Speech Therapy (for the record, nothing new)
Friday, November 12, 2010 by Amy
Nothing new, don't get all excited! If I update about it on Facebook, or speak to family about things, I never see the benefit in blogging about it. Or, sometimes I update of Facebook and just forget to blog about it. But blogging is an online record, I need to post things here. I always come to blogger to search posts if I can't remember when something happened, or how precisely it happened. I realize that I never blogged about the speech therapist stuff, which is mighty important, I think.
So, after speaking to Riley, the speech therapist at her school decided that Riley will not qualify for speech services for her r's until she is eight!! She then asked me about my insurance, told me approximately how much private speech services cost, and told me that she was going to moonlight as a private speech therapist in January, at such-and-such place, with such-and-such hours. She states emphatically, at least a dozen times that "Riley needs speech therapy...Riley would really benefit from therapy...She is very advanced in language and she needs speech therapy to raise her speech to the same level as her language abilities...etc." She also told me that I couldn't do anything at home to help Riley. I left scratching my head. And very, very, very angry.
I'll be damned if Riley is waiting until she is eight to get the speech services that she needs!
I left some messages for educational advocate groups, but decided that I should probably speak the the principal first and give her a change to do the right thing. She is new to the school this year and seems very involved and knowledgeable about what is going on at the school. I had gotten a good vibe from her, so I didn't want to go the advocate route without giving her a go.
So, I wait in the principal's office for her to be available, first thing after school started. She finally is ready for me, and introduces herself and I say my name, and she says "Yes, Riley in Miss Foster's class. I know her." I told her what the speech therapist said, and the principal is looking a little puzzled and says that the speech therapist didn't even do a formal evaluation. She then says that Riley is probably on the borderline between qualifying and not qualifying for special education services, and being eight with her current speech issues would qualify her. However, she said that they have an intervention program that tries to keep children from needing special education services down the road. Now, I certainly don't think that Riley has a special-education caliber speech problem right now. BUT, if it is not taken care of now, I firmly believe that it will be a permanent speech problem by the time she's eight. The principal seemed baffled, but retained a professional front, that the speech therapist would not offer intervention services, and make a decision to deny services without actually performing an evaluation.
The principal also stated that Riley seems embarrassed by her speech issues. She said that she had been in Miss Foster's class and Riley refused to speak to her. I said that this is very true, that the kids in her class have noticed her speech problems, and that Riley is embarrassed to the point of tears. The principle wanted to make absolute sure that no one was teasing her, and I said that Riley has told me that none of her classmates tease her. The principal proposed that Riley be taken from the class twice a week for speech therapy. The intervention team at the school meets right before Thanksgiving break (which is coming up soon) to go over progress on existing cases and take on new cases. So, we should know pretty soon what is to be done about Riley. This principle seems to be on the ball, so we'll see!
And apparently, because of all this, the speech therapist does not like me. There have been several times in the hallway, just the two of us, that she walks by and refuses to look at me. You can always tell when someone is intentionally not looking at you :) Today, we were both coming around the corner in opposite directions and she accidentally looked at me and looked away really quick. Ugh, just do your job, woman, and I wouldn't have to go to the principal! I seriously have never seen her with a kid, always see her roaming the halls, walking to the teachers' lounge, or chatting with some other staff member outside the lounge. I never see her working, and I'm at the school a lot!
Gah, I just realized that I spelled "principal" as "principle" throughout this whole post. Doh. Now to go back and edit. My grammar and spelling is slipping...
I wasn't sure if I was going to include this thought, but decided to, because it's my freakin' blog and I can do what I want. This is not the first time that someone has tried to deny us something that is by right ours, or take advantage of me, or whatnot. I have to say that they look at me and assume that we don't have money, aren't of a particular status, or are uneducated. Yes, I have messed up teeth, I wear clothes that are older than my children, and don't wear make-up or fix my hair all spiffy-like, but don't cross me or you'll regret it! I am very educated. I have an English degree and can write a letter that I guarantee will make you lose your job if I so choose. I also have a paralegal education that ensures that I know how to research the law, where to look, and the intelligence to understand legal language. I can guarantee that if two mothers came to the speech therapist asking for identical services, one of them being me, and the other being a professional mother in high heels, a Coach handbag, creases in her slacks, make-up on, and a designer hairdo, one would be denied services and the other would be offered services on a silver platter. She thought I wouldn't put up a fight, and she could avoid seeing one more kid for speech services. She didn't think that I'd go the principal, didn't think that I knew Riley's educational rights, didn't think I had the resources to cause trouble. We'll she's wrong, and got herself tangled up with the wrong person. So, if she hates me, and I'm sure she does, then I consider that a job well done!
So, after speaking to Riley, the speech therapist at her school decided that Riley will not qualify for speech services for her r's until she is eight!! She then asked me about my insurance, told me approximately how much private speech services cost, and told me that she was going to moonlight as a private speech therapist in January, at such-and-such place, with such-and-such hours. She states emphatically, at least a dozen times that "Riley needs speech therapy...Riley would really benefit from therapy...She is very advanced in language and she needs speech therapy to raise her speech to the same level as her language abilities...etc." She also told me that I couldn't do anything at home to help Riley. I left scratching my head. And very, very, very angry.
I'll be damned if Riley is waiting until she is eight to get the speech services that she needs!
I left some messages for educational advocate groups, but decided that I should probably speak the the principal first and give her a change to do the right thing. She is new to the school this year and seems very involved and knowledgeable about what is going on at the school. I had gotten a good vibe from her, so I didn't want to go the advocate route without giving her a go.
So, I wait in the principal's office for her to be available, first thing after school started. She finally is ready for me, and introduces herself and I say my name, and she says "Yes, Riley in Miss Foster's class. I know her." I told her what the speech therapist said, and the principal is looking a little puzzled and says that the speech therapist didn't even do a formal evaluation. She then says that Riley is probably on the borderline between qualifying and not qualifying for special education services, and being eight with her current speech issues would qualify her. However, she said that they have an intervention program that tries to keep children from needing special education services down the road. Now, I certainly don't think that Riley has a special-education caliber speech problem right now. BUT, if it is not taken care of now, I firmly believe that it will be a permanent speech problem by the time she's eight. The principal seemed baffled, but retained a professional front, that the speech therapist would not offer intervention services, and make a decision to deny services without actually performing an evaluation.
The principal also stated that Riley seems embarrassed by her speech issues. She said that she had been in Miss Foster's class and Riley refused to speak to her. I said that this is very true, that the kids in her class have noticed her speech problems, and that Riley is embarrassed to the point of tears. The principle wanted to make absolute sure that no one was teasing her, and I said that Riley has told me that none of her classmates tease her. The principal proposed that Riley be taken from the class twice a week for speech therapy. The intervention team at the school meets right before Thanksgiving break (which is coming up soon) to go over progress on existing cases and take on new cases. So, we should know pretty soon what is to be done about Riley. This principle seems to be on the ball, so we'll see!
And apparently, because of all this, the speech therapist does not like me. There have been several times in the hallway, just the two of us, that she walks by and refuses to look at me. You can always tell when someone is intentionally not looking at you :) Today, we were both coming around the corner in opposite directions and she accidentally looked at me and looked away really quick. Ugh, just do your job, woman, and I wouldn't have to go to the principal! I seriously have never seen her with a kid, always see her roaming the halls, walking to the teachers' lounge, or chatting with some other staff member outside the lounge. I never see her working, and I'm at the school a lot!
Gah, I just realized that I spelled "principal" as "principle" throughout this whole post. Doh. Now to go back and edit. My grammar and spelling is slipping...
I wasn't sure if I was going to include this thought, but decided to, because it's my freakin' blog and I can do what I want. This is not the first time that someone has tried to deny us something that is by right ours, or take advantage of me, or whatnot. I have to say that they look at me and assume that we don't have money, aren't of a particular status, or are uneducated. Yes, I have messed up teeth, I wear clothes that are older than my children, and don't wear make-up or fix my hair all spiffy-like, but don't cross me or you'll regret it! I am very educated. I have an English degree and can write a letter that I guarantee will make you lose your job if I so choose. I also have a paralegal education that ensures that I know how to research the law, where to look, and the intelligence to understand legal language. I can guarantee that if two mothers came to the speech therapist asking for identical services, one of them being me, and the other being a professional mother in high heels, a Coach handbag, creases in her slacks, make-up on, and a designer hairdo, one would be denied services and the other would be offered services on a silver platter. She thought I wouldn't put up a fight, and she could avoid seeing one more kid for speech services. She didn't think that I'd go the principal, didn't think that I knew Riley's educational rights, didn't think I had the resources to cause trouble. We'll she's wrong, and got herself tangled up with the wrong person. So, if she hates me, and I'm sure she does, then I consider that a job well done!
