504 NO, back to IEP yes....Arghhhhh...

[lcdc1]

Some of you know parts of this story some don't and others i am not sure who you are over here, so you may have read it!!!

Long story summarized:
My daughter was tested for a possible LD in novemeber after it was braought to the schools attention back in August, eligibility meeting in early Jan. team said no to IDEA and yes to 504. Before the 504 meeting the guidance counselor sends a response to my eamail asking when the 504 meeting is going to be - she states i am not sure your daughter quals under 504? ARGHHHHHHHH!!!
Anyway i show up for a meeting today to determine 504 and write a plan - the team is acting strange!!! In the meeting they start apologizing a lot to me - i dunno why at first. Anyway today we set up an interm plan cause they want to do specific testing in math now and they are convinced she now has a unique LD they have never encountered in the school district and the physc and vp are going to get training in tests to do to narrow down the processing stuff and the word they used was dyscalculia? They said she is one of the 5% of students that will never learn under the math program they use in our schools? So yeah my head is swimming again cause i feel like we are back at square one again even though they know she has an LD - in the interim they are setting up some things in the class and after school and deciding what class they can pull her out of besides math so she will have 2 periods of math - one regular class one extra help to catch up on basics.
So lillian - i am confused again but i did ask the VP is this a way that you all are just using to say she has an LD or issue you cannot help her with and he said no way - she is the first kind and case like this they have dealt with and they are going to learn as they go and they wrote in her plan to get some math programs and other books to supplement what they are doing, on and on..............
Man i feel like a YOYO in this? Ok thanks for letting me vent - this is making me nuts cause i don't know what input to give other than what i already have. I signed the paper saying they will do the additional testing thursday and next monday, the same physc is gonna do them............. I hope he knows what he is doing?

[lillian]

They've never had dyscalculia in the school district before??? O.K. Sigh...

I tell ya, Lcdc, your daughter's case is one of the oddest I have ever encountered. As I have said before, I've never heard of an ARD Committee going against the school psych, saying that the psych was wrong and the child DID NOT have an LD. Now, the Committee is coming back and saying, "You know, we think the psych may be right." Again, O.K.

You have very good reason to be confused. Let them do the testing, and let's see what they come up with. It's looking like an IEP to me.

[jj]

LCdc,

From a perspective of an onlooker, so to speak, I am glad they apologized admitting they must be wrong. From what you say it really does sound like they do want to do what is right for your daughter.

I sure remember sitting in those meetings and coming out not understanding a thing I heard. In my case I just left it in the schools hands (too stupid to know I had a say) and I was so lucky because they loved Nikki and by the 2nd term in that school she was up to speed.

Hang in there LCdc. I think this school is trying to get to the bottom of this.

[misty]

I'm with lillian in wondering why they've never heard of dyscalculia before! You mean they have NEVER come across a kid with a math LD? It just blows my mind.

Well, thankfully they seem to be finally getting on the right track. If IS an LD, you should be able to get an IEP no problem.

[charliegirl]

I can understand their not having realized they haven't encountered dyscalculia before, as from what I've read it is just beginning to be understood and recognized, but it would really surprise me to find out they never had a student who had it. I'm glad they are looking into it for you daughter. Hopefully this will get her the help she needs and open the door for other students there who have it and no one recognizes it.

I'm sorry it is taking so long to get a plan in place to help your daugher. It sounds like she will be better off in the long run though, by going with the interim plan and the extra testing.

[lcdc1]

With the testing complete and the determination that the principal said the school would make, the front desk lady called me today and said the earliest date they have for the next meeting is the 26th!!!

So, we wait some more!!! I guess that is as asap as they can get?

[lillian]

Yes, that's about right. From the request for testing to the writing of the IEP can, and often does, take up to six months. You may not believe this, but they actually are moving pretty quickly in your daugter's case.

[lostmyshoe]

Gosh Lcdc,

I saw your post and I feel for you. I don't understand it either. My daughter has an Auditory processing LD as well as the ADD and they were still able to put her on a 504 plan which is working out well. Now we just have to get the social problems straightened out. I hope you are able to get everything worked out for your daughter soon and it works out for your daughter as well as it has for Becca. I had a TERRIBLE time with Math when I was a child so I so much empathize with you. I even had a tuter come to my house and I still barely passed Math. No one realized I needed to be taught in a whole different way. I was never diagnosed and it was such a struggle. I think my parents knew something was wrong but were in denial. Thank goodness there is so much more help out there for our children today. I hope your school gets up to speed quickly and is able to give your daughter all the help she needs. I know it can be so frustrating and confusing. Hang in there. Hugs to ya.

[lcdc1]

Yeah, with the input from some of you all I am being patient and realizing that the school is trying and genuily cares about my kid. If I had not had input into this from lillian and all you others, I am sure I would have been mad about it and very normally impatient and it would not have been productive to moving forward, At this point in time, I am more after getting quality than moving forward fast - I want her to have the things in place that are really going to work and help her learn and retain.

I need to ask you all one more question (for now) - how do schools work on long term memory and processing issues. I got some math ideas, but the cognitive processing stuff is elusive to me?

[lillian]

LCDC,

I found this site for you. One of the administrators is a frequent visitor at Schwablearning, and he's a very smart guy. Hope you can get some of your questions answered:

dyscalculiaforum.com/news.php