Hi
We have had several above the principal's head arguments. I hear you on not wanting another one. I have 2 dc on IEPs. One is dyslexic and diabetic type 1. The second is hearing impaired and used to have some major anxiety issues. We got the IEP based on the hearing loss. He never had hearing loss related goals. A 504 plan would have clearly covered his physical disability. For the IEP we had goals involving his anxiety for years. He was actually allowed to chew gum in class because it relieved his anxiety. He has certain situations where he was allowed to go work in a separate room if he was having a super high anxiety day. He was allowed to have a book from home with him at all times to read after he finished his work and other kids were still working. He would get nasty and anxious waiting for them to finish. He had goals stating these misc things to relief his anxiety. I know you don't want another fight. They are so draining
He never had extended time but my dyslexic child did have extended time on all written assignments and standardized test. He is a HS senior this year and still has extended time. It takes him longer to read and write things.
I would really consider making the request for the evaluation and consider contacting an educational lawyer. We ultimately didn't hire one, but we had her waiting in the wings if things didn't go well. We too had one principle that hated our DS and tried her best to not follow his IEP or give him good placements. He was reading novels in kindergarten and she refused to put him in the advance reader's program! She was just a witch and I do have a younger child with her now. I think we have fought over the years for very reasonable things and over time the schools have given more weight to our input. She has her hands tied at this point by the district pupil coordinator after the horrible things she did to DS.
Eligibility Determination: A Two-Pronged Test
It is important to understand that establishing eligibility for services under IDEA is a two-pronged process. The team of qualified professionals and the parent must determine that the student meets both of these criteria in order to be eligible for special education services:
Prong One: The student must be determined to have one (or more) of the 13 disabilities listed in the IDEA; and
Prong Two: The student must, as a result of that disability, need special education in order to make progress in school and in order to receive benefit from the general educational program.
Given this two-pronged test, it is possible that a student could be determined to have a disability (Prong One), such as a Specific Learning Disability or Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD), yet not be in need of special education (Prong Two).
http://www.ncld.org/at-school/your-...g-your-childs-need-for-special-educationGood Luck:)
