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So, I applied for adoption subsidy back in January of this year for the Queen. Actually, I had to appeal because she didn't qualify at adoption. I tried to apply with CPS last October but CPS failed to inform me they couldn't read the fax. Getting them on the phone to confirm anything was impossible. In January I finally got them on the phone to hear that they need me to mail a letter from the doctor. The letter was emailed in October but WHATEVER! I sent the letter certified to the CPS person. I followed up. She said she received the paperwork & would send it out ASAP. I followed up in February. "Yes Mam! I sent your paperwork out in January." We have run out of insurance & the Queen can no longer get O.T. unless I pay cash. Meanwhile, behavior is off the charts. My daughter is slamming into walls, tossing chairs, & running around school in circles with BAD BEHAVIOR!. The teacher now believes she has ADHD but I can't afford to get her tested because insurance doesn't cover that either. So, I contacted my Congressman last week for help. They called back within 24 hours and are trying to expedite the adoption subsidy. Guess what, I just got off the phone with CPS and "we haven't mailed your packet into the state yet." :hissy: :hissy: :hissy: Are you flippin kidding me? There is one more piece of paper I need to sign & "oops we forgot to send it to you"! I am so mad. My daughter needs help now. It will take up to a year to get help from the state once they receive the paperwork. We can't wait another year. Suggestions?
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Thank you all for your feedback & support. From what I can tell my Congressman looks to be my saving grace here. His office contacted me today with an update & I am cautiously optimistic. We hope to know more by the end of the week. As for the school district part of this, the Queen was evaluated 2 years ago (age 3) & was turned down. The behavior was off the charts at that time but the school Psych said, "This problem is easily solved . . . all you need is Super Nanny." :grr: Since then we have moved around to a couple of school type settings. We have had problems with too many kids, too much noise, and teacher couldn't handle her. We have been at an in-home Preschool for a year now but was kicked out for a day last week for behavior issues. This teacher does think she has ADHD. We are leaving this Preschool because the teacher can't handle her now. We have found an in-home Montessori school that we start soon. I have been told by several people that we live in a school district that makes it very hard for children to get services thru the school. Would it be worth it to call the school district & have them evaluate the Queen again since it has been 2 years? I just don't quite understand the school district stuff & still have a bad taste after our experience last time with them.
At 5 she qualifies for an IEP in the public schools. I would talk with the school district, enroll her in public kindergarten and request a full evaluation. They are required to perform these evals and she would then receive the additional help she needs. I would get my congressman on board and have his office help with this, especially if the school district balks at all. Skip all the moving around in private/in home school settings. That isn't what is going to benefit her in the long run, imo. Public kindergarten classes are held in the elementary schools (anyway they are in my area) and have specialized resource rooms where she can receive the one-on-one attention and help that she needs. Good luck.
Hey, in my state, children as young as 3yrs old are elligible for an eval and IEP. Younger kiddos can have an IFSP...often through Early Intervention; but, my own child has had an IEP just a few weeks after she turned 3yrs old. I can't recall how old the Queen is, but if she's younger, she can probably have an IEP...... HTH... Sincerely, Linny
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i believe it's federal law that kids be included in school district evals at the age of 3. you now have history of OT. that would suggest that you have had an eval of some sort in the past. access that paperwork and use it with the district. if the former OT and any other therapy-related folks would be willing to write you a narrative, have them do it. contact your school district's SPED dept. tell them your story. request an eval. 2 yrs is plenty of time. the evals are expensive--that's why they resist so much. she's now old enough to qualify through the Child Find program for kindergarden. make sure you request it all in writing and send it certified or signed receipt with return to you. was she evaluated by ECI? if so, they'll send their records on to the public arena. and if all else fails, you might need to use a magic word: attorney. sometimes you can get a lot of attention very quickly with that particular word. smile when you say it! school districts are afraid of lawsuits. they are also afraid of being tagged with the citation of over identification of special needs students. they need to be more afraid of not serving truly need-ful kids. they might try to tell you they don't have the services that the Queen needs. baloney oil. they are required to make the services available if she qualifies. telling you that you need Super Nanny is not a valid reason for denial. Super Nanny fixes bratty behavior but she doesn't deal with all of the stuff that our kids do--that's what therapies are for. good luck.
Thank you all once again for the feedback. Sorry it has taken so long to respond. I did move the Queen to a new in-home preschool (Montessori). That teacher was trained in a Montessori school that specializes in special needs. She even gets SPD (at least as good as you can get it). In addition to that, I have been working on getting this adoption subsidy thing nailed down. The call from the Congressman's office today said we will have an answer in 2 weeks. They are expediting the file & the congressman has asked for back pay to January since that is when we applied. Finger's crossed. Okay, hoping to breathe soon so I can start working on the school district. Linny - The Queen is 4.5 yo. Turns 5 in December. GreenRobin - Yes, we did ECI for a year and have been with an outside OT for almost 2 years. So, we have a history now. The good news is the Queen is calming down since moving to the new school. So far she seems to be enjoying it. :cheer:
Good News - I am happy to report the Queen has been granted Adoption Subsidy as of this morning. Whoohoo! Still have to wait on the official word in writing. However, my Congressman's office just called me with the Great News! Now we can get the help we need. Maybe that ADHD diagnoses? Or whatever else!Thank you all for your support.
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