<p>Re: Ohio MRDD -</p>
<p>I just read in the Plain Dealer (or heard on a local Ohio NPR station?) that Ohio is one of the last few states that has an agency with something along the lines of the words “mentally ■■■■■■■■” in its name and that this name is on the verge of changing. Not a good name.</p>
<p><a href=“http://olrs.ohio.gov/asp/namechangetest.asp[/url]”>http://olrs.ohio.gov/asp/namechangetest.asp</a></p>
<p>While I understand what wis was saying, I don’t think db necessarily has enough information to know what her son is and is not capable of. If he has an IQ test and scores as borderline ■■■■■■■■ (I’m sorry for the un-PC word, but I don’t know which clinical terms to use to get the message across), then you might have to conclude that he is definitely not college material - although I have heard of students with down syndrome taking college courses. However, even if he is behind academically, it would not be impossible for him to work slowly toward a degree, starting in a community college and going on to a four year degree if he proves capable of it. After that, who knows?</p>
<p>I also question the idea that if you can’t make it in a classroom without accomodations, you can’t make it in the real world. Time limits on tests may be a practical necessity and, for average kids, a reasonable enough way of separating out kids of different levels. But if a person who knows he takes longer on tasks devotes more time to it, he may be perfectly capable of succeeding in the real world.</p>
<p>College policies reflect this. One of my friends at Princeton gets extra time on tests because she has impaired vision and motor skills, so reading the assignment and writing the answers takes longer. I have another friend who still gets extra time as a grad student - he is exceptionally bright, but has certain specific learning disabilities that require to him spend more time on problems. These people aren’t going to have any trouble getting along after graduation, I suspect - they’ll have to work harder than others, but assuming they do they can compete with and even surpass their peers.</p>
<p>Db, clearly your son’s problems are more profound, but my point is that just because he needs and may continue to need accomodations doesn’t mean he has to give up on a college of an appropriate level. He may have to take a year of courses as a non-matriculating student at a community college in order to even be a candidate for an associate’s degree, but that’s OK. The reason only 25 % of people go to four year colleges isn’t necessarily because only 25% of people are capable - some people don’t go to college because they’ve been held back by educational inequities and a poor home life, some people don’t go because of lack of ambition, but college isn’t only for kids on the top half of the bell curve.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>db44126,
I would be <em>extremely</em> surprised if your son was labelled Developmentally Disabled without an IQ test of some sort as part of the evaluation. Even in my backwards state this is a requirement. If he hasn’t had a complete psychological/psuchoeducational/neeuropsychological evaluation is quite some time, you should DEFINITELY request one.</p>
<p>I did ask the school psychologist I had a meeting with today about policies in our county (she can only speak to our county, as each is permitted to make some individual interpretation of the guidelines/regulations) s said that a child’s reevaluation for services is required every 3 years (the do the review at 2 years at the IEP meeting) this doesnt necessarily require additional testing. If the child’s eligibility can be determined based on classroom observations, test scores from the Iowa, CoGat, etc, academic performance, etc, they can use those measures, without additional testing, to determined eligibility, if the parent agrees. The childs status has to be reviewed, but not necessarily retested.</p>
<p>“Mental Retardation” is still used as one of the qualifying conditions for special education, at least in CA.
And yes that is technically correct that although revaluation is done every 3 years it can be done without formal testing, I can’t imagine a case that some sort of standardized testing would not have been done since kindergarten.</p>
<p>FWIW, where I live in California, the way it seems to work is, not only do you have to meet criteria for mental retardation, you also have to be functioning two standard deviations below your ABILTY to get school accommodations. Otherwise your needs are met by way of regional center. If you have “borderline” intellectual ability, and function at that level, you may get nothing by way of resources, other than a modified curriculum.</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>I thought she said her child had a developmental DELAY as a young child. That is very different than a developmental disability.</p>
<p>^^ I believe the “performance/potential” discrepancy (ie performance below “ability”) is looked at differently now. Again, even in this backwards state, which held onto the “2 years behind grade level” measurement for way longer than they were supposed to.</p>
<p>And apologies for my typos in the post above.</p>
<p>thumper-
The OP has used the label “mentally handicapped” which suggests a more enduring disability, not just a delay. Perhaps the OP can tell us what the IEPs say with respect to his eligibility criteria.</p>
<p>*** edit: from the op’s post #37:
</p>
<p>In looking over the IEPs that I have, they do say he has difficulty recalling detail and determining the main idea from information read out loud and that his teachers universally report that he has difficulty understanding concepts that have abstract meaning and the application of concepts to solve practical problems. They say that these difficulties are directly related to his difficulties with speech/language. As far as a specific diagnosis, I don’t see that on any of the IEPs.</p>
<p>“developmental DELAY as a young child. That is very different than a developmental disability”</p>
<p>How so? I’m guessing it depends on what system of nomenclature you are using, and to what end?</p>
<p>My aunt and uncle pulled my cousin out of regular school for this very reason, albeit earlier in his schooling years, and sent him to the Gow School, a college prep with its mission stated as “a college prep boarding school for young men, grades 7 to 12, with dyslexia and similar language-based learning disabilities including: central auditory processing disorder, dyscalculia and LD written expression.”</p>
<p>I don’t know whether this applies to your son or not, but you might want to look into it. My cousin was labeled as “mildly ■■■■■■■■” (due to his learning disability); my aunt and uncle just wanted him to be able to live on his own some day. You know what happened? He went to college, graduated, and got a decent job afterward. Yeah, we’re not talking a college degree from Harvard; however, he got a real B.A. from an accredited college.</p>
<p>Toad- you must be very wise if you can determine from an anonymous message board that this kid is not college material.</p>
<p>[NYIT</a> :: Vocational Independence Program (VIP) ADMISSIONS](<a href=“http://www.nyit.edu/vip/Admissions.html]NYIT”>http://www.nyit.edu/vip/Admissions.html)</p>
<p>Check out the above program (for the future). It’s not cheap but it’s done right. It combines academics with life skills for special needs students. Your state probably has something similar.</p>
<p>Db, the IEPs say he has difficulty recalling detail and understanding concepts. Those are symptoms of his disability. But IMO, you ought to find out the diagnosis, rather than the symptoms. If you know the diagnosis, you have a better handle on how to deal with the symptoms.</p>
<p>Does he have specific language difficulties, or are these symptoms just part of a general (I’m sorry I don’t know the current correct term so I’ll just have to say) mild mental retardation? <em>Why</em> doesn’t he understand abstract concepts? What other problems does he have with speech and language? How is he with concrete concepts? Does he have trouble understanding abstract concepts at home? How are his reading skills? What about his writing skills? Does he have trouble with abstract concepts in math too? How are his spatial skills? How are his social skills?</p>
<p>I’m sorry to ask all these questions, but I’m fascinated by this entire story and want to know what is going on with this young man. At the very least, there has been a deplorable lack of communication between his school and you.</p>
<p>Toadstool’s comment doesn’t help much. Maybe this kid is not college material, though I don’t think what has been posted here so far is enough to determine that, but he is about to be an adult and he needs to transition from high school to something.</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>Somewhere on the IEP…usually on the first page or two…there is a spot for “Disability”. I am not familiar with Ohio’s IEP, but on my state forms, there are 13 different disabilities listed (per federal legislation) and we check off one. Your child MUST have a disability to have an IEP. It is a REQUIRED field on all IEP documents. The symptoms would be listed in the present levels of performance. Look for where the disability is listed.</p>
<p>The actual name of the student’s disability is sometimes not very enlightening.
My daughter’s is listed on her IEP as “Multiply disabled”.</p>
<p>Or my favorite: “Develomental disorders of unknown etiology”, i.e. “we don’t have a clue”.</p>
<p>db–</p>
<p>You’re getting a lot of useful information. Both of my kids had IEPs through high school. One is in college and one will graduate from high school next week and enter college this fall.</p>
<p>IEPs rarely list an official medical or psychological diagnosis unless the child is eligible under Other Health Impaired. </p>
<p>Rather than a medical diagnosis, the IEP must list an Eligibility Category. There are 13 categories of IEPs allowed under federal law. Look on his IEP for a category as “Specific Learning Disability,” or “Mental Retardation” or “Behavioral/Emotional Disability.” </p>
<p>NO CHILD GETS AN IEP UNLESS THEY FIRST ARE PUT INTO AN ELIGIBILITY CATEGORY. </p>
<p>The IEP eligibility category does not determine the child’s placement (the difficulty level of their courses) nor does it determine the types of school-based services the child receives. However, the category can cause teachers (and others) to make assumptions about the child’s abilities. </p>
<p>I think others have explained the necessity of getting updated psychoeducational (IQ and curriculum-based achievement) tests. Schools must do it at no charge. Kids with IEPs must be re-evaled every three years UNLESS the parent AND the school waive the re-eval. </p>
<p>You have a right to review his entire file–to see his IQ scores (such as the WISC), achievement scores (such as the WIAT or Woodcock Johnson), behavioral assessment (such as the BASC) and other scores pertaining to his IEP. You have a right to request a re-eval. If you disagree with the school’s eval results, you have the right to file for an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) done by private practitioners but at school expense. </p>
<p>You have the right to request an IEP meeting at any time to review his eligbility category, his goals, his services, his accommodations, his specially-designed instruction, etc. You are a full partner on the IEP team and have full input on anything and everything on the IEP. You can also question how he is being graded.</p>
<p>Grade inflation is a fact of life for many kids with learning differences. Many schools reward SpEd kids with good grades for their determined effort or regular participation, even if those kids have not mastered grade-level curriculum. You’ll need to find out what rubric is being used to give his grades. </p>
<p>I strongly recommend Peter Wright’s book “From Emotions to Advocacy.” Wright is brilliant, dyslexic and is the nation’s foremost SpEd attorney. The book is essential for any parent whose child has an IEP. </p>
<p>Others have provided the link for PTI. PLEASE contact them. They have trained staff who will work with you over the phone at no charge. They’ll talk you through all this! </p>
<p>You might find some additional helpful parents at this site: [Learning</a> Disabilities (LDs), ADHD and Education Support, The<em>SAFE</em>Site - Home](<a href=“http://millermom.proboards.com/index.cgi]Learning”>Home | Learning Disabilities (LDs), ADHD and Education Support, The*SAFE*Site) </p>
<p>Just a reminder: colleges do not offer IEPs. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which makes SpEd possible stops after 12th grade for most students and age 22 for the severely impaired. Colleges MUST comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and provide appropriate accommodations. But ADA access is just that. Access. Under ADA, the student is still expected to meet all of the college’s academic requirements.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Maybe, maybe not.</p>
<p>OP, if you have an IEP, there MUST be a diagnosed disability on it; this is not optional. That doesn’t mean there IS one there, but it’s certainly supposed to be; it’s required. Your son should have been tested by the school system, by testing professionals (NOT regular classroom teachers), including a speech and language specialist and a psychologist. You can also have private testing done if you prefer.</p>
<p>Whatever the disability is, there MUST be testing which backs it up.</p>
<p>Evaluations must by law be done every three years. </p>
<p>I strongly suggest you hire an experienced educational consultant or advocate post-haste to get your son the evaluations and accommodations he needs.</p>
<p>My son is a special ed student, and you would not believe the kinds of crap the school system has tried to pull over the years, and some of the placements the system has suggested as appropriate for my kid – it’s absolutely shameful. Many parents of special ed students I’ve known have also had to do battle with their school systems; some parents I know have had to sue their school systems to get their kids accommodations that are mandated by Federal law.</p>
<p>Please find an advocate, someone who can help you learn what Federal law mandates, how special ed works in your district, and how to get your son the testing and accommodations he needs. I strongly suggest that you record ALL meetings with the school system – let them know ahead of time that you will be doing so – and take your advocate with you.</p>
<p>Fight hard, and good luck!</p>
<p>I should have waited for Mitdu to post; ignore my post and read Mitdu’s again instead. Thanks!</p>