Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Need Help with barely gifted 2E kid and school

I'm hoping to get some advise. I'm encountering issues with getting the services for my 2E child at my local elem. The school is not wanting to provide dt services because his academic work is not below grade level.

We had my son tested in transitional K because he was not progressing with basic reading skills and his frustration with the learning process was causing him to shut down emotionally. He has two older sibs (gt)so DH and I recognized that something was amiss. We were surprised when he tested with a perceptual reasoning at 130 and verbal at 121. He has a GAI of 130 and full score of 120 - significant scatter in his scores. DH and I placed him in a reading programed geared for young kids with "dyslexic identifiers" and it has helped tremendously.

Now my son is in K at our local public school. We filed a 504 with enrollment on the Dr.'s advise. The school was suppose to be pulling him to work with the dyslexia teacher 2x a week to ensure that he was working on his phonemic weaknesses. However, that has not happened. DS is reading at K level (due to the private work we are providing)so the school doesn't see any issues. No pull out. We have been told that they are not obliged to provide services until he has been in the public school system for 2 years. His teacher is also not sure if the dx of dyslexia is correct. She just doesn't "see" it.

To top things off we just received his cogat scores from the district and he his composite score was 31 (yes that is correct). So, he will not receive gt services as well.

Is this a situation of the LD and gift averaging out? Should I push harder for accommodations for DT and GT? Could my original gt testing with the neuro be in error? Any advise is appreciated.

You need to try and get an IEP, not a 504. A 504 plan is not legally binding and the school doesn't have to follow it. They do have to follow an IEP. Unfortunately, if your child is not below grade level, you may not be able to get an IEP. (We have an IEP for my son who is hearing impaired).

To expand on what Jack'smom said-- a 504 does not provide services, only accommodations. (A 504 is binding, but it is for "equal access," things like wheelchair accessibility and extra time on tests to even the playing field.) If you want actual services to remediate the disability, you need an IEP.

It is false that they are not obligated until he's been in school two years-- in fact, they've had obligations to him since he turned 3. You need to write a letter to the person who is in charge of services to the disabled in your district, copied to the principal, and ask for a full evaluation-- tell them everything you suspect is difficult for your DS. Be thorough, because this request determines what testing they do. There is a template in the book From Emotions to Advocacy. They then have 60 school days to get their evaluation done. Be prepared to bring your outside experts and their written reports to the meeting that results from this process, so they can detail in front of the school personnel what work has been done to get him up to grade level and what's needed to keep him there.

I don't know that I'd personally bother much about the GT services (how good are they for kindergarten?) at this phase. Once you remediate the disability further his true colors may show more clearly. In our district it's impossible to get someone into GT without the right scores, even if a disability is lowering those scores artificially. I'd say learn more and get the disability stuff firmly into place before you decide whether to mount a charge on the GT.

DeeDee

That right there is complete crap. You child is eligible for services they day they are enrolled in school. Who told you that?

The state of Texas has mandated GT services, but the implementation is left up to the various ISDs... Can I ask how large your ISD is? The smaller ones seem to not have the same level of services for gifted or LD children as the larger ones (Fort Woth, Dallas, San Antonio, etc).

If you have a diagnosis of dyslexia, get an IEP. That's the only way you can know your child is getting the attention they need. Do NOT take the opinion/word of the teachers as truth.

The booklet "Understanding Your 2E Student" from http://www.2enewsletter.com/topic_store_spotlight.html really helped me get through to my son's school. I encourage you to get a copy and share it. Sadly, many teachers and administrators have very little experience with 2E, some don't even know it exists.