Tests

Well, I survived the IEP. Liberty has a good plan in place and I am content with the method of teaching they are using. Never mind that I found out Liberty's teacher is pregnant and won't be back next year. *Sigh*

What floored me during the meeting is the fact that, had my sister not been there with me, these folks would have given my son an IQ test without my knowing about it.

That's right.

Someone shoved a piece of paper underneath my hand to sign and my sister quickly took it out of my hands and said, "Do you know what this is? This is permission to give Liberty tests and apparently they are starting today without your prior permission." They did not even tell me ahead of time. I think that is against the law, actually. Don't get me wrong, my sister was not a total witch at the meeting or anything. She just knows what she is doing and she can see bullshit coming a mile away. She worked in the field of learning disabilities for 30 years. She is a speech therapist and administrator. She has sat on both sides of the table.

And, she is invaluable to me. I am very much indebted to her help and guidance through this confusing labyrinth called "special education."

There is an IQ test called a Wechsler (Wexler). To give it to my non-verbal son is ludicrous. They argued, saying that it was just a number no one would take seriously. I told them that if a number was given to Liberty, which would be very low, I don't care what they say, anyone who had any kind of contact with my son from that point on would see that low IQ and in turn lower their expectations of what my son can do. I know my son is not mentally retarded. I know he is a smart child. But, you cannot give a one-size-fits-all test to my son. So, my sister hashed out with the folks in the meeting what tests she thought were appropriate and they finally all agreed, and there were about three, I think.

Like all special needs children, Liberty has to be re-evaluated before age six because the State of Florida says he cannot be labeled "developmentally delayed" any longer. It has to be ASD or language delayed.

We will be called back for the results of the tests (oh joy) in May by the school psychologist. It occurred to me that Liberty might have to go to another school. Gee, all of a sudden, it seems his future hangs in a balance. Oh well, I will just spend the time in between visualizing him in the best possible place for him to be.

My sister told me she will be with me at all future meetings because I almost had the wool pulled over my eyes by this school that I trusted. It was very disconcerting to me. I asked her if she thought I needed to change school districts, but where we are, the ratio of teacher to student is really low, so I think he is still in a good place. I just knew that when I was advised to send my child to school at age 3, that even though the structure has been good for him and all of that, I felt that the system had a hold of my boy then. And, it's so true. Is it not enough that we have so much on our plates already trying to help our children, that we have to protect him from falling through the cracks at school and be constantly vigilant lest his care being mishandled? The liaison who was conducting the meeting gave me the standard pat assurance: "We care deeply for our children in this county." I felt like saying, "What does that have to do with the fact that you did not tell me you were starting to test my boy TODAY and give him an IQ test that I nor his father had approved?"

My sister and I both said, "He will have no Wecshler IQ test. Period."

Anyway, we are waiting to hear if we got into autism camp this summer. We are number 5 on the waiting list. The camp was recognized nationally last year. There are now so many children who qualify to go but only so many slots. This area is full of parents now who are "coming out" of the closet so to speak with their biomedical treatments! I will be posting more on this exciting development later.

In the meantime, if your child is in preschool or about to turn six, keep your eyes open for the kind of testing your child will be receiving. Ask the school administrators for a list. They tried to tell me and my sister that it wasn't important, that I didn't need to know! My sister actually had to say, "Oh no, that is not true. You are required to reveal the tests being given."

You know we did not go into that meeting hostile or to be bitchy or anything. The speech therapist at the table actually raised her voice so loud, it was nauseating to me. We were simply advocates for my child. My sister even praised them for the good things that they had all done for my son this year. But, their approach to testing, was dead wrong and illegal. I guess smaller counties can get away with it as long as they don't have watchdogs like my Big Sis around.

So, Bottom Line: Don't let them test your child without your permission!