Speech Therapy Redux (for the record)
Monday, March 14, 2011 by Amy
Since Blogger has been the place I record everything, and refer to whenever I want to know if something happened, how many times it happened, or when it first happened, I am going to record this here. Most already know it, but well...
After requesting a formal evaluation on October 28th, I hadn't heard back from the school. So, last week, I left a message for the principal to call me regarding it. She called the next day and told me that after we spoke in October, the speech therapist (Ms. Kiki) went and observed Riley in class and determined that she wouldn't qualify for services. I asked for a formal evaluation, not a class observation! The principal told me that she would go back down and talk to Ms. Kiki again. Ms. Kiki again did an in-class observation of Riley. This is not what I wanted.
So I wrote a letter to the director of Special Education (who is not titled that, but I forget what her title actually is, so we'll just call her that) and stated that the letter was a request for a formal evaluation for speech therapy for Riley. I said that I asked for a formal evaluation in October and it hasn't been performed (by law they have 15 days to present an evaluation plan to the parent, then 60 days to actually perform the evaluation). I then stated that I wanted a speech therapist other than Ms. Kiki to perform the evaluation because of what she said to me before (about her moonlighting and wanting me to pay her for services, etc.). I then asked that all correspondence be conducted in writing, and CCed the principal.
That afternoon, I hand-delivered a copy of the letter to the principal. She called me not 20 minutes later (as I'm grocery shopping LOL). She thanked me for giving her a copy of the letter and applauded me for advocating for my child. She said that she must have misunderstood that I was asking for a formal evaluation, and that she is very sorry and feels like she dropped the ball. I guess maybe it could have been a misunderstanding, I don't know, but anyway...She explained how speech therapy works, and expressed frustration over the kids who don't qualify but still need services. I told her that it was very frustrating that if Riley were not doing well in school, she'd already be receiving services by now. If she weren't reading 4th grade+ books, she'd qualify. That she is being punished for being smart. She agreed wholeheartedly. I also said that it's very frustrating, being her mother, that I know she is not going to outgrow this speech problem, but that I still have to jump through hoops set by a school system that has only known her for 6 months, whereas I have been listening to her for 7 years. Plus, Avery has the same speech problems. Argh.
Then, we get into the part about Ms. Kiki. The principal said that as soon as she read the letter, she took it down to Ms. Kiki who said that I must have misunderstood, that she was saying that if I want services, I would have to pay for them. I told the principal that there is no way that it was a misunderstanding, as Ms. Kikki said over and over again that Riley needs services and that she would really benefit from services, and told me that she would be moonlighting at such-and-such place, and asked me about my insurance. The principal said that her blood was boiling hearing me say that because it is not okay for Ms. Kiki to do that, that it is against policies, etc. So I told her that I don't feel comfortable having Ms. Kiki perform the evaluation, and the principal said absolutely not, she would get another speech therapist in to evaluate Riley.
So, I think the ball is rolling...
As I was going through all this, I also realize that r's aren't Riley's only problem. She usually says "ch" instead of "t." I really started noticing this the more she writes. She will spell "track" as "chrack." Her th's aren't strong either. She can say them, so it's not like her r's, but the two together really make her stumble. Like, "thirty" and "forty" sound identical, so it messes up her counting.
I just went into school today to sign the paperwork that will get the evaluation going. The principal told me that the eval will be done within 45 school days. I really do like the principal. I just don't like the speech therapist. I should have spoken up about what Ms. Kiki said to me much much sooner. I tend to go with the flow a little too much. Ah, well, life's a learning adventure!
After requesting a formal evaluation on October 28th, I hadn't heard back from the school. So, last week, I left a message for the principal to call me regarding it. She called the next day and told me that after we spoke in October, the speech therapist (Ms. Kiki) went and observed Riley in class and determined that she wouldn't qualify for services. I asked for a formal evaluation, not a class observation! The principal told me that she would go back down and talk to Ms. Kiki again. Ms. Kiki again did an in-class observation of Riley. This is not what I wanted.
So I wrote a letter to the director of Special Education (who is not titled that, but I forget what her title actually is, so we'll just call her that) and stated that the letter was a request for a formal evaluation for speech therapy for Riley. I said that I asked for a formal evaluation in October and it hasn't been performed (by law they have 15 days to present an evaluation plan to the parent, then 60 days to actually perform the evaluation). I then stated that I wanted a speech therapist other than Ms. Kiki to perform the evaluation because of what she said to me before (about her moonlighting and wanting me to pay her for services, etc.). I then asked that all correspondence be conducted in writing, and CCed the principal.
That afternoon, I hand-delivered a copy of the letter to the principal. She called me not 20 minutes later (as I'm grocery shopping LOL). She thanked me for giving her a copy of the letter and applauded me for advocating for my child. She said that she must have misunderstood that I was asking for a formal evaluation, and that she is very sorry and feels like she dropped the ball. I guess maybe it could have been a misunderstanding, I don't know, but anyway...She explained how speech therapy works, and expressed frustration over the kids who don't qualify but still need services. I told her that it was very frustrating that if Riley were not doing well in school, she'd already be receiving services by now. If she weren't reading 4th grade+ books, she'd qualify. That she is being punished for being smart. She agreed wholeheartedly. I also said that it's very frustrating, being her mother, that I know she is not going to outgrow this speech problem, but that I still have to jump through hoops set by a school system that has only known her for 6 months, whereas I have been listening to her for 7 years. Plus, Avery has the same speech problems. Argh.
Then, we get into the part about Ms. Kiki. The principal said that as soon as she read the letter, she took it down to Ms. Kiki who said that I must have misunderstood, that she was saying that if I want services, I would have to pay for them. I told the principal that there is no way that it was a misunderstanding, as Ms. Kikki said over and over again that Riley needs services and that she would really benefit from services, and told me that she would be moonlighting at such-and-such place, and asked me about my insurance. The principal said that her blood was boiling hearing me say that because it is not okay for Ms. Kiki to do that, that it is against policies, etc. So I told her that I don't feel comfortable having Ms. Kiki perform the evaluation, and the principal said absolutely not, she would get another speech therapist in to evaluate Riley.
So, I think the ball is rolling...
As I was going through all this, I also realize that r's aren't Riley's only problem. She usually says "ch" instead of "t." I really started noticing this the more she writes. She will spell "track" as "chrack." Her th's aren't strong either. She can say them, so it's not like her r's, but the two together really make her stumble. Like, "thirty" and "forty" sound identical, so it messes up her counting.
I just went into school today to sign the paperwork that will get the evaluation going. The principal told me that the eval will be done within 45 school days. I really do like the principal. I just don't like the speech therapist. I should have spoken up about what Ms. Kiki said to me much much sooner. I tend to go with the flow a little too much. Ah, well, life's a learning adventure!
