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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 4
Junior Member
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OP
Junior Member
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 4 |
This is my first post!
I cant say if my dd is gifted or not but she does have a gift in reading and spelling.
She is 6 and in Grade One. She can read well above her grade level and answer the majority of my questions correctly. She spells above grade level too. She seems to understand money and time but I'm not sure if this is ahead. She also has a disability. She has a rare chromosome disorder. Her speech was late, GM late and a slight FM delay. At home she talks well but it is a little different. I have had her assessed twice for autism and they say No. She has ADHD, Sensory issues, and anxiety disorder (selective mutism)
My issue and where I need advice is:
I do not think her school sees the gifted part - they only see what she isnt doing. They know she can read well but she will not read to them all the time (because of anxiety). I spent a better part of last year advocating for her to get good books to read and be challenged. Her K teacher was good. On the very first meeting with the new teacher for Gr1 she told me she would not give her harder work. I have to watch my kid who has been reading since she turned 3 read simple readers (a few pages with a sentence on each). This is nuts! Soon home reading is going to come home and I can not make her read this stuff. I noticed that they spend at least 1.5 hrs a day on spelling/reading and they are giving her stuff way below her level. What can I do? I am sure if she did not have a disability they would give her more challenging work. I am also worried that because her anxiety causes her to refuse to be tested she will be penalized. Her kindergarten teacher and aide have seen her reading. She also refuses to read the easy readers out loud because she says "they are boring and too easy." I tried to explain that the teacher will not allow her to advance and she does not get it or care.
Last edited by corrine; 09/28/10 03:58 PM.
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Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 272
Member
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Member
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 272 |
Unfortunately, an IEP guarantees you only a floor of services when it comes to academics and in most cases this is considered grade level work. It doesn't require that the school educate her to her potential - only FAPE "appropriate" progress.
It seems that her anxiety is holding her back - how is this addressed in her IEP? Are there accommodations in place? Would counseling teach her strategies to help her manage anxious situations? What are they doing about the selective mutism? Surely they understand how this would affect her ability to respond aloud on the spot in stressful situations. Again, how is this addressed in the IEP.
Also - part of your IEP can include training of staff so that they can understand and support her issues. Perhaps her teacher needs a crash course in selective mutism, SDI and ADHD so she can teach her appropriately.
What kind of objective evidence do have of her skill level? When was she last evaluated? Perhaps it would help if she had full educational evaluation so that you would have concrete evidence of her academic skills and this could help enlighten her teachers. If she has not had an evaluation in the last 12 months, the district MUST test her if you make a request in writing. I would ask for a full educational and psychological evaluation and be sure to have them test her reading, writing, spelling and math.
This is a tough situation. I hope you can enlighten her teacher of her potential and how the teacher can reach and support her so that her gifts are nurtured.
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 4
Junior Member
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OP
Junior Member
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 4 |
At our last assessment (for autism) the psychiatrist would not test her because of selective mutism. I do have to agree - she will not answer those questions. It is sad to see because at home she loves to read to us and "show" her knowledge. She does talk at school but it is not at the level she does at home. I have offered to take the comprehension test home and fill in the answers but I'm not sure that the school likes that idea.
I am going to ask her pediatrician if she thinks we should try or not since some time has passed. The resource teacher tried testing her the first week of school. I did tell her about the SM and it was not a good idea. She didn't listen but my dd would not answer her anyway.
Last year I sent in "gifts" too. The teacher actually appreciated it and would put it up so my daughter would be proud of her work. I miss that teacher - she recognized my dd's strengths!
Last edited by corrine; 09/28/10 07:03 PM.
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 4
Junior Member
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OP
Junior Member
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 4 |
We have invitational GT services in units, and DS hasn't been invited to one, even though we showed his test scores. They told us that to participate in GT, you need to be outgoing and represent the program well, and since he is so quiet, he doesn't fit the bill. Despite the 504. We have felt lucky each time we get him back into the top reading and math groups. Each year, they try to kick him out, and each year we need to advocate. The guy who runs the 504 meetings is learning the drill and wrote in that DS needs a good teacher fit (whatever that means) because he was tired of meetings where the teachers said he was not so bright, and by the end of the year were saying how bright he was (seeming to forget how they felt at the beginning of the year!) Isn't that typical? It's such a time waster having to push so they get challenged in areas they are good at. It takes away from the time you could spend on the areas they need help too.
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