Help from evaluation experts am I right?

As I understand re-evals. we do not need to re-eval every single issue every three years. If we have no question that the issues are still there, then we can minimize the testing. We do this, and we almost always continue services. A re-eval does not have to be as thorough as an initial if the team agrees to the issues and the IEP/program is addressing them. Re-evals just keep us on track, we test what we question, verify the handicap is or is not still present. As a resource teacher I can tell you pretty much what is and is not there after three years of working daily with a child. Tests just verify our first hand data in a normative way and give us some objective benchmarks.

Anitya,

Thank you for your reply I do agree that the sped teachers and SLP have a good idea what is going on from day to day observations. In my son’s case his evaluation was when he just turned 5 and he has made major changes since that time. Also, since he was so young I am not confident that he could have been given tests that could determine his exact problem. His speech/language delay percipitated a learning delay.

I guess for my own peace of mind and since I am getting tutoring for him in reading I want to know if that is the only issue. For example I have gotten Reading Reflex and he is doing well. If he has dyslexia maybe I should be buying more specialized programs.

Thanks again.

Well I’m glad that Anitya knows what is going on with her kids, but from our experience the school and sped teachers were way off base. When my son left for middle school they wanted to exit my dyslexic child from the program. He was given fine grades and a pat on the back as “most improved.” My home experience with his language skills led me to believe it to be otherwise. After battleing to have a retest (after 3 yrs.), they finally complied. The well accomplished soon to be 6th grader had the spelling, writing and grammar skills of a 2.5 grade student. It was an embarassing moment when the psyc. presented the report around the big oval table. It left us with a great deal of unfinished work.

Hi Clay’s Mom,

I worry myself to death about the lack of progress my son is showing. My question to the sped people is that if we put him in sped at age 5 yrs. since they said he was approx. 2 yrs. delayed due to speech. If they are using the most appropriate methods teaching only 10 kids with an aid how can they justify that after 4 yrs. they have only gotten him to 1.5 grade level.

I have to wonder have they helped him at all. What if I had not put him in sped, just gotten speech, repeated kindergarten. I am sure he would at least be at the level he is at now.

He is not retarded, he has no physical problems in fact he excels in all sports, he has a good memory at home, he is well behaved, he is good at math.

The attitude is don’t frustrate the kid just call them any grade that is age appropriate. Well, I want more that that for my son. I want him taught to the max of his ability I don’t want him getting pushed through the system and graduating but really only educated to a 9th grade level. Sometimes I think that since his orginal eval. put him 2 yrs. behind thats the level they keep him at.

I am his mother and I know when he is working to his max and I know when he is slacking.

Didn’t mean to get so carried away but I have been jerked around since May for retesting. So my nerves are a little shot.

Claymom:

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This is just my opinion, but all the Special Ed. in the world will not help your son if he is not being given the proper type of remediation. In order to teach dyslexic students, a Special Ed. teacher needs to be trained in multisensory teaching approaches. If that teacher is not trained appropriately, then Special Ed. services are not going to meet his needs. Many districts do not train their teachers (and the training is very expensive!), and many college/university programs that are supposed to prepare teachers are sadly behind the times. I would find out if the teacher has been trained in multisensory approaches and ask about programs and materials being used.. If the Sp. Ed. teacher is not trained, I would consider getting your son a tutor that is trained in multisensory approaches such as Orton-Gillingham (O/G) or O/G-based programs such as Wilson, Project Read, Lindamood-Bell, Slingerland etc.).

Marilyn

You’ve just described my son’s situation to a T! He’s made less than one year of progress in the past 2 1/2 years with the methods his school is using. I want them to use a multisensory approach with him but there are not any teachers trained in any of the methods in our entire school district. Both the school psychologist who did his last evaluation and the doctor that conducted the independent evaluation I obtained for him this summer have recommended this type of approach to the school in writing. Is there anyway to get this on my child’s IEP so that they have to find someone to teach him? Thanks!

RMK:

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This would be difficult to answer unless I knew what goals and objectives are on his IEP now. I would also need to know what strategies the Special Ed. teacher is currently using. Even though she may not be using a well-known method, it’s possible that she has adapted her own multisensory strategies, which may or may not be effective. So, what I am really saying is that these strategies may already be written into the IEP. Unfortunately, the burden of proof is on you to prove that the current delivery of services is not working.

I would suggest that you request a new meeting and ask directly for the tutoring. I would also go to various dyslexia sites on the web and show them in a non-threatening manner what a dyslexic student needs in order to succeed . If the letters from the doctor and the psychologist are not sufficient for them, I would try to find a parent advocate to help. Perhaps if they see that you are ready to go the extra mile, they may back down and pay for the tutoring to avoid attorney fees and mediation. Even better, they may begin providing their teachers with training! That would be the best option!

Marilyn

I tried what you are suggesting and it didn’t work. Basically, it doesn’t take that much for the school to think they are fulfilling the “multisensory” component. I was told very clearly that I could have input into IEP but programming was theirs and that my only recourse was due process. I thought about it and pulled him out part time to homeschool. They didn’t like that either but were helpless to stop me. He still isn’t at grade level but has made far more progress in the last six months than he ever did with their program.

Beth:

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Then I would go to due process. Like I said before, all the Special Ed. services are not going to help unless they are the right kind. At this time, it may be a good idea for you to find a tutor who is trained in a multisensory approach such as O/G, or O/G-based programs including Wilson, Project Read, Herman, Lindamood-Bell. for your son The other option is to go for the training yourself.

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What program are you using? I think it’s great that he is making progress with you. .

Marilyn

I thought about due process but decided I didn’t have the stomach for it. We also had involved at the end of first grade with our son’s education and so had messed up the natural experiment of how ineffective their approach was. We could have left well enough alone and I have no doubt that he would not have progressed by the end of second grade. Then we might have had a chance. But I couldn’t knowingly let my son falter—I could already see the results of not reading like his peers on his self-esteem. We also had the resources, thanks to generous grandparents, to do some programs on our own. I decided that I would rather spend money directly on him than on fighting the school system.

I made numerous phone calls but found little in my area in terms of multi-sensory tutors. I was told by a private school that private schooling was the only chance of getting it—the public schools didn’t do it. Certainly, my experience is consistent with their advertisement. There is a LMB center but the cost was 8-10 grand.

The other thing that played in my decision to go it on our own was the fact that my son has multiple deficiencies—auditory processing, visual processing, memory, word retreival, and sensory integration deficits. From what I have read, such kids have problems with even good traditional academic remediation because they have a hard time compenstating.

What we have/are doing, is trying to reduce his underlying deficits. He has done Fast forward for auditory processing (increased memory, and ability to follow conversations and directions), vision therapy (worked well to help him with visual motor difficulties and reading worksheets but not enough with reading), a multidisciplinary program working on auditory processing and sensory integration called Neuronet, and PACE whcih is a cogntive program that is especially strong in visual processing. We’re still doing the last two. After FFW, he went to a Phonographix Intensive in Orlando. This is the Reading REflex method of reading. It is a good method but with all my son’s problems, it wasn’t adequate, although it did get him reading for the first time. We pulled in some Seeing Stars from LMB (I bought workbooks) to increase drill.

When I was homeschooling him, we read a lot on the grade level. We’d segment and blend words he had trouble with using the PG approach and I also used Seeing STars workbooks. It wasn’t anything fancy. We also did Neuronet. We saw some increases in fluency with this approach. Now with the visual processing work from PACE, I see the finger disappearing (tracking issues) and speed increasing. We still have some auditory processing issues that have not been fixed which impact his reading. Still, I think we are seeing good results because of a sound reading program coupled with a sensory integration program and visual and auditory processing work.

Perhaps an O-G or LIPS program would have done a lot of the same things. We’ll never know but they were not easily available where we are. One advantage of our approach is that it has carried over to other academic areas (math—directionality, and visual-spatial issues—was moved out of sp. ed in June due to these improvements) and life (can now ride a bike slow, knows which ways sounds are coming from, can understand directions, follow a conversation—and is generally able to learn more easily).

We’re not there yet—decoding still isn’t down cold but he reads second grade material fairly fluently now and is going into third grade in fall. We will decide after we complete PACE and Neuronet this fall whether we are going to need a more intensive reading approach. If we do, we’ll probably go with PACE’s Master the Code program.

I guess I think each family faced with the same situation needs to decide what will work best for them. I was losing sleep over the schools’ inadequancies and the anger was already eating me up. I immed. felt better when I started doing things myself rather than fighting them. The whole system needs to be changed here but I felt that my son and our lives had to be our first priority. I am one who can fight a system but I found when it was my own child, I too easily lost the impartiality that was necessary to strategize. The school knows me well and I managed to keep good relationships with some key players—the principal and director of exceptional education. The district people don’t like me but I don’t care frankly. I got the third grade teacher I wanted and am hoping next year is a better year.

Beth

I’ve included the law below. It states they need to consider if additional data is needed or not. This now puts the parent in the position of having to know that they have the right to request that the child be reevaluated in part or whole.
You just have to tell them what evaluation you feel is needed.

Helen

§300.533 Determination of needed evaluation data.
(a) Review of existing evaluation data. As part of an initial evaluation (if appropriate) and as part of any reevaluation under Part B of the Act, a group that includes the individuals described in §300.344, and other qualified professionals, as appropriate, shall -
(1) Review existing evaluation data on the child, including—
(i) Evaluations and information provided by the parents of the child;
(ii) Current classroom-based assessments and observations; and
(iii) Observations by teachers and related services providers; and
(2) On the basis of that review, and input from the child’s parents, identify what additional data, if any, are needed to determine -
(i) Whether the child has a particular category of disability, as described in §300.7, or, in case of a reevaluation of a child, whether the child continues to have such a disability;
(ii) The present levels of performance and educational needs of the child;
(iii) Whether the child needs special education and related services, or in the case of a reevaluation of a child, whether the child continues to need special education and related services; and
(iv) Whether any additions or modifications to the special education and related services are needed to enable the child to meet the measurable annual goals set out in the IEP of the child and to participate, as appropriate, in the general curriculum.
(b) Conduct of review. The group described in paragraph (a) of this section may conduct its review without a meeting.
(c) Need for additional data. The public agency shall administer tests and other evaluation materials as may be needed to produce the data identified under paragraph (a) of this section.
(d) Requirements if additional data are not needed.
(1) If the determination under paragraph (a) of this section is that no additional data are needed to determine whether the child continues to be a child with a disability, the public agency shall notify the child’s parents—
(i) Of that determination and the reasons for it; and
(ii) Of the right of the parents to request an assessment to determine whether, for purposes of services under this part, the child continues to be a child with a disability.
(2) The public agency is not required to conduct the assessment described in paragraph (d)(1)(ii) of this section unless requested to do so by the child’s parents.

Beth:

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I can understand that.

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LMB is very unreasonably expensive, but I thought it was worth my money to take their 3-day inservice training so that I could provide it to my students for free! They not only need it, but they deserve the best, too! I do teach in the public schools. I also taught the Seeing Stars kit, and that has really worked out very well.

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Maybe when you have passed major hurdles in your son’s learning, you can fight the system for someone else. Beth, you are doing a fantastic job. If you feel that your son is making progress, then you are doing the right things. I wish you and your family success!

Marilyn

I’m so glad to hear that your students are getting good things through you!!! One of our problems is that the resource teacher isn’t particularly competent. If our efforts aren’t enough, we will have to have him switch schools. I know there are good people out there—I see them on these boards and we had one in the school district where my son went to K (in another state).

Beth

Beth:
>
> I’m so glad to hear that your students are getting good
> things through you!!! One of our problems is that the
> resource teacher isn’t particularly competent.

Thanks for your compliment! I feel really good about my training so far. I want and need so much more.

If you equate lack of training with lack of competence, then maybe you are right, but it may not be her fault, although that doesn’t help your son. But, please remember that she has not been provided with any specific training to teach dyslexic students by her district, and the colleges/universities don’t provide training, either. You are aware of Lindamood’s prices for tutoring. Their training is expensive, too. And this is probably true for other multisensory approaches as well (although I think that LMB is the most expensive). Also, many of us who pay for our own training have traveling expenses as well. Family obligations and lack of funding may make it very difficult for teachers to receive training.

Marilyn