Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional HELP NEED IEP ADVOCATE

It's been a long day.... exhausting all options.

I am new and have been "surfing" for help all day long. My 8 yr old son has been struggling for some time and has finally been approved for special education services. This has been at least a two year battle for us. We has been stuggling for some time.

I am looking for an IEP advocate with expertise in 2E kids to help with our IEP process. We are located in Northern Virginia, Fairfax County Schools.

We had our son tested 1 1/2 years ago thru private testing out of desperation... knowning something was not right. He has a massive 52 point IQ spread. Also diagnosed with Inattentive ADHD, executive dysfunction, slow cognitive tempo... etc. His school wouldn't give him any resources... no help. He continued to do poorly on his report card... in reading, writing, spelling.

We insisted many times on services... We've gotten the run around for a LONG time... Finally insisted again on more testing to be done by school... Anything to get him qualified for services... We needed an advocate two years ago and all probably would have been solved... but we just weren't knowledgeable enough to even look for one...

The school did their own testing last month... that "magically" showed exactly what our previous testing showed.... Massive IQ differential of 50+ points. Perceptual Reasoning 141, Matrix Reasoning Subset 19....Processing Speed Index 91... Coding Subset 5..... amoung many other scores...

Now I am hearing the term "twice exceptional" for the first time... AHHHH... it's becoming clearer who my little guy is...

So... Mitchell is a sweet loving kid with a 50 plus point discrepency between his verbal and perceptual reasoning. In attentive ADHD... executive dysfunction. He has trouble reading, decoding, can't write... (I suspect dysgraphia, but yet to be "diagnosed"...).... Much difficulty with Processing speed, and working memory.

He qualified for the GT program thru other testing last year in Fairfax County.... but can hardly write 3 sentences... or read without great effort.

Finally the school admits he needs special education.... They want us to sign what at first glance appears to be an inadequate IEP.... I NEED HELP!!!!! ARe there people who can help serve as advocates... that can be hired? I am not an expert with his Learning Disabilites... but I know I need to be... but I can't figure this out in the next week. I have the school breathing down my need to sign an IEP... which I have NO faith is adequate for his needs.

Please kind people.... any help would be greatly appreciated...
With love,
Jennifer

Jennifer,
What does the IEP say?
If you post it here we can at least say if it sounds reasonable. Sad truth is that you will probably have to say yes and get started with something and then use "trial and error" to see if it's working - these kids are all highly individual, and hard to predict what will happen.

But you knew that kids don't come with instruction booklets!

I wish I had the name of someone local to refer you to, have you checked http://www.nadiawebb.com/index.html to see if she does the kind of advocacy you are looking for, or knows of someone who does? Dr. Webb is one of the few people in the US doing assesments of kids who are both highly gifted and LD. People travel great distances to see her.

See this link for an overview of the book she co-authored.
http://www.sengifted.org/articles_counseling/Webb_MisdiagnosisAndDualDiagnosisOfGiftedChildren.shtml

Is he happy? Does he like school? Are you falling apart? Post back and let us know what you find, ok?

Love and More Love,
Trinity

Thank for your referral to Schwab Learning.... Great website...

I am falling apart.... family in crisis... but I'll get through it....

Going thru this... I don't know what I'm doing...
I've got a high school senior... Merit scholar with 3 full rides... deciding he wants to take a year off.... buy a 17 year old pickup truck and get a "menial" job....and be a volunteer fireman.... OMG!

I've got a newborn baby who's completely high need! Out straight.....

A daughter with Lyme Disease... and falling apart... and then of course my DS going thru this IEP process....

I need 10 more hands and a few more brains to help with the next few weeks.... aggg...

I know it can be a lot worse... so I'll try to move thru it with some perspective...

Thanks for everything....

You aren't kidding! You've got your hands full!

Any local hands on help coming your way?

Actually, your senior wanting to take a year off sounds wonderful, can you get him to choose a college and defer for a year? When he gets there he'll be more mature and more focused, and more likely to resist the really dangerous stuff that goes on at college. Hey, maybe he can tutor DS, and give some nurturing to DD....

If you can use our brains here, we'd be honored!

LOL - my DS is 11, and I'm already keeping lists of possible "gap year" programs. Gap year? That's what you tell your friends your DS17 is doing while he rides around in his truck! Let's face it, he probably is sick of complying with school by now, and there's a preety good chance that it wasn't such a good fit for him, so a little time to get to know himself might be appealing. Of course if he spends it playing World of Warcraft you have reason to worry. ((wink))

I hope your daughter isn't suffering too much. And the baby? Do you have a babysling? Mine wouldn't sleep in his crib for more than 5 minutes, but I could get around for hours if he was wrapped up and slung.

HTH,
Trinity