Thread: If They Would Have Just Listened

I just need to vent a little. And surprisingly it involves Dakota this time. So I had been trying to get Dakota an IEP because I thought his expressive language was off. We had a meeting back in NOVEMBER. The school basically did NOTHING. I got VERY angry. Angry to the point my DH had to do the phone calling, etc. We went to school yesterday for yet another meeting because I asked for some testing to be done. And what did they find? He is behind in his expressive language. I've also tried to explain that he doesn't understand how to categorize language and some information. So if you give him too much information at one time he doesn't know what to do with it. Guess what? They finally saw it. GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! It just gets me that they took 6 months of dragging their heals. Then to basically find out I was right. I felt like they thought I was trying to say he's not smart or something. That is totally NOT the case at all. Dakota is actually REALLY REALLY smart. I really think there is so much information locked in his head, but because he can't express it he doesn't know how to let it out.

Okay I feel better. I just needed to get that out. I just get tired of being treated like an over-reactive mother BEFORE they do any testing or anything.

sORRY... Once again you are right and it's taken others AGES to realize that you are the Mom and spend more time than anyone around your kids and likely know what's going on better than anyone else. I wish more people had the opinion of my pediatrician growing up who straight up told my mom that she would know anything before anyone else, and to trust her own instincts.

Hugs, and I hope that the school starts to listen now. Personally, I would write a letter to the principle and the general people in charge of the school board with the dates of meetings and what you said and the unacceptable delay in getting help (with statistics on how delaying these things is a detriment to the children involved). This would simply be to help other parents in the same situation, and later if you have more concerns they may take you more seriously. You probably don't have time for that now, though.

sORRY... Once again you are right and it's taken others AGES to realize that you are the Mom and spend more time than anyone around your kids and likely know what's going on better than anyone else. I wish more people had the opinion of my pediatrician growing up who straight up told my mom that she would know anything before anyone else, and to trust her own instincts.

Hugs, and I hope that the school starts to listen now. Personally, I would write a letter to the principle and the general people in charge of the school board with the dates of meetings and what you said and the unacceptable delay in getting help (with statistics on how delaying these things is a detriment to the children involved). This would simply be to help other parents in the same situation, and later if you have more concerns they may take you more seriously. You probably don't have time for that now, though.

Oh man. That really stinks. I like Sarah's idea though. That's far too long to wait to evaluate a kid.

Actually we did complain. They have laws to follow. And me (like the dummy that I can be ) took their word at the first meeting we had in November. I waited until after the first of the year and when I didn't hear anything, I called. The psych at the school really had a HUGE difference of opinion in what happened at that meeting. So then we got the HEAD boss of the special ed dept for the ENTIRE district involved. They finally did their job, but DH agreed that it seemed like they didn't really want to say I was right. Oh and the principal was in the meeting. But I have a special name for the psych that I'm not allowed to post here.

I believe that legally once you request an eval, they have 60 school year days to get it done. (So summer and winter breaks do not count.) Whether they agreed with you or not, they should have evaluated him a lot sooner. At least you are getting things started now, before the end of the school year. In my experience around here, it takes a long time to get OT, PT and Speech Therapy services up and running, because they are only there on certain days of the week and have to do a complete evaluation (sometimes taking more than one weekly meeting to complete).