IEP suggestions

by Khat
(Boca Raton, FL)

My daughter will be 5 a week before school starts but we are holding her back in a speech-language preschool because our IEP coordinator at our school is clueless.




My daughter panics at certain sounds and events- fire alarms, whistles, being in a crowd, being in front of people, are some of these problems. If she panics, the school system will probably chastise her or do their own testing for autism.

She doesn't have autism, just severe sensory probems. She has a wonderful neurologist that suggested an advocate and private testing, which we can't really afford. My daughter already has an IEP which is very thick- the IEP coordinator at our home school said, based on a cursory examination, that she didn't need any special services.

She has fine motor issues (she can read but can't write or draw something she wants to, just scribbles)- she can't use scissors despite an OT at school saying she could. The OT directs her hands...surely a teacher in a classroom of 16 won't be able to do that.

She needs help eating as she gets distracted and won't eat enough to keep her from getting very hungry and upset.

She was just diagnosed with a genetic disorder or which SPD is part of the symptoms of the disorder. (Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome.

What have other people written in the IEP to address the sensory defensiveness in particular? Holding her hands over her ears and screaming won't be understood at our public school...I don't know what to do.

Homeschool isn't much of an options as she has a very short attention span and needs interaction with other children (other than her brothers who are at school).



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Sep 17, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		hang in there
by: Tracy

Be assertive. You are your child's best advocate, because no one else loves her as much as you. Make sure you study your rights! Your school district's website should have a link to parents' IEP rights. Also, even a normal functioning child just turning 5 may not be ready for school. My daughter missed the cutoff and turned 6 the first week of kindergarten. She is now 8 and as her cognition has increased, her symptoms of being hyper alert have decreased. i.e. if she can tell time, she will know when to expect the bell and it will no longer be a surprising noise.
Jul 31, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		First thing you need to do....
by: Anonymous

Is have her evaluated by an OTR!!!
THEN, when they tell you, yes, she has sensory issues, YOU GET IT ON PAPER!!!!!
You take that to the school.
You ask the OT to write a sensory diet for her, on paper! Then you get a letter from the neurologist stating the same.You take all this to the school and you tell them to put it in her IEP, that she needs sensory breaks through out the day, in order for her to get regulated. Then she will be able to go back to class and resume whatever it is she was doing.
I told the school that he needed input about every 20 minutes, i timed him over the summer. I watched how often he went to all the sensory things in our house. At home he knows he can stop what hes doing and get input for himself now.Then i kept telling him, he needs to tell them when he needs a break. Put that in as well
If she says she needs a break, or shows signs of being anxious or fidgety, get her some sensory input before she meltsdown!!!!!
Ask the OT to write a letter recommending how often and what kind of sensory input she will need
ALWAYS have paper work from everything she gets tested for or on!
Good luck, i feel your pain
And read, read and read some more and educate yourself
If you dont know what your talking about, they trample you!!!
Kim

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