Expert: Tim Runner - 5/31/2008

Question
My son, age 4, is currently being worked up for an autistic spectrum disorder.  He has received speech therapy for 3 years, and will be in PT for years to come.  He is low tone, low endurance, and has poor coordination.  He has been in special education since he was 2 3/4 years old.

My daughter, now 2 3/4 is still having articulation issues, she is very hard to understand.  She also has motor planning issues, like her brother, and is mild hypotonia.
She was just evaluated through our school district, and the evaluation team is not reccommending any type of services -the report reflects my concerns, however completely makes them sound profound.  I am not being paranoid, her grandparents can't understand her most of the time. Strangers have no idea what she is saying.  SHe falls constantly. (However, she did not fall once during the eval)
She most recently fell coming into our house and suffered a concussion from it - she had a black eye for about a month.  She can't wear shorts or skirts outside, because she needs large bandaids within MINUTES.  I know that I will have to fight the school district saying that she is at risk - she does not get along with other children, had below average adaptive skills, and her only friend is her AS brother.  I can't take her to playgroups due to her behavioral issues or lack of transportation.  I am not concerned with her having AS, I just think it is a significant family history of developmental problems which I do not wish to continue.  What can I do at this meeting to help her get the services she needs?  I have a letter from a developmental pediatrician stating that with services, such as speech and pt she will continue to make gains, however, her gross motor quotient has gone DOWN 2 points since her last PT eval, and the speech errors she is making are K, and G, which are early developing sounds.  Could you please offer some guidance? Thanks so much.

Answer
Heather,

You should share the letter from your daughter's pediatrician. If the assessments and recommended services do not agree with what is recommended in the letter, you can ask for an Independent Education Evaluation (IEE) by mutually agreed expert(s). I recommend to my clients that they get independent assessments to counter the results by CPSE. Many medical insurance plans will pay for these assessments.

In doing their assessments, they should have watched your daughter playing with other kids. If they did not, you should request that this be done. If you don't agree with what they are offering, you should not sign anything except for attendance only.

I wish you and your daughter the best,
Tim Runner, Education Advocate
I wish you and your daughter the best.
You can learn more at my web site:
www.special-education-answers.com