IEP/MDT?? - Gifted Issues Discussion Forum

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Ok, I'm new to all of this stuff...

A little background - last year DS5 (4 at the time) went to Kinder at a private school b/c he was too young for public school Kinder. I had him tested with the public school district because I thought he had Aspergers or something (I wasn't sure). Turns out he's gifted (and has since been diagnosed with ADHD and ODD by a child psychologist).

Anyways - they're at a charter school this year and I had asked the principal for an IEP and this was her response:

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After students are tested, an MDT is held to determine if the child is eligible to receive services. The decision about that is based not only on testing but need for service. As we are committed to "meeting children where they're at" at *school*, many children have their needs met without going through the MDT/IEP process. That being said, we can meet, go over the test results (I think I have a copy of the evaluation) and decide what to do.

So I responded:

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So when are students tested? Are they all tested together or something like we did with the school district last December? What is an MDT? Sorry - I'm new with all of this because they went to private school last year where there were no services available. I would love to meet sometime to go over the test results - maybe with his teacher as well? I'd like to see how she thinks he's doing in class also.

So what does this all mean? I've left a message with her office and am waiting to hear back, but I'd like your input?

KD, you will want to pick up the Wrightslaw book From Emotions to Advocacy; it's a primer on the process with sample letters for corresponding with the school. Their website is a little chaotic but also full of good information. You will need to know the process and your son's rights.

The school can take an outside diagnosis into account, but must by law do their own evaluation of how the disability affects your child's education. They are looking for educational needs. You can start this process by writing a letter requesting an evaluation and listing all the things about your child that you think affect his participation in the educational setting. Include social issues as well as academic issues. Describe the settings that cause the most trouble for your child.

They then have some set number of school days to complete their eval (I think 60 school days, which is a long time). This may include classroom observations, psychological testing, IQ testing, OT, PT, speech, whatever they think they need.

Then you have a meeting to discuss their findings and they make recommendations for services. I strongly recommend bringing an outside professional you trust to this meeting to act as your DS's advocate; it can be very overwhelming to be in one of these meetings surrounded by school professionals who are telling you things about your kid.

It is true that services are driven by needs; but it is also true that some schools tend to overlook kids with diagnoses they deem as "no big deal." If you start to think the school is not doing your son justice in determining his services, I'd recommend hiring an educational advocate (there are some who serve 2E kids) to work on your son's behalf. (Some states have a free Legal Rights Service for people with disabilities, too.) A good advocate has expertise a parent just doesn't, and can get you through the steep learning curve phase.

Good luck,
DeeDee

I found this link that might be helpful to you, as it looks like you're in NM. http://www.ped.state.nm.us/seo/iep/f6.meeting.prep.pdf

I think MDT is MultiDisciplinary Team - the team that decides if your child is eligible for services. I had never seen that acronym either.

The "After students are tested" part might refer to the testing that your child has already gone through.

Sorry, I'm not much help...

DeeDee, thanks for the information about the educational advocate. I just emailed one here in ABQ about our situation, so I hope that I can get in *actual* contact with them soon. I'll have to check out that book too.

St Pauli Girl, thanks for that pdf. I'm reading over it now, there is a lot of good information on there. I guess what I was wondering is the "after students are tested" - does that mean everyone is tested? What kind of test? Things like that. I'm not real smitten with the principal so far. So we'll see how things go after I get a chance to meet with her.

Thanks again!!!

They determine what tests based on what the suspected issues are. A kid with language/writing issues might be tested by the speech therapist, the OT (for fine motor), and a reading specialist. A kid with problems sitting still will get a different battery of tests, including attention and gross motor.

You can ask them what tests they will use as they start the evaluation (these tests generally require consent, so you will have to sign papers and have an opportunity to ask questions), but it will be tailored to what has been observed about that child.

DeeDee