My granddaughter is starting kindergarten with diagnoses of ADHD, anxiety, SPD and speech issues since she was 3. My daughter has done a tremendous job with care, seeking neuropsychiatric assessments, as wells as OT and speech. The challenges of raising this bright, beautiful little girl have been many but now she has huge concerns about the transition from pre-school to a public Kindergarten. She is trying to get an IEP as well as some accomodations to ease the transition but the process is daunting. At every turn is seems there is little understanding of the needs of these children despite information and state mandates. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
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Grandk23sc
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It is so great that she'll be starting kindergarten already knowing her diagnoses and preparing the school to with with her. Are there specific parts of the process you are seeking suggestions for?
Thank you for your kind reply. My daughter has just started the process and Im not sure what questions there are yet. She has spoken to some parents from her school district who tell her to expect a battle and have recommended an educational advocate-which has just added to her anxiety about how the kindergarten experience will go. I'll post when I have more information! Thank you again 😀
My 7 year old son has ADHD and I was told by his school counselor to let the school year begin so the teacher and other staff, herself included, could identify what he needed and call me in for a meeting to create a 504 plan if needed. Their preference was to see how he did and pinpoint what he was having difficultly with. I was called in pretty quickly for a 504 plan meeting for accommodations to help him but also it’s when I realized how bad it was going for him in terms of being unable to complete any tasks or school work without being prompted continually. It’s when we decided to put him on medication and things started improving from there. He ended up having a wonderful year. What have they said so far? What exactly is their hold up or explanation of their processes with other neurodiverse children? She can’t be the first one they’ve enrolled. I think a good person to speak to is the school counselor for her age group/year. They should have some experience with neurodivergence and be able to help or advise you on how they handle these processes at their school. If not, I’d be looking for a different school. I hope things go well for her and she has a positive experience this year. Keep us updated
we were very fortunate that we were advised that the school district could be involved as early as when our daughter was 3. So when she was 3 1/2 she was evaluated by the school district. It was a battle for a bit. Because of her medicine they didn’t see any problems, so I didn’t give her, her medicine for 1 day of the evaluation and it was very evident that she needed accommodations, just in case her medication wasn’t working or she had a growth spurt, or anything like that. Advocate, advocate, advocate. It is not the child’s fault that they have these problems, but it is the school’s responsibility to provide them with resources and an education despite the issues. We did find that because we were addressing every aspect with OT, therapy, parenting modification, etc, it made it an easier choice for the school district to accommodate her. She is now 7, still has her IEP for behavioral issues, but they want to test her for gifted. So keep fighting. They are worth it.
Thank you for sharing your struggles. I believe we have just begun the battle but my daughter has overcome many obstacles in her life and she is up for a fight. I think her thoughts are that she does not want to appear adversarial to a school system that has control of her daughters fate. There also seems to be some-how do I say it-bias?...that kids can just get over it when they have anxiety along with SPD and ADHD and it does not affect academics. For me its all linked and I don't understand the schools stance.
I know this all too well, make sure she goes in armed with all her information. Schools now days are much more understanding than when we were kids, as it was a brand new thing at that time. Have her bring any records from the preschool, therapists and doctors that show the struggles the child has. Also, our evaluation was a multi day, so the first day she was on her medication and then I purposefully did not give it to her the 2nd day. That way they know how it can be if there is an issue. We are going into 2nd grade and she has only had a few issues since pre-k but without the accommodations should would have been suspended at least twice over the years. At this time, they call me to get her if it escalates to that point, or she is allowed to go to a safe cool down space for her at the school. She doesn’t need to go in demanding, but have the evidence that the accommodations are needed. If she is prepared for any and all questions with documentation, then hopefully it will be a smooth process. And let your daughter know, breathe, she is her child’s best hope, never give up.
Having all the diagnosis in writing will help. My son just started Kindergarten, but we knew he needed an IEP bc of preschool issues. We started the process last November. It is a waiting game, but the county will guide you through it. I think if you have private evaluations it is faster, but expensive.
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