I was just reading Lauri's blog and felt so happy that Livi gets to have the help she needs from the school district. But so sad that Maks did not qualify.
Reading her post made me so sure that Maks needs the help, too. Maks and Livi could be the same child (if they weren't different gender, age and living in different states!).
Lauri talked about Livi's scores. Maks scored similarly - except lower in areas.
Now, I do want to say that Maks scored well (above average to high) in cognitive, academic knowledge, and speech. But in everything else he was LOW. I mean really low. Like 1% - in adaptive behavior, fine motor, gross motor, sensory integration, etc. And he did NOT qualify. They told us "you are doing too good of a job with him." Are you f-ing kidding me!
We are so bummed. We know he needs the help. We need the help. His kindergarten teacher next year is going to need the help.
We are trying to find a way to get Maks's pediatrician to okay some Occupational Therapy. We are strapped (after the whole adopt from a foreign country expedition for 2.5 months). We'll see. Every other door has slammed shut - so we are not holding our breath.
Not to mention that they couldn't even get Maks to participate in many of the subtests. He would refuse. They said because he refused in a nice way that it was a plus. uuuuhhh. Are they stupid?
The testing really upset Maks, too. A couple of the psychologists observed Maks at his preschool. After they left, Maks told his teacher (matter of factly) that one of them was going to be his new Mom. And his behavior and attitude toward us since has been shaky. We are doing our best to get him to feel safe again - or should I say safer. I guess we are going to deal with attachment issues for a while longer.
We are going to request that the school re-assess Maksim. We just know that Maks needs a break.
And I am frustrated.
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Oh honey, I wish Maks qualified. That breaks my heart. And yes. They are stupid.
Uggghh... I really feel your pain. I really hope you can get Mak's the help he needs. I am so sorry he did not qualify. He certainly sounds to me as if he should have and I would fight tooth & nail for another evaluation. I was actually quite shocked that Livi qualified. I was told over and over that sensory alone would not do it. I am lucky that our school district takes a proactive look at these issues. I was worried about Livi charming all the testers and not showing true colors, but luckily she did and the forms I filled out regarding her behavior at home helped to seal the deal.
I am really sorry... that stinks
They told us the same...that he wouldn't qualify on sensory alone. The OT that evaluated thought that much of his inattention and behavioral low scores were a result of his sensory issues. Since he hasn't fallen behind academically, they "think" he will be okay.
I will translate. We won't spend any money on Maksim until he is driving one of our teachers crazy because he won't sit still and won't follow directions and won't complete any assigment involving a pencil. (Which is how he behaves in his preschool setting).
I think that the OT is actually right and OT will help him get strong enough muscles to succeed.
So we search for an OT.
:)
I would find a special education advocate to help you fight for the services your son needs. Don't back down. I'm not sure how you would find an advocate in your area, but look on the internet.
Laura
I always tell Laurie that her Live and My Dawn must be soul sisters. Their behaviors are so much alike. Dawn is quite a bit older now, but Toddler Live reminds me of Toddler Dawn ( and sadly Dawn has not left the behaviors behind... improved yes, left behind no)
Special Ed. Don`t get me started. WA state BITES, they should be ashamed. They are not meeting their LEGAL OBLIGATION.
I suspect CA is the same. Only so much money thus only so many students can qualify.
Dawn did qualify in preschool but then they released her from her IEP. I felt strong armed.
Dawn is now in second grade. I recently insisted she be re tested. They did not think she would qualify but she did. Barely. She is so far behind her peers yet she barely qualifies.
I did find out that there are a variety of medical diagnosis that re set the standards for kids to qualify. It is hard to explain but there is one test of scores with a diagnosis that is higher than the test of scores they use without.
Like you part of the reason Dawn was hard to qualify is because we work hard at home. They don`t take that into consideration. They remarked on her reading score being marginal. I told them "yeah but we bust our hump for marginal"
Fight fight fight. Don`t back down.
YOU know Maks better than anyone.
And bless his heart on the "new Mom" conflict.
I just posted our results of a sensory integration assessment both kids had. Thought you might be interested...
Aww poor Maks. I guess the observers in the classroom reminded him of when he was first getting adopted, is that right?
It's aweful that the testers aren't listening to you. I hope you can get what you need.
Hi there Woods family! My name is Amy and I just returned from my first trip to Kaz to adopt my little girl who is about to turn 4 years old. Her name is Karina and I was wondering if you might look at my blog where I have many pictures of her and see if you might have any pictures of her from your travels to adopt Maks. I really want to be able to give her some pictures of herself when she was younger. Please let me know. I really appreciate it.
http://www.adoption2007.wordpress.com
Thanks,Amy
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