Child Study Team Meeting

it sounds like your going to have an IEP meeting and if that is the case I would suggest that you go in with your eyes open and remember that know one knows your little girl like you! they may try and tell you what's best for you daughter DON"T SIGN ANYTHING YOU DON'T AGREE WITH!!!!! I work in a high school ESE department and you would really be suprized at how many parents put there kids in a self-contained ESE class and the child has been there ever since because thats what there elem. teachers and staff thought was best if there is nothing wrong with your daughters ability to learn then leave her in a regular class room and see that she gets a few accomidations for her emotional issues

A.,

I also have a 6 year old son. Although he doesn't have the exact same issues as your daughter, we also struggled last year in kindergarten.

My advice is to be prepared to ask for whatever support your child is going to need and be willing to give any and all support from home.

In my experience, having the right teachers and principle makes all of the difference in the world. Last year my son's teacher and principle didn't really want to go out of their way to help him, they just wanted him to repeat kindergarten. This year (same school) with a new principle and new teachers, my son is doing great (he still struggles academically). We have open communication between me and the school and they really want to see him succeed.

I would say go into your meeting with all intentions of standing up for your child. Be prepared with any doctor's data or prior school testing info. We, as parents, are the only people that can truly stand up for what our child's needs are and that is just what we have to do.

I wish you good luck and I hope this helps.

A.

We have been there done that to. My son is 8 and had the same thing make sure that she has both of them. My son was just over medicated. He's only on one know. Take all that you think you need to take with you and if you have questions write them down it can be overwhelming in these type of meetings and make sure the school has her best interest at heart. Good luck!

These meetings are typically to make sure the child has what they need to do their best and that the school has the family's cooperation with regard to any special needs. If there is a Social Worker that will be seeing your daughter at school then she/he would be your ally, ask for her number and maintain contact. Bringing a copy of your daughter's tx plan would be helpful. It not only shows you are proactive, but it will help keep everyone accountable. I wish you the best! These situations can sound intimidating, but it's really in the child's best interest. When you feel yourself getting nervous try to take some slow deep breaths, it will help.

Make sure you get as much info as you can on what will be discussed, what options may be proposed, and what is best for your daughter. I finished school last year for early education and this is something we discussed with a panel of parents, teachers, and others. One of the main things they said can go wrong is that the teachers, doctors, and parents, do not always have good information on what is being planned, and sometimes the parents are not well informed, feel intimidated, or don't think they have much say in the matter.

Try to find out ahead of time from the teacher or principle or someone who will be at the meeting, about what kind of proposals may be suggested. Do your homework and try to find out anything you can about you daughter's conditions, her typical behaviors and what options you feel are most important in accommodating her needs and bringing out her strengths. Ask any questions you can think of that seem important, and ask for clarification on anything you are not clear on.

They are there to help (those in the meeting) but they can seem intimidating, and they don't always keep everyone else's views in mind. Just make sure you speak up for your daughter. Even if you're nervous, or don't think they will listen, say whatever you need to, and make sure they listen to you and answer all of your questions. This is your daughter and if it's an IEP meeting it will likely have a big influence on what will happen in her life and education for at least the next several months when you have another IEP meeting, so you're going to want to make sure they get things right.

I hope that is helpful and not to wordy.

V.

The schools deal with this all the time, they are on your side and are part of the team that will help your daughter get her education on track and make sure it stays on track. Its great that there is support and a school program that can be customized for children for special needs. The previous stressful experience with the old school might have been their way of pressuring you to get her for evaluated for ADHD - I was told that teachers are not allowed to tell the parent 'your child has ADHD' so they keep calling parents to complain and stressing them until the parents figure it out.