Daughter doesn't qualify for special education services

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Well, even though the diagnostician, educational psychologist, and the SLP agree with my daughter's diagnosis of pdd-nos, they do not feel she has an educational need for services. She doesn't even qualify for speech. The SLP said they oberved her on two separate days in the classroom, each for long period of time. They did say that nonverbal communication does not come naturally for her... at recess called out to some kids and said, "tag me!" and ran off, but failed to secure their attention before she did (I don't think they heard her or knew they were talking to them). Afterwards instead of going back to persist and capture his/her attention, she just went off and did her own thing (pulled grass and threw it up in the air --she loves to do this) and then got on the bike to ride on the bike path. They changed things on her a little in the class to see how she'd react (moved her square that she sits on in circle time to a different spot) and she looked a little confused, but sat right on the square. When asked why she wasn't upset, she said, "I like to move." Another day, she rode a bike for a long time, but then decided to go ask a friend if she could play with the ball. They said no, and she ran off and cried to the teacher. The teacher easily redirected her to something else and then she was happy doing whatever it was she was doing. In circle time, another girl got to choose someone to jump with her, and she chose my daughter. My daughter said, "Why does she always pick me? I don't like being picked by the same person all the time," but willingly jumped with her.

I don't know how to feel about her not being able to secure services. I have mixed feelings.

The SLP said, "We're ready to send her to college!" They feel that she's affected by the makeup of the class...that she really doesn't have anyone on her cognitive level to interact with, but that she does like her class. She paused when I asked her if she was happy while she's there though.

I don't know really where to go from here...except maybe to really push for a 504 plan once she gets to kinder? Does anyone else have a child on a 504 plan? Was it difficult to obtain? I'm seriously thinking about homeschooling if I can't get one for her. I think that it's hard to get one you need from schools when it comes to kids who are twice exceptional.

All of this kind of makes me sad. I fear at some point her coping strategies are going to break down.

What types of specific services were you hoping they would provide for your daughter? In many instances they deny providing services because they don't want to pay for them but in some instances they deny providing services because they don't feel they have services that are applicable to the child's needs.

I was hoping for speech services (pragmatic), and that we could set up any needed accomodations before kinder...for example, if she needed a place to go for her sensory needs.

Also, like I said, I do have mixed feelings about all of this. I mean, the report was actually pretty positive and she seems to be doing great,which is wonderful. I just don't want her to slip through the cracks, that's all.

I'm just being jumpy. I'll continue to work on all the social stuff like I have been doing.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, if you love your child, home school her.

--The public schools are garbage.

--They indoctrinate the children in sex, and alternate (inappropriate lifestyle choices).

--They are actively engaged in dumbing down the kids.

--They don't teach the real history of America any more, because they want the kids to hate America, so they do what they can to make the kids hate their own country.

--They keep out Judeo/Christian faiths, while indoctrinating the kids in Islam, Buddist faith, Wiccan, and other faiths, not your own.

--They won't let the kids wear American flag imprinted clothing, or other patriotic and religious symbols or text, but anything to do with evil, or anti-American messages, is OK.

--Also, your kid will have to put up with a tremendous amount of bullying because she is different. I know, it happened to me, and it happens to most of us on the spectrum.

Please don't leave your kid in the hands of these anti-Americans. HOME SCHOOL her. You don't need to be a genius to home school your kid. There are a number of resources available to home schoolers. Check the I-net for help with this.

Remember, we on the spectrum are all:

A Different Drummer

If a man does not keep pace with his companions,
Perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.
Let him step to the music which he hears,
However measured or far away.

--Henry David Thoreau

Blueskygirl says, "I was hoping for speech services (pragmatic), and that we could set up any needed accomodations before kinder...for example, if she needed a place to go for her sensory needs."

In my county, these aren't educational needs for educational services so they fall under 504. She will probably get these services if she needs them later. Right now it seems your daughter and her teacher are providing for her needs well enough. Ed services, I'm told, would be things like taking her out of the class to teach her to read using specialized techniques. Or teahing her math by using alternative materials.

In lieu of home schooling (which not everyone is able to do) you can wait and see what needs she will have within the classroom. They are lying to you, no doubt, that's what schools do. But you have no way of arguing your point until you know what her specific needs are. Once she is in the Kinder classroom you will be much more able to specifically state WHY she needs services. And by all means, get the 504 in place immediately. School speech and OT are worthless anyway (in my non professional opinion) so a private practicioner for those would be better.

Once she has ben in K and you see specific struggles, immediately IN WRITING ask for an IEE.

Same problem here, with my Kinder, and she has more than one issue. I asked for an IEP and did get a 504 (I was very pushy). A 504 contains accommodations like visual prompts and sensory diet and safe places to calm down. My daughter is doing well academically ("no academic need for services" is what they say). I pointed out her PE problems (dyspraxia), and they told me that all Kindergarteners were clumsy and that they would be forgiving of hers (for now). I had asked for OT for her, in place of PE, and was told that it was "redundant" because I was already paying for it privately! Basically, she needs to fail in some area, which I don't want to happen. Luckily it looks like her homeroom teacher and the school counselor are going to give her a lot of help expressing her feelings and helping her down the hallway (she is afraid and needs someone to hold her hand).

I think the biggest problem is budgetary with public education. Also, Kindergarteners often have emotional and social issues due to being young and immature. It will become more apparent that our kids are different in a few years. We got the 504 on the basis that the report card includes problem solving skills, working with others, and asking for help, which she has trouble with. You can also call for a meeting yearly. Keep a log of any problems she has.

I was afraid of putting mine in public education due to the abuse I had received from teachers and peers as I grew up with undiagnosed Asperger's, but I'm slowly beginning to believe that it will be all right. Public school is way more supportive than in my day--when we had corporal punishment with a paddle with holes in it!

In order to qualify for special education services, it needs to be proven that her disability is impacting her ability to learn. It sounds like she is functioning well in her environment at this time. As a pp said, the differences sometimes become much more obvious as the child gets older, and she may qualify for services at that time, as the impact becomes more clear. As another pp said, her behaviors currently may be similar to the others in her class. Since the assessors all found evidence to agree with the diagnosis you have, if and when teachers are seeing an impact, groundwork will have been laid. Have you asked them about 504? 504 plans are designed to ensure that children with disabilities are able to access their education, level the playing field, so to speak. It's worth having the conversation and putting that request in. They've already done the evaluation.

Your school or district should have a 504 Coordinator. Call the Sp Ed dept and ask to speak with the Coord. Keep a log of when you call, etc. Then, if still no call back send a letter to the district Sp Ed Dept Attn: 504 Coordinator and formally requst a 504 Evaluation. It is a bit more lenient with when, how, what they have to do but if they don't do something fairly quickly you can file a DOE OCR complaint for their failure to evaluate.
Anyone you speak to, follow up with a letter which documents what was said in your conversation. Otherwise, they can say you never called (and don't put that past them).

Our local school's coordinator is the counselor. I think getting a 504 was for the best for us because I didn't like the specific people involved in IEPs. One of them was the district autism specialist, but she turned out to be very cold and unempathetic. She turned down my request for help for my daughter's dyspraxia because my daughter was "capable of moving throughout the school." Never mind that she couldn't do PE and that my daughter needed someone to hold her hand for emotional security to move through the school.

I pointed out that my daughter's frequent crying was taking away from other student's learning time, and that helped get the 504. Based on the behavior questions I was asked, I got the impression that if she were more disruptive she would get more help.

I had begun contacting the school before the school year started. I did not get a "student support team" meeting until November. After that, it only took a couple of weeks for the 504 meeting. That meeting took about an hour and the document was completed on the spot. The only trouble is that they want the doctors to send medical statements AGAIN.

Put everything in writing and ask for copies of everything in writing. It would be wise to start saving money for a lawyer. We are doing that in case things go south once my daughter is in first grade and in school all day.