stated we had 15 days to respond with a written objection should we disagree and after that 15 days the IEP would be implemented. We were totally unaware that this page had been added and since we were in due process we had not gone over the IEP with a fine tooth comb because we understood our son to be in a Stay put. Needless to say, we had never agreed to, nor signed this IEP. We were under the influence!
that this kept his last agreed to IEP[2003] implemented until the OAL Judge issued a decision. We just "found out" that the school has implemented this new IEP, without our consent, without our agreement, and without letting us know we had 15 days to disagree in writing. The moment we found out we poured over the IEP and wrote a letter full of our complaints and concerns over how we felt the IEP was not agreed upon by us, and wrote on what needs it failed to address, as well as what was "left out". We have been through approximately 2 years of horrid, nightmarish, legal dispute with this school. Thier procedural & substative violations are knee high. We want to know if they have a viable arguement in breaking the stay put to "the last agreed upon placement." Since, we have responded to them with our objections, albeit well beyond the cited 15 days, we wish to find out if thier underhanded action stands as valid?
Sincerely,
dh
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What district are you in? There is no way that the district can implement an IEP without your consent or a court order, i.e. from a due process hearing officer. The stay put is the last agreed upon IEP and a district cannot overturn federal legal protections by arbitrarily placing deadlines on the parents that are not part of the IDEA. You need assistance, hopefully you are getting assistance with your due process hearing too. You definitely need a compliance complaint, and depending on where you are, other remedies.
jane


 

Wednesday, June 2, 2004 at 18:59:42
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Subject: Job Description for Parent Education Advocate

Entry: Aloha Friends,
I volunteer at Legal Services for Children (LSC), a non-profit, 501 (c) (3) legal services corporation formed in 1999 by members of the Wai`anae Coast Community. LSC provides limited legal services to members of the community. We concentrate in the area of education law, , particularly in special education cases under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
We hire Parent Advocates. We would like to know if you have a job description for Parent Advocate.
Ho`oipo DeCambra


Saturday, May 29, 2004 at 01:21:13
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Subject: lausd intradistrict childcare permit

Entry: My son's childcare permit at Fairburn was cancelled in a lottery that put 5 names in the hat and pulled 5 names out of the hat to be displaced. The remaining childcare permit students were not placed in the hat because the principal determined them to be "G.A.T.E./SAS based on G.A.T.E. testing or CAT6 scores. My son was not tested for G.A.T.E. although I requested it. Is there any law, caselaw, etc. on this type of discrimination and/or anyone who specializes in this? Can a "stay put" order be used in this type of situation? Can a childcare permit be legally cancelled?

Thank you.


 

2/5/04

California High School seniors who have not had the opportunity to take or pass an algebra class are being penalized by bad decisions that adults have made. These bad decisions are going to make a life long impact in these students lives as they will not receive a High School Diploma and therefore have many doors closed to them PERMANENTLY!!!!! we CAN'T LET THIS HAPPEN!!!

Today I was informed by the CTA special education lobbyist, Isabel Garcia, that Assemblyman Steinberg is considering urgency legislation that would put off this requirement, possibly to the year 2006 which would align with the CHASE requirements. In essence, Isabel shared, that if Assemblyman Steinberg is "convinced" that this is a MAJOR issue, he will decide to carry the bill. She has asked us, to do several things..... *send him "real life" stories of how the Algebra requirement is hurting real children. I don't think we are going to have to look far and wide to find these. They are sitting in every high school classroom in California! *They want a volume of letters, faxes and e-mails. I personally think the fax is the most effective, but do what works for you. *The last day to submit a bill is February 20th, so in order to provide him with volume enough to help him make up his mind, we need these letters, faxes and e-mails by the 11th or 12th at the latest. *Parents, we need you to be willing to share your stories, and to be ready to testify if and when this bill gets to committees.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PASS THIS INFORMATION ALONG~ now is our chance to make a positive change in the lives of special education children. This problem is not small problem. Only 13% of the special education population of the class of 2005 who took the CAHSEE passed, 33% of ELL students passed and 67% of the general education population passed. this still leaves about 30% of even the general education students not having the skills to pass at this time.

Our students need more time... one semester of algebra is not going to make them proficient, please help us out and write a letter, fax or e-mail to Assemblyman Steinberg.

See the example below:

The Honorable Darrell Steinberg California State Assembly State Capitol Room 2114 Sacramento, CA 95814

Dear Assemblyman Steinberg,

Thank you for caring about the issue of the Algebra requirement for the class or 2004. We appreciate the fact that you are considering legislation that would delay the Algebra requirement in order to allow students to have the opportunity to learn and meet the algebra standards. The Class of 2004 and 2005 have not had the same opportunities to learn as the Class of 2006, who were 7th graders when the Algebra requirement law was passed. These students have had the opportunities to build the pre-requisite skills necessary to meet the standards. Today's seniors were already in high school and many of them did not have the opportunity or the pre-requisite skills in place to take algebra and pass the requirements.

The impact of keeping this requirement in place will be astronomical. When we look at the long term effects of denying students diplomas, at the doors that will be permanently closed for them, like military service and numerous job and secondary education opportunities, I think it behooves us to think twice and consider delaying this requirement until the class of 2006.

When we look at the fact that nearly 30% of the class or 2005 did not pass the CAHSEE math section last year, we can see that this law will probably affect an equal number of students in the class of 2004. This is not a small problem, a problem that a little known waiver process will solve. We ask that you look and realize that the only option at this point is to delay the algebra requirement for the classes of 2004 and 2005 in order to be consistent with the CAHSEE.

Thank your for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Your name
Organization

Of course, write your own concerns and if you have a personal story, please share that and forget about this letter. he really wants the personal stories, so that he can see the real impact. .. Whatever you do, don't do nothing!!

Special Education Credential Program at UCSB - Possible job training and opportunities serving our children population. There will be an information session at the Grad School of Education at UCSB on Feb. 18th  from 11:00am -12:30 at 2524 Phelps Hall.


• We offer the Level I and will soon offer the Level II credential for educational specialists in teaching students with moderate/severe disabilities. These allow a person to teach in public or private schools in California in special education for this group of learners. The credential is honored in many other states. There is a large shortage of credentialed teachers in this field in California and many jobs available.
• The program takes one year beginning in late June and running through early July of the following summer. For working students it is possible to take the program over a 2 year period.   
• Courses are in the evenings from 4:00-6:50. Students take four hours a day in the Fall, Winter, & Spring quarters. Students earn   the Level I credential in this time period allowing them to get teaching  jobs in the public schools for the second summer.   
• Federal and state loans are available to cover tuition and some living  expenses. The loans are foregiveable -
• 25% is forgiven for each year of teaching .   
• Our program is intensive and puts a major emphasis on careful pratical supervision and training.   
• The students in the program rate it highly and all have gotten jobs with our credential. Most courses are taught by nationally known experts.
• It is possilbe to earn a Masters of Education during the first year or a Masters of Arts in Special Education as part of the Level II credential.

If you would like an application packet please send an email to Beverly   at Beverly@education.ucsb.edu.  For more information you can  also call Dr. George Singer at 805-893-2198. Look for the credential  description on our Web site at www.education.ucsb.edu

LET US ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS. Call 888 IDEA-ADA (888-4332-232), or email us at inquiry@a2zedad.com for more information.

 

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