I am a single mother of two children , 8 year old girl and 6 yr old boy.
The 6 yr old is very advanced for his age.
His sister though acts as if she should be 5.
She started 2nd grade this year and I have been trying since she was in Pre K to have her tested for LD but they (school system) said we have to wait till 2nd grade….so here I am . School has started and I’ve again requested the test for LD’s . She is also taking speech. Her reading level was a 2.5 *here it means 2nd grade 5th month…but it has dropped to a 1.4 , 1st grade 4th month.*
The test they told me today was long and only done in blocks at certain times of the year…9 weeks into school and I’ve been asking since day one…so…We wait for the testing to begin,
What can I do to help at this point…send notes everyday….
Any suggestions
Thank you.
Deb in Bama
Do a little research first - call the state dept. of ed and get a copy of the regulations as they apply to special needs/learning disabled students. (I’m guessing by your pen name that you live in Alabama…I am not familiar with the regs there.) Also call your local school superintendant’s office and find out the name of the special education director for your district. Compose a letter (written, not e-mail or phone call - you need to start a ‘paper trail’) to the sped director outlining your child’s difficulties and also that you have requested evaluations of the local school staff. Express your concern at the delays in scheduling these evaluations and make sure to include her regression from 2.5 reading level to 1.4. At the close of the letter, specify that you want a complete educational and neuropsychologic evaluation to be performed at the school’s expense. Does your child also have fine or gross motor issues? Speech/language problems? If so, include OT, PT, and speech evals in your request.
Important - keep the tone of the letter positive and focus on just the facts without leaning toward blame or frustration. (I know it’s hard when you just want to shout loud enough to have someone wake up and do something!!)
You’ve taken the first steps in logging into this web site - keep going! It’s not fun, it’s not easy, but your child will benefit!
Good luck & God bless - MESB