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Caring about a Diagnosis
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I was born into an exceptional family, raised by my mother who was deaf, a rubella baby, with a heart condition. I have been a teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing for 20 years in four different states.
I am also the co-founder of the Hands & Voices Military Project, we are part of a parent-driven, non-profit organization which provides un-biased support to families of children with hearing loss with about 42 chapters across the country, and we act liaisons, connecting…
…Military families to local H&V chapters. We have over 200 families on our facebook page, answering questions about Tricare and service providers across the country.
The Hands & Voices Military Project is partners with the Hands & Voices Advocacy, Training and Support Program (ASTra). ASTra is ready to support our military families in need of advocacy.
Jessica Strong, research analyst with Blue Star families, found research suggests EFMP families experience dissatisfaction with 40% of their child’s service providers. We deserve better.
Here is my family’s EFMP story.
It is a story about how a school district denied my son his rights to a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).
It is a story about how a school district denied my son his rights to a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).
Together my husband and I have two children. Our son Elijah is 7. Our daughter Emily is 5. Elijah is known to be gifted with a high IQ and is diagnosed with Autism Level 1 and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
The impact of COVID-19 is felt everyday in our home as a lack of structure is difficult for our son.
Like most parents, my husband and I assumed our son would be, well, you know, a “genius”. We doted over his first words, taught him Sign Language and encouraged all of his interests. As Elijah grew, he showed NO regression in language (instead he was precocious).
All of his medical check-ups were normal. We got stationed at the Naval Postgraduate School in Central California. Life was grand!
During the summer of 2018 my husband left California to attend Service School on the East Coast before reporting for duty at our new station in Alaska. We were having some difficulty in our marriage, separations aren’t easy.
I stayed behind with the children to offer them a consistent education for the 2018-2019 school year. This would be a challenging effort, but as we teach our children, “ We are Navy Strong.
There is nothing we can’t handle!” We rented a small cottage in one of “the best” school districts.
Shortly after Kindergarten began Elijah came home with “write ups”. I asked to come observe him and was denied. The school staff insisted Elijah was angry because his father was deployed.
When “write-ups” progressed to “referrals”, I requested a formal meeting, where I was told again my son was just “acting out”.
My concerns, which I shared verbally and in writing included many of the signs and symptoms of Autism; lack of eye contact, hyperlexia, toe walking, and preference for solitude. Do these concerns demonstrate a reasonable suspicion of a disability to you?
I disagreed with the school staff, requested that my disagreeing be documented and requested an Initial Assessment for Special Education, under California Child Find, Law.
After my request, I received silence. Having just become certified in the H&V ASTra program, I was aware of the school districts responsibilities to respond to my requests within a reasonable amount of time. No prior written notice. No formal evaluation.
No compliance with Special Ed law to offer my son an assessment.
The referrals kept coming, and I’d discovered the yard duty told my son “this is stay on your permanent record” I insisted on another meeting. Again, I was told my son was acting out due to our transient lifestyle in the military.
Finally, I turned to ours bases’s School Liaison Officer who suggested I seek referrals from our pediatrician for Autism. This was the first time anyone seemed to CARE that my son might have a disability. My world stopped, but I didn’t.
I followed through on every recommendation to get my son the help our doctors suggested.
Immediately, there became a clear dichotomy between what the medical community was telling me and how the school district responded. When I presented the school with Elijah’s ADHD and working Autism diagnosis, I was asked “when are you moving to Texas again”.
They ignored requests from our NueroPyschologist to start the IEP process BUT agreed to an OT evaluation.
So I waited.
So I waited.
After waiting 60 days, for OT evaluation which I hoped would qualify him and start the IEP process. They informed me they only observed him, during snack time and he did not qualified.
Time was up.
Time was up.
As I left town, I filed three state complaints. Knowing the laws allowed me a leg up in being able to at least make a difference for families of the future in that district.
The California State Department of Education found the school district, out of compliance on three complaints.
At one point I was told “you are just sensitive because you are a special education teacher of the Deaf”. Despite all my knowledge and efforts, this district refused to comply within the law in a timely manner. I needed more support, readily available. So do many other families.
-This was written for a speech delivered at the Congressional Military Family Caucus Summit in 2020.
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