Last year my son entered kindergarden and I requested that he be tested. His IQ came back very low (i believe 79) and the district said that he should
be mainstreamed no real problems. They said he had some trouble with motor skills and to practice puzzles and coloring.
Well he has started 1st grade and he has no real attention span. He is having a hard time with homework etc.
I would like to have him evaluated again. Last year the school did the testing. My question is how can I have him tested (hopefully by an outside agency that may be unbiased and more objective) but have the school pay for it.
While my “sig. other” was pregnant she did drink. I was also wondering if anyone knows of any specific tests that can be done to test fetal alcohol effects.When I asked the school psychologist last year she said she did’nt know but would look into it (she was new).
Thanks Barry
If you go to the “LD in Depth” section of this website you will find some good articles under “assessment” and “IEP” that tell you how to go about getting an Individual Independent Evaluation (IIE) — which is an evaluation by outside testers paid for by the school district. You want to become knowledgeable about your rights. Most requests for IIE are granted, especially if the school thinks the parents understand their rights, because it is less expensive for a school to pay for the IIE than it is for them to pay a lawyer to defend themselves if you challenge their denial of an IIE.
You should always make all of your requests in writing, and document all verbal interchanges including phone calls (you write a follow-up letter stating that you just want to recap what was discussed on the phone). This creates a paper trail for you, and often makes a school pay more attention.
You may be able to find out more about tests for FAS (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome) by doing some searches at http://www.metacrawler.com.
Mary