But it took 3 years of begging, and one very carefully worded letter. I took wording right out of the ADA and IDEA laws and codes, and put them into a letter that told them basically that I knew my son's rights, and that if there was 'substantial evidence' that there might be a problem, they had to test. There was still the formality of a committe meeting, but just as they were saying "No way" before the letter, they were saying "When would it be convenient for you to come sign authorization, Mrs. R?" What a victory! And we get the results on Friday. I'd be happy to send you a copy of the letter that got it done. If that doesn't work, then an advocate or a lawyer. But try being firm, and even bossy if you have to! Good luck! Suz

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Get an advocate. I am in the process of trying to 'help' my 9th grader thru the school year. School is not important to him. He doesn't understand why he needs some of the courses he has to take. Like English, History, math...well, you get the idea. Anyway, my step-mom is helping by advocating (she was a teacher at a school for kids on their way out of the system because of various difficulties in regular school. Not handicapped, just difficult). Anyway, she knows of things I would never even have considered and I've read varied books, articles, forums, whatnot for many years with two ADD/ADHD sons. Anyway, an advocate can tell you what is available, what you truly need as helps, and can see that the school system puts them on paper and makes the necessary accomodations. And sometimes you can get an IEP, not a 504. Just because a child tests high on tests, doesn't mean he can do the work. A good advocate can explain further. If they are having an issue with what is being taught and not understanding it..... Maybe not the 1st time, but at some point. As my step-mom keeps saying, the parents actually have all the power. It's just getting the teachers, school administrators and psychologists to understand your child isn't a problem, but that there are challenges that need to be reviewed and that your child needs assistance with some parts of his learning. Maybe a scribe because his hands get tired taking notes, or he holds his writing utensils so tight and low to the point that he is straining his hand/wrist/arm writing and gets writers cramp really fast. Scribe will solve that. Or maybe he needs to be in the front row of the classroom (or the closest possible position to where the teacher is always at when actually teaching/talking to/with the class) to keep distractions to a lower level. Kids used to help each other out when they were struggling, it's not allowed today so much. So teachers are stressed, administrators are overstressed because there are too many children in these schools and not enough people to 'mentor' (I believe we choose our mentors, not have them assigned). My school has 2 guidance counselors for 600 students. Tell you anything. They don't care, don't understand what they are supposed to be dealing with and actually don't want to either because the kid moves on and will become someone else's challenge. Good luck.

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After 3 years of fighting for my son who has ADD and anxiety issues, I finally succeeded and he got his IEP! He is very bright., maybe in the gifted range like his two sisters, but his ADD is so significant that the score wouldn't be accurate, so we didn't test. He always had average grades in advanced classes, but they were achieved on medication. Unfortunately, he is so sensitive to all available meds, including off label Provigil, that he was unable to take them for long. We were turned down for testing in 6th grade. His anxiety worsened with each passing week. We had him privately tested in 8th and were ready to try again, but knew his testing wouldn't be enough. At the 6th grade meeting we had been told that even if he had issues his grades in advanced classes would keep him from getting the IEP. This time I knew what needed to be done to get his IEP before entering high school--I took him off all meds and watched his grades plummet in the third quarter of eighth grade, five weeks prior to the IEP meeting. It was the most painful thing I had ever witnessed. Although we told him just to do what he could and not worry about it, his anxiety increased to the point that he ended up in the nurses office at least twice a week with full blown panic attacks. Twice he was sent home because he was inconsolable. By this point in the school year, the teachers had seen what he was capable of and witnessed his weight loss because of medication. Watching this bright kid fall apart, they were in my corner this time and he got his IEP 8 weeks before entering high school. That was 4 years ago and, while things haven't been perfect, I don't know how my son would have made it to his Senior year without his IEP.

Now the problem--My son's journey hasn't been easy, but he has generally been successful. He stayed in honors classes, but as the weighting of tests increased, his grades have dropped each year. He has three times attempted AP classes and had to drop because his anxiety was so great that he froze on tests. On four occasions his grade earned all semester long dropped a letter grade when he froze on the final. He has never received a D in high school (at the semester end, anyway) until the first semester of Senior year when he had a C for 20 weeks and dropped to a D when he froze on a two hour final. Does anyone have any experience or ideas about how to get the final weighted differently? He has extended time, but that doesn't help when he is in the throes of a panic attack. His teachers understand the problem, but their hands are tied. With only one semester remaining, he is in danger of losing his college acceptances and scholarship offers. To give you an idea of what he is capable of, he got a 26 the first time he took the ACT and a 27 the second. He wasn't pressured because he knew he could take the test as many times as necessary.

Thanks for taking the time!.

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