<p>I think that the basic misunderstanding about IEP is that it is for kids who are deficit…it is first and foremost an Individiual Educational Plan and it works for kids who who considered “gifted” in elementary years but have an individual area of deficit as well as kids who have deficit learning capabilities in general. I always think it is a miss to not understand what is right in front of one’s nose and to not use those assets when you have kids that need them. Being deamed “gifted” as an elementary student means nothing in the face of what kids are confronted with as they migrate into the middle schools and high schools. I have a “gifted” son with an LD so to some extend “I get it.” </p>
<p>The problem here is that the OP has no idea what is going on without testing. It is of equal probability that her son has a learning disability as it is her son has a behavioral issue but there is no way to address the issue at hand without the insight that testing will bring. The longer the OP waits the harder it will become to put a plan in place. </p>
<p>I don’t know about the OP, but I was “with” my kids maybe 5 hours a day…and the teachers were “with” my kids an equal amount of hours. I think the OP needs to drop the animosity toward the teachers and the school and not only have her son tested for LDs but to try and get some clear, unbiased opinion about her son…painful as that may be so that the outcome of testing is additive and to have some path to follow. If not, it’s simply guesswork and grasping at straws. </p>