eco--it sounds like your advocate is really on top of things. We had tried to go that route (with a free advocate) and didn't get very far.
I'm going to delete this post after a while so if you are interested in the list you may want to copy it, but we finally got the eval on DD who has ADHD/EF issues and here is the list of tests that were given to her (she also had a few tests by the school like the BOT2, Beery VMI, WISC IV processing speed (requested by me for comparison, we had private IQ tests already). I was just wondering what your neuropsych did in terms of testing for EF issues.
thank you, I copied the list of the tests--if you want me to delete the rest, let me know. I think school did the VMI and it was "above average" but even so, I don't necessarily trust that info--bc she said his hands were shaking. That doesn't seem normal, and sounds physically exhausting.
As for NP--I believe she only did WISC V and ADOS during test, but sent out BRIEF, ABAS, and something else I don't remember. Surveys, not actual assessments, I believe?
Just to revisit the idea of how to get their attention if you are being ignored.
OOD is not an option--there's nothing any better here or near, private or parochial. Essentially, it's this program or his assigned school. I'm not 100% opposed to regular school but he is, and also not sure what they'd do with him since he was accelerated, especially the math piece. He's not super math-y but did fine in pre-algebra and is scheduled for high school algebra I this year. I think the regular MS has an "accelerated math" class but don't think that means different material, just faster pace. I've read about your battle with your daughter's school and was horrified. Our situation isn't nearly so extreme--for one, he doesn't have any (identified, severe) learning disabilities and also is not being mistreated at anything near that level.
1) Just tackle it one tiny chunk at a time. Don't get stressed out over the entire amount requested or the large amount of research you may have suddenly opened up for you, just take it all one step at a time and you'll get through it. I'd put together the list she's asking for first, so that she has the info to review before you talk. The info on resources may prioritize itself to a certain extent once you've talked to the advocate.
this makes a lot of sense. Chunk it. Thanks.
I agree that it's a great idea to get input from your ds. We found that including our ds' input was invaluable for a number of reasons: first, the school wants to hear from the student, not just the parent. When students' are younger, they really can't provide much in the way of meaningful input, and your ds is still at an age where he needs a large amount of support/interpretation/forward thinking from you when advocating, but he's also at an age where he has quite a bit of self-awareness (possibly... unless it's somewhat limited by his disability), and that is important to take into account. It's also helpful to have his input simply because it gives you more information (and very relevant, useful information), plus it gives him a voice, which can be very empowering. It also helps start the process of moving from all-parent advocating to eventual self-advocacy.
I like the idea of talking to DS, ideally, but the "self-awareness" piece seems to be quite missing from his "databank" (as he calls it--ha--see, that's part of the problem!) I might ask him anyhow and see if his answers reflect the lack of self-awareness because I suspect they might.
Wildly inconsistent performance in classes--doing well for awhile and then suddenly checking out...is that a thing, and how do I articulate it?
You just articulated it. If you can, try to correlate it to something going on - do you see patterns - for instance, refusal to do a specific type of work, or checking out at a certain point in the semester or time of day, etc. If you don't see that yet, that's ok - that's why you're pursuing a private eval/opinion. You don't have to have all the answers yet, but you do need to be sure to give the advocate a list of all of your concerns.
The patterns I see are related to medication, medication changes and how those medications behave in the body, how they affect his appetite and mood, when they kick in and when they begin to fade...and also, believe it or not--I just recently realized that his worst "sudden tank outs" coincided with seasonal allergies! That probably makes ME sound like a lunatic
but the first time was in fall during peak of ragweed assault and the second was in early spring (tree pollen). He's not been tested for allergens but is really miserable with allergies during tree pollen and ragweed seasons--also allergic to grass pollen and mold, I think, but is not nearly as miserable during those high counts. Is this a THING? Should I have him tested? He takes Zyrtec and it helps but does not cure. His eyes get crazy swollen and soooooo lethargic. Another odd physical issue is that he overheats very easily and pretty much melts down if he is hot. I am pretty sure the school won't evaluate for these things. haha
You need to be able to articulate what happened in his class, why it was an example of your ds' disability impacting his performance combined with a teacher not recognizing the disability. Past that, you have to let go of calling him a lunatic anywhere but here
Which I realize you wouldn't do lol. Just keep the advocacy focused on the disability and needs of your ds, and try to take the emotion due to last year's situation with the art teacher out of the equation. Advocacy works best when you stay focused on future needs, focus on factual info, and keep everything even in terms of emotion. It's alright to get emotional with your *advocate* but try to keep the emotion out of how you build your advocacy case and out of discussions with the school.
At least the lack of control on behalf of that teacher makes it easy to illustrate how DS disability impacted his education. His horrid emails pretty much describe a kid with ADHD, practically bullet by bullet. And he did have 504 for that, and much communication from me to the teacher, so it wasn't as if it was some sort of unsolved mystery.
I will not call the teacher a lunatic anywhere but here. The word came to me like a bolt of lightning and was very satisfying to type. :P
thank you so much for you help!
