I've posted my horror story before but I'd like to post it again. I'm not sure that our district (or at least one of the schools) even knows what "child find" is. I repeatedly brought up concerns about DS since he started kindergarten, mentioned that a neurologist told me he's dyspraxic, mentioned that he was in private PT/OT, etc. It was obvious to the K teacher that he had difficulty with motor skills. She asked the OT to come in and look at him. OT observed him in class for a few minutes and declared he's not far enough behind to qualify for any services other than what was already in his IEP (which he brought in from preschool for speech). She said that the teacher could try "interventions" like having him use a pencil grip. So even though I had concerns and the teacher had concerns, no one ever suggested an evaluation or told me I had a right to request one. Months went by and DS was in an accident, fracturing his skull. He went back to school with a neck brace and eye patch. The "bad" eye which wasn't patched (they patched his good eye so he wouldn't lose his vision in the bad eye) was severely crossed and wouldn't track at all. So the poor kid couldn't turn his head and his eye was pointing in towards his nose. When his other eye wasn't patched he had severe double vision. I told them that the eye doctor couldn't predict if his eye will ever get better and if it did, it could take a year for recovery. The teacher carried on as usual, giving him the regular kindergarten work. I'm really not sure how DS could even read, if his "one" eye (the one not covered up) would not track at all and was stuck in the corner by his nose! She told me that he had regressed, and that he had problems with basic things like finding his way around the room or his carpet square on the floor, and that his writing was shaky and he was regressing with writing. I said that maybe we should have the OT come in again. No reply. Every day after school DS was crying or complaining about headaches, and the teacher complained about how he was so slow and she kept him in from play time to finish his work. Finally I had my own evaluation done privately and it showed terrible fine motor skills (probably due to DS's TBI as well as the dyspraxia). It said right there in the neuropsych report that he needs OT. And that he has DCD. Still even after that no one suggested a meeting or what we could do about helping DS. By that time it was 5 or 6 months after the brain injury and school was out for the summer. Three months later after everyone had their summer break (now a full year after i first brought up concerns), I requested that we meet again and the IEP manager finally read the neuropsych report. We had a meeting with the principal, teacher, OT and ST. They pooh-poohed the report and dismissed most of it, and told me he doesn't qualify for anything other than his speech services, because OT is a "related service". He would have to be cognitively impaired or autistic in order to qualify for OT. I also had private OT and PT evaluations done over the summer saying he needs services, and I gave the OT a copy. The OT didn't even read the reports or look at the scores, she handed them over to the ST and told her to file them. The OT told me he should be fine if he continues to use his pencil grip and I just need to work with him myself, being that I'm his mother and all and it's my responsibility. If I can't get him to cooperate for me doing my own parental OT therapy, I'll have to figure it out. She gave me a list of OT activities to do with him, like play with play doh. I asked what would happen if he never learns to write properly, like in third or fourth grade what if he still can't write. By this time he was going into first grade and his writing still looked like chicken scratches and he couldn't color properly, cut properly with a scissors, use a glue bottle, etc, and he had regressed since his brain injury. The OT said that if he still couldn't write in a couple years, then accommodations could be made like having him type rather than write but he was never going to qualify for any services. Ok, then. I told them I think this is BS and completely ridiculous. The meeting got rather heated. So they were willing for him to never learn how to write and he would never qualify for services? It didn't matter about his DCD, TBI, documented motor delays, poor writing, etc?
The OT showed me a printout that explained how OT is a related service. I asked her if I could take that printout. At home I read it, and on the very next page the 13 special ed categories were listed, including TBI, Physical Impairment, etc. Horrified, I called the State and asked how it is that my DS has a TBI, DCD, and so many other issues, he already has an IEP for speech, and the school is insisting that he can't qualify for anything else when there are so many spec. ed categories that look like they could fit. The woman on the phone was confused and asked why they aren't doing an evaulation. Good question!
He does now have a "physically impaired" IEP and is getting pulled out for OT and help with writing from a spec. ed teacher but that was after calling the State, calling the spec. ed director, going round and round with the school, the school continuing to argue with me, etc. Once we had the IEP written they didn't bother to pull him out for services until I complained to administration again. By this time it was mid-January. And by this time the school was really hostile. When we had other problems with the teacher beside that, I finally waved the white flag and pulled him out. And I'm happy to say that everything has been fine since then, in a different school. The OT at the new school is the same as the one at the old school. So I find it hard to believe the problem was "just" the other school. I know the OT has a lot of hostility but there's nothing I can do. It's not like I can fire her from the team. I just hope she knows enough to keep her mouth shut at new school rather than spew venom.
