I am hoping that some here with experience can help me out and give me some advice on what I need to do.
My DS9, is highly gifted with ADHD and generalized anxiety disorder. He attends 4th grade at a public school and is in the GATE pull out program (only 3 hours a week). He has all the quirks that go along with giftedness, as well as the ADHD and GAD. We are working to put a plan in place for when he starts middle school next year and are running into many frustrations.
I have been trying to communicate with the school for the past two years on his needs not being met and have been given every excuse in the book and lots of run around. We finally got a meeting with the new principal, who seems a bit baffled as to why we would want a IEP. While she has agreed to get the ball rolling on it, she is pushing more towards a 504 plan. I am torn as to which would benefit my son more. She seems to think that since his grades are good, it appears that he has no problems in the classroom and therefore, we would have a hard time getting an IEP.
The problem is, he does have problems in the classroom related to all three of his differences. He is no where near being challenged, if anything he is being dumbed-down. He has social issues because he is different from the other students. He has anxiety because, well because he does, but it's triggered by issues from being bored and different and ADD. It does affect him, in the classroom and at home.
She is also pushing for us to try to get him into a magnet school next year and we feel very strongly that that is not the best option for him, at this time. Right now, he hates school and he's not a good student. I don't see how putting him in an environment where he is not necessarily going to be challenged, but rather expected to be a good student and ready to learn, is going to help him at all. I cannot make the principal understand this. She thinks he will be fine. She has spent all of five minute with him.
So right now, we have to make a couple of decisions. First, what do we do next year? Continue in public school with an IEP or 504, go with the $30k/year private school where every kid has an IEP or homeschool? Then we have to decide, IF we stay in the public school system, do we go with the IEP or the 504 and what do we ask for?
Like I said before, I'm hoping maybe some more experienced parents can advise me on this and give me your thoughts. We are playing catch up, due to my naivety in thinking his school would actually give him what he needed. I am ready to advocate for him as much or more as I need to, I just need some guidance on where to begin.
Last edited by maggieb; 10/14/10 10:32 AM.
