So much fun ARGHHH!!

[WitchOfEndor]

Had Katie's IEP, was tricked into signing it. Just had to have it reopened. Having an advocate go with me to the next meeting. I cannot believe all the sh*t they have tried pulling on me. They've agreed that Katie is Aspergers but are fighting me to get her into the special school. They've done nothing for her at the middle school but as long as she's doing so well academically & does'nt act out, they're not bothered. They don't seem to give a damn about her mental health.. How I'm not gonna lose my mind on these people at the next meeting is beyond me.

Any dont kill all the people at the meeting WoE or LoriAnne energy would be soooo appretiated. :T

[RavensEye]

Any dont kill all the people at the meeting WoE or LoriAnne energy would be soooo appretiated. :T You got it :hugz:

[PandoraHealer]

uuuugggghhhh!!!!!

Hugs, good luck, and loads of energy--


ph

[Lunacie]

"I totally understand" energy on the way.

I've done some reading and now I know that you don't have to sign the IEP immediately. You can take it with you to the therapist's or psychiatrist's office and ask for their input. You can look for an advocate to go to the IEP meeting with you. You can take a week and read through the IEP several times before deciding whether to sign it "as is" or ask for any changes.

And even after you sign that puppy, you can ask for changes. Kids don't live in a vacumn and they change, so the IEP needs to change with them.


Our little one (my granddaughter who is 6 and has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder) has gone from doing stims like spinning to lashing out when she gets frustrated. A couple of weeks before school was over for the summer she lashed out at an aide. School policy is to have the child talk with the principal, who then makes a decision about suspending the child. However, the principal was at a meeting somewhere else and wasn't available, so the poor little bugger sat there and waited and felt like crap because she knew she had done something wrong, and the longer she just sat the more upset she got.

They finally came and took her back to the Resource Room (i.e. Special Ed room) where she continued to have a typical Autistic "meltdown" that lasted for almost 3 hours ! until she finally cried herself to sleep. When the principal finally returned she tried to call the mommy who was busy on the telephone with the call-in radio show she hosts for families of special needs kids, but they did not call her daddy or her gramma (me). So when we head back to school in the fall, we will have to ask for a special meeting to update the IEP and make sure that she isn't left having an emotional meltdown for 3 hours ! the next time she's having a bad day and can't control her frustration.

[LadyWinter]

Had Katie's IEP, was tricked into signing it. Just had to have it reopened. Having an advocate go with me to the next meeting. I cannot believe all the sh*t they have tried pulling on me. They've agreed that Katie is Aspergers but are fighting me to get her into the special school. They've done nothing for her at the middle school but as long as she's doing so well academically & does'nt act out, they're not bothered. They don't seem to give a damn about her mental health.. How I'm not gonna lose my mind on these people at the next meeting is beyond me.

Any dont kill all the people at the meeting WoE or LoriAnne energy would be soooo appretiated. :T

LOL Been there done that! You never have to sign the IEP if you dont want and that really drives them crazy!!! Schools dont want to spend the extra money to get your kids what they need......Advocates here suck and dont show up for the meetings half the time so good luck with that. You have to fight for your kids...just take deep breaths and remember you know your children and what they need best.

Winter

[WitchOfEndor]

Meeting tomorrow, wish me luck everyone!!!!!! It's gonna be hellishly hot here tomorrow, goddess don't let these people at the meeting catch me in "HEAT BITCH" mode. I get pretty cranky when it's hot out. Must think cool thoughts or someone may get slapped. LOL

Thanks everyone for being so nice & putting up with my whining.

Blessings to you all. :)

[LadyWinter]

Stay strong! Dont take any crap and remember no one knows what your child needs as much as you do no matter what degree they have!!

As for the listening we all need to vent from time to time! If they would have had this board earlier I would have filled it up for days with my struggles!

Good Luck and let us know how it goes!

Winter

[Cloaked Raven]

You got it. "Keeping one's cool" energy and positive thoughts coming your way.

Best of luck tomorrow! :hugz:

[Lunacie]

We have to be oiur children's advocates, because the school is dealing with so many children that they all must seem to run together.

Summer school started here this Monday, my daughter escorted my granddaughter to her classroom the first day, getting there early so she'd have a chance to talk to the teacher. Sure enough, she hadn't been informed that Nove 'Mber has an IEP. So she explained about the diagnosis of Autism (PPD-NOS), and then stayed for awhile to make sure Nove would be comfortable in a new situation with new people.

But clearly the schools don't care enough about these special needs kids to make sure that those who deal with them are informed that they need a little extra watching out for, a little more patience. Hell, a year after the IEP was put in place and the diagnosis was made - we found out that her school bus driver hadn't been informed either. So that is something we will have to do ourselves at the start of the school year in August. Sheesh.

Oops, ADD brain here... forgot to say Good Luck Today with the folks at school. Energy sent for staying calm and cool, and staying clear on what you want for your kiddo, and staying strong enough to get her what she needs. :hugz:

[WitchOfEndor]

Ok,well I did'nt slap anybody but I should have. I'm going to have o take it to a due process hearing. These people have only been around my child a few hours & the wench who is the boss of them all has never even been around my kid. They want me to keep her at the middle school with some extra help, that it! To hell with her mental health & her constantly being targeted by the other kids for cruelty. I am soooo upset right now. :(

[Lunacie]

Ok,well I did'nt slap anybody but I should have. I'm going to have o take it to a due process hearing. These people have only been around my child a few hours & the wench who is the boss of them all has never even been around my kid. They want me to keep her at the middle school with some extra help, that it! To hell with her mental health & her constantly being targeted by the other kids for cruelty. I am soooo upset right now. :(


Bravo to you for staying cool enough that you didn't punch anyone! :weirdsmil

Hopefully the Due Process Hearing is what is needed to get some folks to open their eyes and their hearts and work towards helping your special kid. We're almost holding our breath here as our little one enters 1st grade in the fall... knowing that it will probably get more difficult for her each year. :hugz:

[Willow Rosette]

WOE Im so sorry your going through this. Even though I have no idea what an IEP is I get the idea and Im sorry they are not putting your childs needs ahead of themselves. You are in my prayers that yuo and Katie get everything you need to have a successfull new school year come the fall.

[Lunacie]

WOE Im so sorry your going through this. Even though I have no idea what an IEP is I get the idea and Im sorry they are not putting your childs needs ahead of themselves. You are in my prayers that yuo and Katie get everything you need to have a successfull new school year come the fall.

For those who don't know (and I'll bet most people have never heard of them) an IEP is an Individualized Education Plan that they school helps to prepare to help special needs kids who need some extra help, things like preferred seating in a classroom, extra time to take tests, having a Para-educator to help them out in the classroom.

http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/growth/learning/iep.html

[Willow Rosette]

Thanks Lunacie, I assumed it was something along those lines but wasnt sure. I hate to say it but Im really suprised the schools are letting these kids get lost in the shuffle. They are supposed to have the know how to not let that happen.

[WitchOfEndor]

As if this was'nt already a huge pain in the butt, th head of special ed here is the most abrasive b*tch I have ever met. All the other women on the team are so intimidated by her that those who were sort of leaning to my thinking clammed up & did nothing to help Katie at all. I don't know who I'm angrier with, that B*tch or the rest of the team for being so cowardly. I've decided to make this woman my hobby for the summer, no matter how long it takes, she's going to come in line to my way of thinking. She's got her heels dug in over this but so do I & the funny thing is, this wench has never even met my kid. She sees Katie's grade & because she's well mannered, she just wants to push her needs aside. Ugh, I just want to slap the taste out of the woman's mouth. I know, not mature but ya can take this girl out of Detroit but ya can't take the Detroit out of this girl. LOL

Thanks everyone for putting up with me :)

[Lunacie]

We felt the same way about the principal at my granddaughter's school. When the regular teacher for the special ed classes was out for maternity leave, the principal apparently approved hiring a substitute who had absolutely no experience with special ed and no patience with the kids either. I had to take some clean clothes for my grand one day, and that woman was standing there telling her that if she didn't start getting herself to the bathroom she wouldn't be allowed to go one to first grade. :meanface:

And yet it was right there in the IEP that she needed extra help in being reminded to go the bathroom at regular intervals. We asked for an emergency meeting with all three teachers, the principal, and any counselours and therapists who could come. Everyone was too intimidated by the principal to speak in our little one's behalf.

After the meeting, the regular teacher took the sub aside and explained about the IEP and about the issues that many Autistic kiddos have with getting themselves to the bathroom -especially when there are any big changes going on ... like having a different teacher.

Unfortunately that special ed teacher is going to a different school next year, and we can only hope we will get someone who will help advocate for our little one against the bull-headed principal. 'Cause I'm not afraid to call the tv news and the newspaper and raise one hell of a stink if necessary.