<p>Can someone help me out here? My son was tested for LD in May of 2006. He tested out as ADHD and went on medication. I had a complete psychological and intelligence asessment completed in February of 2007. He was on medication at the time. He still tested as ADHD where the doctor noted perhaps his medication was not sufficient.
His grades improved dramatically upon medication he went from C's and B's to B's and some A's. He is at a new school (private), and their 'learning specialist' says my son is not eligible for any accomadations as his grades are sufficient. He is currently all B's and one C. They have kids at this school who are National Merit Scholars who have been given accomodations! They had them before but they had the benefit of being diagnosed before. She has even had the nerve to suggest I get hime tested again as my test is almost a year old. Am I wrong to be upset about this? I do not know what his rights are. Aren't his tests current enough? His IQ is at 130. He is very intelligent, gifted I would even say, but his brain works differently. Can someone help or calm me down?! Please!</p>
<p>I'm not a psychologist, I'm a parent, but my understanding is that grades have nothing to do with getting of not getting accomodations. And February 2007 is plenty recent! My advice is to contact the psychologist who tested you son and have that person advocate for you within the school. You have the right to be upset, but you will probably be a better advocate for your son if you can remain calm.</p>
<p>Not to be be more rain on your parade, but welcome to the WAR! You are now the general and sadly- your war will be similar to the war on terror with no clear victor...till sometime down the road when you are brushing your grey hairs and you look at your child and know it was worth it.</p>
<p>We even attend a school that claims that it is an "All Kinds of Minds" school. Well- like with most things- it is as long as your mind is like that of the educator. Being both bright and LD is hard for "some" to understand" I have twins- both gifted intellectually, one who has dyslexia. Any learning difference makes the kids vulnerable to stress, stress makes them vulnerable to underachieving. </p>
<p>My goal was to help my son find the way that would offer him the best opportunity to be successful. And don't believe people when they tell you asking for accomodations for a gifted child is "babying" or "manipulating" circumstances. In the real world, your child will be doing the things he/she is meant to do- how many of us have to be president of a company, a bank teller and a public speaker all on the same day. None of us. We all do what we are good at. The kids don't have that luxury yet- if your child needs accomodations then YOU fight for them, an assessment should be good for at least 2 years, maybe 3. Nothing has come easy when it came to meeting the needs of my son- but it is worth every battle scar I have. He hasnt had accomodations for several years now. (unfortunately there is a stigma) There are moments when he has to approach things a little differently, and we are always thankful for the teachers that do appreciate him. </p>
<p>You will have to have confidence, it helps to know the law (go to LD online or Hoagies gifted) and you'll find everything you ever needed. Then know that you aren't babying your kid, you aren't doing anything other than fighting for the accomodations that he is by law eligible for and that he deserves. Good Luck to you and listen to your heart. You probably know that it's not beneficial for your child to OVER-protect, but it is your job to fight for him. Nobody will advocate for your child if you don't. Sad but true in most cases.</p>
<p>I will briefly share my older daughters experience- and perhaps it will share some light on your situation- since I don't know what grade your son is in or what accomodations the tests suggested he needed.</p>
<p>She was tested many times as part of a study- the tests showed that while her overall IQ was quite high- she had significant areas where she was performing at below age level.
Although she was tested through childhood, she had attended private schools that didn't grade- or had accommodations ( such as extended time) available to all students, so specific accommodations were not necessary.
Unfortunately- I didn't recognize for a while, that she was spending much more time & effort than she should have been, until she was almost done with high school.
Still this is not unusual, particulary with very hardworking and intelligent students, their ability to hyperfocus and academic skill, can mask the extent of their learning difficulties, even until college.
Which is rough- they may have gotten through high school without developing good organizational strategies and by their wits, but then in college " hit the wall", and they learn pretty quick that * good looks alone aren't enough, you have to be able to sing too* ;)</p>
<p>If his tests indicate that he needs extra time for testing for example- is the school giving that?
Private schools actually may not have to follow IDEA or write 504s if they don't receive federal money.
But it is probably to their benefit to give him the same sort of accomodations he could recieve in the workplace through the Civil Rights act
<a href="http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/sec504.index.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/sec504.index.htm</a>
But for instance if he wants to take the SAT and to have accommodations like extended time, he will need recent testing that indicate that he needs that.
Results that are less than a year old, should be recent enough, but he may need several different tests to submit to College Board to receive accommodations</p>
<p>From my knowledge, grades don't have anything to do with accomodations. The accomodations are there to help you achieve said grades....and his aren't even as top as I'm sure they could be. </p>
<p>I think the learning specialist is wak. To put it simply..</p>
<p>It seems like there is not much I can do about it except to get the psychologist to write a new report. They want him to say what specific accomodations he needs. And yes personally I think the "Learning Specialist" is being lazy. This would mean she would have to write an entire plan for him.</p>
<p>Having an outside specialist report what accomodations are needed is not unusual. In fact, I think it's the norm. Having a whole new slew of tests done, that seems unnecessary. That you could perhaps protest to the higher ups at the school. </p>
<p>I don't know about the person at the school being lazy...maybe just wrong? Either way though.</p>
<p>Hi cubanmom,</p>
<p>Welcome to the good fight. The (possible) good news is that there may be an easy way to fix your situation, and that is to provide the thing your school's learning specialist is asking for -- a very specific letter from your testing psychologist that spells out (with numbered points and sub-points and bullet points) exactly the accommodations that your son's testing demonstrates that he needs. (If these accommodations are easy for the school to provide, so much the better.)</p>
<p>Keep in mind that this letter will also go to the ETS when your son is applying for accommodations for the PSAT/SAT/AP exams if he requests anything beyond 50% extra time, or if you have to appeal if you're turned down for 50% time. So this letter needs to be very clear, and the psychologist needs to indicate which test results and what observations s/he made support the specific accommdations. If you can -- or if this exists -- get the school's learning specialist to give you the written guidelines the school uses for accommodations, or get her to spell out the policy verbally and take lots of notes. Pass this all along to your psychologist so the letter will be sure to take into account the school's criteria. After that, the school has to keep the psychologist letter on file, along with the written statement of the accommodations you son is to receive, e.g., his "plan."</p>
<p>Remember: If your son does not receive accommodations in school, he will almost certainly not receive them for his SAT's. It is very common for legitimately ADD kids who have a formal, written plan at school and who have been receiving accommodations for a couple of years to receive 50% extended time on standardized tests without a major battle. If your son needs additional accommodations, gird your loins, it's going to be rough, and you absolutely have to have school-based accommodations in place to be able to request those same accommodations from the ETS down the road.</p>
<p>Be sure to read the psychologist's letter before it goes to the school. If it isn't clear to you, it won't be clear to them, so you may need to request changes. Once you have the final letter in hand, you might want to set up a meeting with your psychologist, the school's learning specialist, and the head of the school so that your psychologist can answer any questions the school might have and advocate for your son. </p>
<p>Your school should know that top private schools are commonly accommodating kids so that they can achieve to their full potential, with none of this "no accommodations because he's already passing" c**p. PM me if you'd like names of a couple of well-known day schools that accommodate substantial numbers of kids. (But the kids do need extensive testing with psychologist letters that spell out the specific accommodations that are needed, and then justify the need based on data.) </p>
<p>If you need outside help, there are a number of organizations that are set up to help you. I only know the resources in my own state, but there is an organization in Washington D.C. that will put you in touch with local groups that have helped parents in your specific situation. Their website is NICHCY</a> Home. When you phone them, explain your situation, and they will have resources for you. There are also free legal services for LD children who need advocacy. The group is called "Protection and Advocacy" and it is federally funded. Their 800 number is 1-800-776-5746. (This might be the 800 number for my region, and if so, just ask them for the number for your region.) Also, when you cally nichcy, ask if there is a TASK organization number for your state. They are dedicated to making sure that LD children receive what they need in school. </p>
<p>Good luck! Keep us posted.</p>
<p>Thank you. I am putting in a call to the psychologist right now. I will let you know what happens.</p>
<p>good luck to you!</p>