Keep in mind that there are so many different categories for IEP eligibility, with emotional/behavioral being one of them. I think there is also an Autism category. If the disability is impacting his performance at school and he needs services that a 504 cannot provide (like interventions for organizational skills, or social skills), then he should be able to qualify for an IEP. You might want to wait with this letter until you have your neuropsych report with a diagnosis. In terms of learning disability, which learning disability are you concerned about and what "testing" has been done that doesn't show a discrepancy? For instance, my concern was written expression, but the school never tests written expression. We didn't see a discrepancy until the Woodcock Johnson achievement was done, and the TOWL-4 showed even more of a discrepancy because it included more open-ended writing. So I wouldn't say that tests show no discrepancy unless you know that for sure. I would also be very careful what you put in writing because if you have to escalate this to a legal level, they will dredge up literally everything. You need to find a balance between firm and nice. If you are too nice, they can come back and say "Well, it wasn't clear from this email that she was asking for a school evaluation and she acted like she was happy with a 504."
Also I am not sure if there is a test for "motor planning". DS always had the BOT2 which tests specific skills, and then the school did the Test of Gross Motor Development which is the same. I'm not sure how a test would pick up "planning". I think someone just used the wrong terminology.
I may not fully understand it, but the two times I requested an SPED eval it was denied based on "record review." I think that means because he had good grades and scores really high on state testing, they didn't see an educational impact.
I also didn't know anything about what the letter requesting the eval was supposed to look like, and that may have played a part.
Yes it is expressive language I am concerned about. I don't really have the lingo down but the way he writes, talks, and social communication--all areas of concern for me.
I think it's hard to get an IEP in my district. And I don't think I can "start the clock" until school is back in session. The 504 is reviewed every year, very early, so I'm thinking at least we can get something more comprehensive.
Motor planning would be included in the BOT2, though the VMI requires some motor planning to execute, so it could be considered a first round on assessing motor planning. The Rey Complex Figure (RCFT) is also a useful tool for examining fine-motor/visual-organization/planning, which would overlap with motor planning.
So maybe doing well on VMI was a kind of r/o on motor planning? Are the BOT2 and RCFT tools administered by school psychologist? I don't understand motor-planning, exactly, although can see how it relates to EF, etc. Since his teachers described him as clumsy (per sensory profile narrative), I thought maybe that's what they meant. I think that could have been re: his having so much trouble with his binder and backpack, manipulating them. Slowly.
