Thanks everyone. I have logged in a few times to post an update but haven't really been sure of what to say... I took your advice and threw myself a mini pity-party (instead of ice cream I hit the cookies pretty hard). Now I am back. I went to work out yesterday for the first time in I don't know how long. The folks at school are scurrying to cover all the tangible things that were mentioned in both our DOE complaint and our conversation with the superintendent. DD's anxiety seems better since the school is doing what they are supposed to. I will have to remain vigilant but that should be easier to do now that supports are (hopefully) in place. Consultant is totally back on board and has a plan.
To answer some of your questions - neither homeschooling nor the excellent private we wanted to send her to are options with all the complex LD issues. She needs really intense, targeted interventions. Next week we'll see what the plan is for incorporating the recommendations from the Assistive Technology evaluation. It is getting harder and harder to imagine this continuing to work in a regular ed classroom so I think an OOD placement is looking more likely.
If we were willing to send her to an LD school it would probably be a fairly easy agreement to reach. We don't think an LD school is really appropriate, though, and the 2 available are each an hour away. No way can I see an 8 year old doing a 2 hour commute everyday. Yes, she could listen to her high level audio books on the drive but it would probably mean an end to all her extra-curricular activities. Those extra-curriculars are really what are keeping her "in the game" (She swims, dances and is in rehearsal for a musical with a local children's theater group.) So it really is going to come down to finding a way to make it work in the current school, making our peace with the LD school as an option or convincing the district to pay for the 2E school in NYC and DD and I spending M-F at my mother's and coming home on the weekends. None are really great options. I know which will make home life easiest, which will provide the best education for her needs and which is a compromise that doesn't fully address either problem. There are problems with each which is why seeing the "end game" isn't necessarily the light at the end of the tunnel.
So any words of wisdom on whether or not a dedicated LD school has a chance of working? Anyone ever try that kind of commute with such a young child? Other thoughts?
