Iq Testing Etc

You said she is going to be 18, the IQ test you had done showed that she is mild MR and the school has never had her tested? Did it not show in her school work or behavior that she was MR?- how was she keeping up with the rest of the class? If she was never tested before then somebody dropped the ball.

They refused to have her tested. Her standardized test scores have remained low in the 2 percent range I believe. She turns in her work and gets Bs and Cs. They say they do not have money to offer special ed.

Does she attend public school? If so, they have to consider the report you gave them. They are required to review it. They don't have to agree with it, but they can't really do that without testing her. (state requirements differ, so the medical field might not have used tests approved by your state- which the school would have to use) The land of IEP's, testing etc. is FRUSTRATING to say the least. I would start here [url=http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/test.iee.steedman.htm]Special Education Rights - Independent Educational Evaluations: What? How? Why? Who Pays? by Wayne Steedman, Esq. - Wrightslaw[/url] and the site in general has good information. I'll try to get some more experienced parents to post here as well!

I have pretty much given up hope on them educating dd. If they can keep her in a safe environment, that would be huge (safe from her hurting others and vice versa). My biggest worry is that they could somehow undermine the results of the testing and would jeopardize services thru dept of mental health (ie group home, supported living arrangement, etc.). Thanks.

In the US There is such a thing as "No child left behind" act that is specifically for kids like your child. No money for special ed is baloney. Not sure where you are from but if they are giving you that excuse it's not legal

I can't imagine a child with an IQ score that was truly that low would be turning in A/B/C grades in a regular education classroom without significant accommodations. Kids with other issues (mental illness, RAD, auditory processing, ADHD) often don't test well...if they used a standard "sit in the chair" IQ test, it might be off a bit. Even so, with scores like that, I can't even begin to imagine how a school district would refuse to test. If you request IN writing, an evaluation, the district has to respond IN WRITING with a "yes, we're evaluating her" or "no we're not because ______." At this point, special education isn't going to make a huge difference in her educational outcome BUT if she qualifies for an IEP, you have the opportunity to discuss giving her until she is 21 to graduate high school. I think if she genuinely has an IQ that is that low, it might explain A LOT of the problems you have with her. Can you imagine living in a world where it feels like everyone else is speaking "Spanglish" if you didn't speak Spanish? You understand some of what they're saying but not all...and they were mad at you all of the time for not understanding? Yikes, poor kid. Ridiculous that a school district could miss that. IMO, I would go to your local board of MRDD (or whatever your state calls them...in our state, each county has their own board). They typically can guide you in the right direction, especially since you feel like she won't be capable of being independent yet.

DD has fooled a lot of people for a very long time. She can communicate well face to face. She is also very beautiful and charming. She copies other people's work or copies straight from the book and turns it in. She does not pass tests. At home, after seven years, she cannot remember where things are kept routinely. She cannot recite the months of the year without making a mistake. She does not have good judgment of time. She cannot follow a recipe if it involves multiple steps. The test revealed what dd was able to keep hidden. We were not surprised.

Is she diagnosed with FASD? She sounds like a combination of my kids.In my opinion, if she is going to be 18 next year and I assume will be graduating high school next year, I would keep the MR diagnosis and not challenge this with the school. You can apply for disability for her when she turns 18 with an MR diagnosis and get more services for her.My son tests out in the low 70's and the school pretty much pushed him through even with his IEP. At one point I just wanted him to get a high school diploma (which he did this year). When I tried to get him services after high school, he didn't quality because his IQ wasn't low enough.

Have you tried getting the services of an education lawyer or an education advocate? They can work wonders in getting school districts to do what they are legally required to do which is provide every child with an appropriate education. If this girl has an IQ in the 60's she should have had an IEP and been in special ed a long time ago. If she has special needs the school district could be responsible for her until she's 21. Fact is that the school district is breaking the law by not providing this girl with an appropriate education. You may be able to sue them into compliance. A friend of mine who has a severely mentally ill teenage son went through the same thing with their school district. The school just refused to give the boy an IEP. She and her husband fought like crazy but weren't successful until they hired a lawyer. I'm sure it's not cheap but if it's at all doable for you it may be worth it. Sadly, after 18 there are few services available.

We thought about hiring a lawyer. It is such a battle in every way. DD has not been diagnosed with FAS, but certainly, I could not rule it out. Her mom, among other things, apparently was a drinker. We have a couple of things we are working on. We will see what happens. Thanks for the support. I appreciate it.