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Peter Chin, Waldorf Class Teacher |
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Resource Questions
Sarasota resources can be found on the Educational Resources page. Where can I go to find out more about ADD and ADHD? Go to "links" in this website and click on the CHADD site. An excellent resource in Santa Barbara is the Dyslexia Awareness & Resource Center at 928 Carpinteria Street,Suite 2 Tel.No.963-7339 (Dir.Joan Esposito). Where can I find out more regarding sensory processing problems? Go to "links" in this website and click on the Sensory Resources site. If my child has a learning problem, can the local school district help? Yes, parents have a federally mandated right to request a learning disabilities evaluation for their child at the school district's expense. The most widely used model to test for a learning disability is the "discrepancy model." Your child will receive an educational evaluation, consisting of academic achievement testing, and a psychological evaluation, consisting of an IQ test. If a discrepancy exists between the results of the two evaluations, particularly if a child has a high IQ but performs poorly on the achievement tests, the child may have a learning disability. In California, the following three conditions must exist for a student to be eligible for special educational services due to a specific learning disability: 1. Discrepancy between Ability and Achievement 2. Psychological Processing Disorder 3. Need for Special Education (Even if the IEP Team agrees that your child has a disability under points 1 and 2, he doesn't automatically qualify for special educational services. The deficits must negatively affect his educational performance. Often, this part of the requirement is misunderstood by teachers, as well as by parents. References: California Education Code 56337 and California Code of Regulations 3030(j). If my child attends a private school, will I have to pay for these services? No, by law each school district is required to provide learning disabilities assessments for children who live within the district, even if they attend private school. How can I request a learning disabilities assessment? First, contact your local public school and speak to the Director of Special Education (ie. resource teacher) or principal. Tell him or her that you would like your child to be evaluated for a learning difference. Follow-up with a written request (keep a copy for your files) and send it via certified mail. Within 15 days after the letter is received, you should be sent an assessment plan. After you sign and return the plan, you and your child's teacher will be invited to confer with a resource team (ie. special ed.,educational psychologist,etc.) to determine if a formal assessment battery is necessary. If eligible,your child should be assessed and an IEP developed within 50 days. Parents must be invited to the IEP meeting for their child and given reasonable advance notice so that they can arrange to attend. Parents must approve the IEP in writing before it can be implemented. Services should then begin as soon as possible from the date of parent approval. The IEP must also be reviewed at least every 12 months. However, a parent or teacher can request another IEP meeting at any time. If the evaluation shows no learning disability, what can I do? You can reevaluate by asking the school for an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) or have your child evaluated independently at your expense. (See Clinics/Centers in answer #1) If the results still show no learning disability, your child will not be eligible for special education services through the public school. You may want to check into the general resources for academic/educational support at your school and/or seek out a private educational support tutor or learning specialist who can help your child. As a parent, why does my child need an assessment ? When a child is struggling in school an in-depth assessment helps teachers provide parents with individualized learning plans that can foster greater success in the classroom. An educational support teacher or specialist can help pinpoint a child's strengths and weaknesses in order to develop the best plan, which can be used by both parents and teachers. Can you suggest online resources for parents regarding learning differences? Yes, there are several websites listed in the links section of this site. I would highly recommend the "allkindsofminds" and "Schwablearning" sites. They are two of my personal favorites! What comprises a typical Vision Therapy Program? A local optometric group's vision therapy program consists of weekly sessions of eye exercises that enhance the binocular system and improve visual efficiency skills. Each week there is a forty-five minute in-office visit that includes practicing eye exercises and learning the new set of home exercises for that week. The vision therapy sessions usually last a minimum of six weeks and rarely more than 24 weeks. Vision Therapy kits may be necessary to enhance home activities. Fees are about $240 per 6 sessions. |
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