- Where can I go to find out more about ADD and ADHD?
- Where can I find out more regarding sensory processing problems?
- If my child has a learning problem, can the local school district help?
- If my child attends a private school, will I have to pay for these services?
- How can I request a learning disabilities assessment?
- If the evaluation shows no learning disability, what can I do?
- As a parent, why does my child need an assessment ?
- Can you suggest online resources for parents regarding learning differences?
- What comprises a typical Vision Therapy Program?
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
disabilitiesassessments 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 wouldlike 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 assessmentplan. 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
"healingeducation" 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.
