 Re: Parents Stand Up For ADD/ADHD Kid's Learning Rights
"Jan" <jdrew63929@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20041119012547.08198.00000970@mb-m04.aol.com..
> http://www.pal-item.com/apps/pbcs.d../NEWS03/4111403
> 35/1003
>
> Parents, stand up for ADD, ADHD kids' learning rights
Excellent resources for parents of special needs kids:
www.wrightslaw.com
I met Pete Wright a few years ago at a seminar for parents. I personally
recommend his books, and, more importantly, his strategies, in securing the
needs of the special child.
www.ldonline.org
A wealth of resources.
Disclaimer: I have no financial interest in these sites. My sole
remuneration will be knowing that a child is better off.
Now, back to this..
> I am writing this letter so that other parents don't have to go through
the
> same nightmare that I had to. If your child has Attention Deficit Disorder
or
> Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and attends elementary school,
good
> luck on trying to get help for them. All the school wants is to have your
child
> on medication and push them aside.
While no one ever dared to tell me that my son needed medication, one person
did have the nerve to suggest dietn, neurofeedback, etc. I filed a complaint
against their license, as would have done if they had suggested medication.
However, the writer is absolutely correct in that the parent has to fight,
year after year, to get the services first written into the IEP and then
actually implemented. Ink is cheap, implementation costs money. Schools do
not get a bounty for every child that is classified special ed.
> In my case I took their advice and put my child on medicine. While on
medicine,
> her grades actually went down but the school said she was doing better. My
> child was supposed to be going into the fourth grade in 2003. At the end
of
> third grade, we found out that she had a first-grade reading level. We
thought
> it would be best if we held her back a year. We found out that kids with
ADD or
> ADHD can get help through a program called the 504 Plan. The school never
told
> us about the plan or wouldn't help us.
That is why I posted the above links. Parents have got to know their child's
rights. Period. A 504 plan is OK, in some circumstances, but, offers less
due process protection than the plan under I.D.E.A. which is about to be
overhauled by the Bush administration.
> ADD and ADHD are considered disabilities.
They are not considered disabilities under I.D.E.A., but may be under a 504
plan. The distinction is that if the child has a learning disability outside
of AD/HD then they should definitely be under a IEP pursuant to I.D.E.A.
The school was punishing her by
> keeping her in for recess all the time for not getting her work finished
on
> time. They wanted to put the blame on the parents and make us out to be
the bad
> ones.
Sounds typical of many schools. We found that our district would find any
reason to excuse their behavior, or their staffs behavior, unless we
anticipated the excuses well in advance and made allowances for them.
> We finally had to get an attorney to get the school to abide by the 504
> guidelines. We spent thousands of dollars on tutors, testing and attorney
fees
> because the school failed to do its job. I thought that was why I paid
taxes.
> All the money was worth it, though, because I care.
Under IDEA, the fees, etc. would be reimbursed if litigation was necessary
to enforce the child's rights.
> Don't let this happen to your child. Stand up for your rights and your
child.
> Things should not have to go this far.
See the above links, join support groups, like CHADD, etc. and form a
Special education Parent Teacher Association (SEPTA) in your school or
district.
Jan, thanks for posting this off topic posts, and I hope it helps someone.
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