Disability Assessment

      This is a topic I can relate to as a teacher and a mother. My daughter has been undergoing a full battery of psychological evaluations. Just this afternoon, we meet with the doctors and were informed that she is a learning disability, as well as ADHD. For the past two years, we have been searching for answers as to why school is so difficult for her. Her teachers openly expressed concern for her lack of progress in the classroom. At first, the pediatrician dismissed our concerns, then the school district screened her and her IQ came back in the high average range and felt she was performing to her ability, therefore no further testing was needed. This is a frustrating roller coaster to be on...knowing something is amiss, but no one taking us seriously or addressing our concerns. I felt like she was slipping through the cracks before my very eyes! I knew in my heart, as an educator and mom, that there was a disconnect in her learning process. We finally had her privately tested and the results left me with mixed feelings of relief and sadness. The cost of private testing is astronomical! What would have happened to my daughter's educational experience if we had been unable to afford this service? 
     Okay, now to my assigned task...

     Determining whether a child should be screened or tested for a disability can sometimes be a slippery slope. Since I work with younger children it is often hard for parents to hear upsetting news for the first time. Knowing this, I try to collect as much data as possible before discussing my desire to take a child through the A-Team process. At the beginning of the year I make contact with each family through surveys and email or phone communication. This allows me to better understand a child through the parents' eyes. If I already see signs of academic or behavior issues, I alert the family members at this time. If the students declines or fails to make the expected progress I contact the parents when I begin to notice a gap in learning. During these conversations I offer suggestions on how to help the student at home. My class website has many links and activities for parents to try at home.  In addition, I explain to them the strategies I am trying in the classroom.  Informal and formal observations, progress monitoring, and detailed record keeping help me to address my concerns with the parents. The website AIMSweb is very helpful for parents, teachers, and administrators to see a student's current track of progress and the goal line of where we want them to be. (You do have to be a member to use this site- our district provides our memberships.) The data can be graphed, which makes a wonderful visual aid in a conference. I have found some helpful websites for accommodations, such as:
http://www.ldat.org/ld_info/accommodations.html
http://www.cpt.fsu.edu/ese/pdf/t3_list.pdf
 I am still a hard copy kind of girl, so I print out ideas and keep them in a folder.

     There are times when I feel extremely defeated (and defensive) when trying to have a student assessed for special needs. I feel like I have to go in front of the A-Team and fight for a child to, even, be screened. It baffles me that as a state we assess every student in second grade (and when funds are available in fourth and sixth grade) identify students for the Gifted and Talented program. Not only do students get those two weeks of testing, but if they partially qualify they are tested several more times to try and see if they can qualify. However, the system is so hesitant to test a child for a disability. I realize this is to protect the student, but I do not make the decision to proceed without substantial evidence. Of all the students I have recommended only two did not qualify for resource. Elementary teachers spend a great deal of time with students and with experience can identify problems. By the time we go to our first A-Team meeting, in most cases, I have the parents full support.  This is a topic I feel very passionate about...just ask my administrators!    
        It is very difficult to be on the other side of the table, not as a teacher but a mother. This experience has and will continue to make me more empathetic toward my student's families considering and going through this process. Hearing your child has any type of deficit is difficult, but this is not always a bad thing. As a teacher, I will continue to help each individual student grow and succeed, regardless of the challenges they face.  We have to find the strengths of students and build upon them. It is hard for me to address my passion as a weakness. With every passing year, I find myself becoming more and more of a student advocate. I will fight for what I believe is best for each student.