Question for parents about special education

[Texan Mouseketeer]

This might be a bit off topic, but what do you do if the teacher is trying to label your child when it is clearly not. A friend has a daughter who is in 3rd grade and has a bit of focusing issues. She is very smart but tends to be talkative and rushes through her work, making it messy. She had a few problems last year with this last year and the mom asked her peds about possible ADHD. Both Peds said absolutly not that it isnt ADHD, she wasnt even a maybe case. She just needed a more structured work practice( has to do homework with no tv, people in the room as she is easily distracted. This year her new teacher had her for less than a week before telling the mom she needs to be tested for ADHD and take meds. Mom talked to a different ped and they told her she doesnt have any adhd tendency besides the focusing and they think that the work is too easy for her and she gets bored. So mom takes her to get tested at a tutering place and they also say that she isnt adhd and that she is a high middle school leval reading and her grade in math..

mom tells the teacher that she doesnt want her daughter labeled adhd and wants her daughter to have hader books to read ( they are only allowed to talk out their grade books from the library)and the teacher said ok but she is afraid that this teacher has already labeled her as trouble....
any ideas?

This early in the game, you may want to try another teacher. We're debating that, but I hesitate so much because if the problem starts in another class, the school would be going, 'see, I told you so...'. Plus, from the teacher end, I've seen how schools hate moving kids around like that. It can help but it can also backfire on you...I don't know, just thinking aloud on that one!

Not that it would happen in this case, but there have been extreme cases where the school has used the law to determine that SpEd services are needed even though the parents have refused them and that it is in the best interest of the child to provide services so they do it anyway.

 

[tw1nsmom]

Not that it would happen in this case, but there have been extreme cases where the school has used the law to determine that SpEd services are needed even though the parents have refused them and that it is in the best interest of the child to provide services so they do it anyway.

Actually, legally the school cannot force services on a child without the parents written approval. They can go through legal channels (rare) to force a child to be evaluated without the parents permission, but they can't force the actual services.

Having said that, I'm sure there are a few school districts that have scared parents into giving permission for services by threatening legal action.

BTW, independent evaluations were mentioned earlier. I recommend getting one as well. We're having an independent evaluation by neuropsychologist done using our insurance in November. The schools hate paying for them, and I didn't want to fight the fight as long as we had it covered. If the insurance wouldn't pay for it, we were going to have to call a CSE meeting and request an independent evaluation (out of pocket would have been $1700). It is your right to request an independent educational evaluation at the districts expense. You don't even legally have to give a reason (though you may have an easier time if you do). You do, however, have to allow the district to evaluate your child using their staff first.