The magnet was required to contact her and never did. In fact they repeatedly stopped us from doing so with their insistence "she would never qualify".
I can see why they're out of the question.
It was June before we were given the information to contact her ourselves. Trust me - I have been kicking myself over and over for not having found a way to have made this happen earlier.
Please don't kick yourself. These things (both concerning the kid and the legal stuff around the kid) are hard to figure out.
Since this private school is located across the border, though, the large city would be responsible for determining need and providing service. Based on our experience last year we
And they might not if you don't live in that district. At least, that's how it is here.
Yes, they are saying she is dyslexic. Oddly the director of special ed said she never believed dyslexia existed before meeting DD. I never knew there was a question about that... Anyway the director of special services indicated that this does not appear to be a typical form of dyslexia and indicated it is somewhere between "very rare" and "unique".
It will be your job to find outside experts to educate them. That would be strenuous but not impossible.
The private school is an amazing place - totally child centered, totally no pressure, totally individualized. In my gut I KNOW she needs to be there it is just a question of whether I can do it now or if we need to get a handle of just what additional resources she will need to have provided. They had their K-1 and 2-3 teachers review her test results and they feel strongly that they can offer the best learning environment for her, as long as she has the additional help with the dyslexia.
Can you afford the private plus the Orton Gillingham for 1-3 years? So far as I know dyslexia is best remediated early. Even if she can't stay there for her whole career, private may be worth a good look. Would your insurance cover outside OT?
The public school special ed teacher apparently is completing Orton Gillingham training this summer and I have heard 100% positive reviews about her. She is supposed to be fabulous. We are including in the IEP a request for enrichment opportunities but I have been told it will be up to the classroom teacher to include them.
Look at your state's laws about serving gifted students. Some states guarantee nothing, some mandate a gifted ed plan.
We found that the 2E status did allow us to get better content, nearly by accident, because DS's plan was individualized anyway.
I will call the pediatrician in the am - planning to ask for a complete ophthalmological exam as well as a neurological or neuropsych exam.
Get her ears checked too. Thoroughly.
As I said earlier they are definitely taking a personal interest but really have no experience. (i.e. they had no idea what the term "twice exceptional" was when I used it during our IEP meeting the other day.)
That wouldn't bother me much. They don't hang around on these boards where terms like these are used. My questions would be more-- do they think that gifted children may need different material from early on? -- do they have teachers who are capable of differentiating instruction? -- what is their attitude toward differentiation, at the principal level, for both disabled and gifted?
Best,
DeeDee
