*No names of Child is used, name of school is not used, to protect privacy. I will at times insert a MADE-UP STUDENT NAME & I could possibly MAKE UP A SCHOOL NAME in order to write what is really happening out there 'in the trenches' of Special Ed Advocacy and what many parents are really going thru 'out there' for the sake of EDUCATING OUR CHILDREN.

My blog today is in response to a mom in an email she told me the school says her daughter HAS TO BE EVALUATED in order to see what services she would qualify for and in order for her to get an aide in Kindergarten!

Will she be attending the same school you are working at?...isn't that the school that has the cluster with 'all those kids'?? The school better not even TRY to think for a millisecond that they are going to try to get your little girl into anything other than "REGULAR" KINDERGARTEN...don't worry that she has to be 'tested all over the place or IQ'd' in order to go INTO KINDERGARTEN or to have the support of an AIDE!! NOT TRUE....and hey...what's the WORST that could happen IF she went INTO Kindergarten WITHOUT an aide...'they would GET ONE EVEN QUICKER' and the bottom line is they are responsible for keeping ALL of their LITTLE students SAFE! Don't you worry...do not set a date for anything BUT an IEP to determine ESY for this summer....and unless she needs her ANNUAL IEP to update for her year while IN Kindergarten, that is when you would request an INTERIM! That is thee only reason you would need an IEP...UNLESS she has not had something done in 3 years since the original EVALUATION...which I do not believe it's been 3 years since her original evaluation, she's just 4 turning 5 soon isn't she??...and just deny them to IQ test her no matter what up until almost the day before she turns 6 years old...ok not exactly 6 years old but at 5 years 9-10 months old PERIOD! This is MY suggestion anyway...other than that always get your IEP updated at an INTERIM IEP to make 'adjustments' to something that you have a concern about...that's it in a nutshell...if she is 5 years old before September 1st and unless she has a really significant disability..and I really don't believe that her having DOWN SYNDROME is a significant disabilitiy..it's actually one of the more 'common' ones...it is NOT a reason to deny her access to GENERAL EDUCATION CLASSROOMS with Supports and Services she will need to be successful in her Gen.Ed class!

Good luck and let me know how things go and if you need me to attend the next IEP meeting with you...you know "YOUR GIRL IS MY GIRL when it comes to getting her all the help she needs at school to help her!

This is going on THIS WEEK for this mom and her trying to do what's best for her little sweetie!