Well, we had the meeting. And it sucked. It took me a week to process everything, and now I really need to share this with a sympathetic bunch.
We had the meeting, the psych reviews the tests--IQ and Woodcock Johnson blah blah blah gifted blah blah.
Then we review some of the behaviors. Extreme emotional reaction. Extreme anger. Poor impulse control. Refusal to work. Difficulty with peers.
And then she pulls out the "emotional disturbance" form.
She starts talking about this and that... that this will allow my son to meet with a school psych once a week (!) and I just say, "I am not signing that. There is no way I am going to label my 8 year-old son as emotionally disturbed"
I was so disappointed. Yes, my son has some obstacles. He has a lot to learn. But isn't that why he is in school?
So she goes through the checklist on the form and I just say I'm check disagree. I don't care what you think, but this is not going to help my already anxious, overly self-conscious son.
I ask if he can get services (which are ? I just want him to have some breathing room, and yes help with Anxiety. I'm still conflicted about this.) through OHI for his anxiety. (OMG, thank you for pointing this out to me! I wouldn't have known to ask for this without your help!!!)
She says, no-anxiety would be the ED label.
I leave feeling really sad. And scared for my kid. How will he be able to be the brilliant, funny, sweet kid I know him to be with all of this facing him?
******
The psych calls me the next day. She is confused because she has never had a child who needed services, but the services were refused. I tell her I'm not opposed to my child getting services, I am opposed to him being labeled "emotionally disturbed."
She did check and said he could get services under OHI for anxiety, but will need a diagnosis. Fine! I'll do that.
She calls back 30 minutes later with "oh your doctor wrote on his health form "Generalized anxiety disorder"
So she doesn't read the note from the doctor until AFTER ALL OF THIS?
So I went in today and signed the stuff agreeing to OHI for anxiety. We'll still have the meeting for IEP. I've calmed down and was glad the psych check this for us, and it seems like it might work.
But I am still conflicted. Part of me is like, " yes, gifted education IS special education" and the other part of me is like "Why is my son, who last year was awkward in social situations, and the class clown, and underachieving, suddenly an ED case in this school?"
Is it the freedom--and so there is more wackiness? Is it that he now is responsible for the work he chooses to do and coupled with his anxiety is working through some heavy perfectionism and slackerness?
I need to find a psych to go to out of school, too. Someone who gets gifted kids.
Thank you for reading this.
