An IEP for a friend's son ?

[eeyore kelly]

OK, let's see if I can make sense here

My friend has a son who has Autism. He is in a head start program, not a non catagorical preschool class. He is three, but will repeat Headstart twice.
He likes to wander, and has wandered away from school so much that the mother now pays for a full time aide to make sure her son does not wander off. The school says they can not keep up with him.

This child also has sensory issues and will only eat baby food from a sippy cup, but he is not allowed to bring one to school. The child does not eat at school and comes home starving.

The mother taught this child his colors by using hot wheels cars, because he is interested in anything and everything to do with cars. The head staart class is starting to teach counting and has complained that the little boy is not interested. The mother offered to buy some hot wheels cars for the whole class to supplement the counting lessons with, but the teacher said no.

Now, school wants to charge the child's insurance for OT. The mother has a private OT through her insurance, and the insurance won't pay for both.

I don't have a lot of experience in this area, but the mother of the child has even less.

Couldn't the eating issue be wrote in the IEP?

What about the counting with the hot wheels?

Can the school charge her for the OT?

I have seen and read a lot of good advice concerning these issues on this board before. Please help me help this mother.

 

[WDWAurora]

I don't know the laws for LA, but here you're eligible for an IEP at age 3. It has to be something like Autism, speech impaired, etc. that is obvious at that age (i.e. you can't have a written expression learning disability because that's not something that's apparent at that age). The best thing to do would be to get in touch with the special ed dept. or the school psych in the local public school system. They can determine what he is and isn't entitled to.

 

[huckster]

does she have a section 504 for her son ? they must follow these what about ADA? hope this helps

 

[heart4pooh]

There is a website/forum I visit concerning my son's Asperger's Syndrome, which is on the autism spectrum. It is loaded with information and has a lot of parents who have been there, done that who are more than willing to help. It is at www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/ It's called OASIS. I hope it helps! It's been great for us!

 

[llp479]

My DD has sensory integration issues and an LD and our insurance WOULDN'T pay for the OT saying the school should be doing it since she had an IEP. It took me 3 years to get the IEP for our dd. I strongly suggest that your friend get either a lawyer or a child advocate to advise her and fight the school district. My neighbor has a son with Austism and that's what she did to get her son acces to the services he needs. I conferred with the attorney, so was able to play that card in our initial meetings, and just the mention of the man's name was enough to change the tune of the Director of LD services in our district.

 

[4greatboys]

Here in Texas if you qualify for OT (speech, or any special need) there is no charge for that service. I would think all of his issues need to be addressed in his IEP.

 

[MrsPete]

does she have a section 504 for her son ? they must follow these what about ADA? hope this helps

A 504 is like a "temporary IEP". It's for a situation that's probably going to be transitory, like a child who's having trouble during his parents' divorce, whereas an IEP is for a child with ongoing issues. An IEP trumps a 504.

Yes, the eating issues, etc. can be built into an IEP; however, the IEP must be written by the parents and the teachers TOGETHER. Since the teachers aren't particularly interested in conforming to what's already worked for this child, getting these ideas into the IEP might be tough.

Or, just to be argumentative, is the mom holding the son back saying "he can't" eat without his sippy cup, etc.? Could it be that the teachers, who have more experience with a wide range of kids, know that he can do more if he is pushed towards fitting in with the group and doing this like "everyone else"?

 

[canwegosoon]

Here the learning issues are addressed in the IEP.
I think your friend needs to get a adovacate fast and an attorney.
#1 she should not be paying for an aid to watch her child that is the school's responsibility, and she is assuming risk by doing what she is doing. Not only the risk of her child, but the risk of the aid and their actions.
#2 The food...I think a note from the doctor put into the child's file should handle it. Address the letter to the principal and superentendient. A child should not go all day without food regaurdless or the mode of eating.
#3 The cars...the teacher also has a responsibility to other students in their class...and the cars might be distracting for others. Does this child have 1 on 1 time with any aids or therpists. That where I would recommed use of the cars. My boys recieve speech in small groups, and there are prizes etc...the learning can be tailored to the small group.

 

[tinkerbell27]

Wow, I think I would take him out of the Head Start Program.
My Aspergers son started the special Education preschool program when he turned 3. It was a godsend for us ! It was 9-2 monday thru friday, he got speech therapy and OT , and it was all free, they were wonderful ! You should not have to pay for an aide just because they can't bother to do their jobs and take care of your childs needs. My son has the hot wheel obsession too ! It sounds to me like their not focusing on the individual needs of the child, which is what they should be doing.

 

[eeyore kelly]

Thank you all for your replies. I am going to print them out and give them to her. This Headstart business instead of non cat preschool, the child not eating, and her hiring a aide just didn't sound right. Thanks again

 

[golfgal]

In our district there are special ed classes for 3 and up. Headstart is a totally different program and not really designed for special needs kids like him. It is more of a program to get kids ready for kindergarten (usually lower income families). Have her call the school district asap and find out what they have to offer. Special Ed classes are federally regulated so they should have the same or similar offerings in every state.

 

[tw1nsmom]

I'm not sure where to begin.

The child's rights are covered under the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). It is a federal law. States may interpret it differently, but they can only offer more services/rights, not less (yes, they don't always folllow the law).

If the child is under three, your friend would need to go through the early intervention program in her area. If the child is three or older, your friend needs to contact the commitee on preschool special education chairperson in her school district.

Have her do everything in writing and keep copies of all correspondence and keep a journal/log of all communications. In her letter, make sure she requests an evaluation, and that she indicates that she knows that they only have 60 days from the receipt of the letter to perform the evaluation, hold a CPSE (committee on preschool special education) and determine the appropriate program (again, this is federal law...this part of the law is often broken).

Make sure she knows the term FAPE (FREE and appropriate education). It's every child's right and is protected under IDEA. She should not be paying for any services her child needs.

It is imperative with autism, to receive early intervention. The earlier the therapy starts, the better chance for a positive outcome.

A few other terms she needs to know is LRE (least restrictive environment), Needs, and Appropriate. Make sure she never uses the word wants, always use the word Needs. They don't care what she wants for her son, only what he needs (it's semantics, but they will jump down her throat if she uses the wrong word). Never use the word Best, always use the word Appropriate. Her child doesn't have the right for the Best education, but he does have the right for an education that is Appropriate for his needs.

If she doesn't agree with the outcome of their evaluation, she can request an IEE (Independent Educational Evaluation) at school district expense. They will probably say no, but then she can request an impartial hearing.

A 504 is covered/protected under the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act). It is for children who have a documented disability who are succeeding in school without actual special education services. It allows for modifications, both physical and academic, that the child needs.

Please feel free to PM me and ask any questions that you or she may have.

 

[huckster]

quote,thanks tw1nsmom
A 504 is covered/protected under the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act). It is for children who have a documented disability who are succeeding in school without actual special education services. It allows for modifications, both physical and academic, that the child needs.

this is what my son had thru out school along with his iep , he did not qualify for spec. ed, they had to modify every year to what we agreeded upon for him to be able to learn HIS WAY. ie modify there teaching structure to his needs , we fought constanly with school system , until my son quit school at age 17.
keep fighting they owe your child an education , i alway get a laugh when they mention "no child left behind" cause they sure left mine behind he went on his own at 19 and got his GED.
HERE'S TO YOU on being an advocate for your child.

 

[SandiH]

I am a teacher of students with Autism and have worked in both early childhood and elementary school settings. I'm wondering if your friend is talking about a true IEP written by the school distict or an educational plan written by head start. I'm also wondering if the child is only in head start, who is the special education teacher responsible for implementing the IEP. It seems unlikely that a special education teacher would not make the feeding and counting accomodations that it seems like this child needs. I can see where head start wouldn't be as willing to do those. Feel free to PM me if you would like to ask more questions.

 

[MrsPete]

#1 she should not be paying for an aid to watch her child that is the school's responsibility

Maybe, maybe not. Very few children in the public schools have personal aids. It's entirely possible that the school's determined that this is not a need for this child, yet the mother disagrees and decided to provide one herself.

#3 The cars...the teacher also has a responsibility to other students in their class...and the cars might be distracting for others.

This sounds entirely possible. The teacher must consider the needs of the entire class, not just one child -- that's where the decisions get difficult.

 

[AC7179]

I feel pretty sure that the mother shouldn't have to pay for the aide to keep her son from wandering off---that should be the school's responsibility.

 

[Karel]

I feel pretty sure that the mother shouldn't have to pay for the aide to keep her son from wandering off---that should be the school's responsibility.

I think it depends whether the school thinks they can provide an adequate eduation for him or the mother has decided that's where she wants him to be.

I worked in Head Start a long, long time ago. I thought they were private institutions, not necessarily linked to the public school system.

I would question if Head Start is an appropriate placement for him to begin with. Is that where he was put or where the family decided he should go?

Autistic kids can be very hard if you are not trained to set up a successful enviroment for them.

 

[tw1nsmom]

To me it really sounds as though she has a private diagnosis and isn't receiving any services from the school at this time. She needs to go through the school district, and if it's determined by the entire team that he needs an aide, then she shouldn't be paying for it. It isn't solely up to the school district to determine whether or not an aide is necessesary. A parent is a full and equal member of the team. The parent can also bring in other professionals to advocate for her son. And, ultimately is the parent feels strongly that the child needs an aide, they can reject the IEP and request due process hearings.

And I'm sorry, if a child needs to learn in a certain way (ie. counting with cars), and again, if the team writes it into the IEP, then the teacher must follow the IEP as written. If they can't do it, then they need to request an aide to assist them. If they refuse to do it, they're breaking federal law.

 

[eeyore kelly]

Thank you all for your replies and taking the time to help this mother. I will see her tomorrow and give her a copy of the replies. I will update soon. Thanks again

 

[luvmyfam444]

I don't know much -but it sounds to me like this child is mainstreamed - in a normal preschool class instead of a special ed class - thus the reason the teacher doesn't know how to handle him (wandering/food issues) perhaps he needs to be pulled & put into a regualr special ed class where the teachers are prepared & know how to handle these kinds of issues???