posted in general too, question

[Loony Smurf]

ok ladies, i posted a thread in general, but since nobody there seems to dare answer...i go to the experts lol

my 8 yr old desperately needs an IEP evaluation, and i'll have to go the certified letter route cause they dont want to do it cause he's smart as heck. he also has a psychiatric evaluation scheduled next week because i'm pretty sure the pediatrician's ADHD diagnosis was well..just an easy answer that was wrong. i'm half expecting a bipolar diagnosis.

question is this: should i wait till the psychiatric evaluation is done so i have something to put on the request as to why i want him tested? or should i just send the letter with no reason and add the psychiatric results to the formula later?

 

[Sheila]

I don't recommend waiting. All you have to say in the letter is that s/he has behavior and or academic problems.

The sd evaluation isn't something that happens overnight. It typically takes 60 - 90 days for the sd to perform the evaluations, write the report, and hold the IEP elegibility meeting.

 

[Martie]

I agree with Sheila: a psychiatric diagnosis does not = an IDEA 2004 label. There are two different nosological systems. Send the certified letter and be sure to link behavioral problems to negative educational impact. Do NOT let them equate adequate progress with academic test scores alone. There is much more to education than at or above grade level test scores. Bright children tend to be denied services using this argument, and it is not OK. If this child is BiPolar (BP), then he is likely to need the legal protection an IEP provides, if not now, then when he is older.

I would definitely write the letter now, and SEND IT CERTIFIED.

Martie