Placement and trauma

[TiredMomma]

Hi!  I need help.  Long story as short as possible:

-Son has Autism, ADHD, and an IEP with annual meeting due July 20th.

-Son’s behavior plan not followed 2 years ago causing aggression, and other behaviors to progress.  More restrictive level 4 school with no neurotypical students, but more staff training in holds, etc. and special ed. was recommended, Pandemic hit, son transferred in the fall.

-Son at more restrictive level 4 school (A) for 2 years.  Meds not working well, being transported to planning room spending 2 hours or sometimes more if he fell asleep in there (many times without direct supervision-now per law has to always be under direct  supervision).  Son was put in seclusion often-I need to get copies of records, but at minimum 10 times. I believe that the seclusion room is more like 3’x3’ but I haven’t measured it.

-Son in class of 2:5, with students usually 3rd grade through 12th.  Student 15 years old targeted my son on more than one occasion.  Son’s head stomped on the floor by this student.  Son was bitten and punched in this classroom.  Classroom specific (as I am told) to Autism.  My son has aggression.  Asked for 1:1 para at IEP meeting like he had in other schools when he was transferred, was denied.

-Son being isolated by carrel for less distractions.  However, it was to be taken down and replaced as needed (in IEP) It was still there in December in”Ryan’s spot”.

-Son withdrawn from (A) school to get intensive therapy 40 hours per week, school deemed it unnecessary as they provided what he needed.  Told no schooling needed as per medical therapy, but NO services would be provided by the school until he returned.

-Son made huge progress over 1 yr, IEP to slowly integrate back into school 30 minutes session per day, with therapy staff.  First day Sept 13, 2023 went well until back at therapy center.  Exploded all day breaking a laptop, high aggression.  Only 3 holds at center prior to this day over 1 yr.  Was in 3 holds that day.  PTSD showing.

-Son kept home, med eval, changed meds, discovered son is PDA.  Center understaffed, asked to keep him home.  Went back in December 1/2 days to therapy center,started music therapy 1:1 for 30 minutes at (A) no students around, did well both places for 3 days-got Covid.

-Son back at therapy with PDA program.  Everything great!  Director changed program drastically and abruptly, spiked aggression. Terminated 5 days later.

-Son with Nystrom and Associates-doing well.  No holds at home in 2 years. Nystrom assessment for intake level 3.   U of M assessment done-found to be level 3.Took him to middle school (B) for registration May 8th.  District Assistant Director for Special Education and School Coordinator for (A) school requested a private meeting for the 3 of us to discuss placement.

-Was called on May 30th-proposal for ESY at (A).  Denied, restated my concerns.  (A) said sending PWN, will set up IEP.  Still no PWN. (A) emailed that annual IEP due, will just do that IEP meeting.  Out of office until June 28th.

Meanwhile-contacted PACER advocate, unavailable from July 1-16.  Said, you got this.  Case with Legal Aid-(A) now on to be investigated list.  Do not take back to (A). No law son has to go back to level 4 (A), but (B) has to be willing to accommodate.

(A) argues student returns to prior district at same level.  
(B) concerned my son can’t handle busy school with more students than used to. Both schools had copies of assessments, IEP, current progress.  
My son has made tremendous progress in 2 years, has PTSD from (A), is excited and motivated to attend (B), and has 2 assessments at level 3.  Attended (A) a few times over winter with no problems, no bad behaviors.  Schools are denying homebound services this summer, and having assessments done during homebound.  Doctor says he will advocate and send a letter as son has changed anxiety meds 4 times since October trying to find one that will work for him, this should allow for homebound services.  I am going to submit concern’s letter requesting IEP for placement, and an IEP for annual following placement.  Son will not be going back to (A).  Even if it comes to moving.  
Any ideas to help?  The district director for special needs tries to intimidate everyone, and I’ve dealt with her already.  I don’t know if I can push this placement through to (B).  Husband, county case worker, therapist, and I will be at IEP.

[JSD24]

So, it seems (if I got this right) that your son's IEP wasn't followed & he ended up at (A) because of the agression he developed w/o the right support.  While at (A), he was traumatized because he was attacked by a classmate.  He sometimes does OK at (A) and other times, it's a trigger for him.  I'm not sure if this is the building triggering him or a lack of support or possibly his classmate that's the trigger.  My feeling is this really needs to be figured out so that 'his needs' can be addressed.  You can't address a need if you haven't pinpointed what that need is.

You seem to want to avoid (A) because of the director there and you feel it will not be a place where your child is supported.  You also say they don't seem to have academic rigor if he's taking 2 hour naps.  I'm also reading that the school wants to use old evals to base placement where you feel present levels changed since then.

My gut says he needs a new school eval to figure out what's going on.  He's on meds (that keep changing).  His antecedent to being aggressive is unknown.  Until you and the school are on the same page with his present levels, needs, triggers and what's going to help him, you are going to go in circles.  Keep in mind that schools only 'consider' (not follow) outside evals - the one from Nystrom and Associates is an outside eval.  Have you shared this eval with the school?  A doctor's note is also treated like an outside eval.  If they offer to redo evals - sign permission for that.

If he's not getting homebound services, I would think they would set him up with virtual, online classes so he can get an education.

[TiredMomma]

My son doesn’t like to talk about things that have happened if they are negative, and sometimes can’t recall what is happening in the moment.  I’ve tried to pinpoint the problem, but he has a hard time explaining how he feels.  He says he feels that way when he walks inside the building.  I know at least one student in the class is a huge trigger.  Other schools don’t bother him, and he’s never reacted that way to a student before, so it’s hard to know.  I had him speak with a district Autism Specialist so that he could have a say about his placement, and how he feels.  He said he doesn’t feel safe at (A), and is worried about getting hurt by other students.

I am all for new school evaluations, and have asked for them.  They had said before that those could be done anywhere when I asked about having them done someplace other than (A).  

I am wondering if one of the assessments done would qualify as an IEE?

Son has one of the best doctors in the state for Autism and ADHD, or so I am told.  He had tried a different anxiety med that worked, but he still needed some support, and he was at a high dose already.  Next med worked against him, making him more aggressive.  We have had to titrate slowly, and this has taken a lot of time.  He is now trying another med, and everything is gone from his system at this point.  It will be another month before really seeing this med work. Through all of this, even being on extremely low doses of anxiety meds to none, I have helped him work through the tough times without resorting to seclusion or holds.  This is a testament to how much progress he has made with his aggression.  
 

The aggression comes from high anxiety that overwhelms him from PDA.  It isn’t any one thing that sets him off.  Since finding out he has PDA, we have been able to lower his anxiety more, and work with him better.  He will always have to manage living with panic attack anxiety levels, and we have to find the best medication(s) for him.  
 

While I have been able to homeschool him in the interim, he has lost a lot of learning while being in intensive therapy.  The school refused to let him come for 2 hours a day, and said it had to be a 1/2 day, or a full day.  Now the school is denying they said that.  Homeschooling is constantly interrupted with doctors calls, medical appointments, errands, and daily life happenings.  He needs a multiple grade level curriculum that is very time consuming.  He and I are together 24/7, so it would benefit both of us to have him in building at a school , and being able to socialize.  We live in a small town, and activities he is interested in or capable of doing are extremely limited.

i really don’t understand why a school who’s goal id to get their students into a LRE, integrating them slowly with supports to help them succeed would push him into a more restrictive environment and leaning setting.  If it doesn’t work, we would know quite quickly.  
 

Thank you for your input, JSD24! 

[JSD24]

From what I've seen, trauma needs to be processed.  When you process it, you find a place for it where you can live with it.  Without finding a place, it sneaks up on you and the surprise of seeing it overwhelms.  Until it's processed, avoiding will prevent triggering.

There is a saying in schools:  If it's not in writing, it didn't happen.  You experienced it with the half day/2 hours per day 'policy' that you were told.  My best advice is for you/your son to put into writing that (A) is a trigger and you would like for any assessments to be arranged to be done at another building.  Mention the ADA in your request and ask if the school needs any additional documentation (like from a practitioner of the healing arts) so the accommodation can be put in place for him.  (Not sure about requesting it go into his IEP as an accommodation.  This couldn't hurt but it's asking a lot.)  And as long as you are writing, mention that there is another student who is a trigger - you don't want to find out this students is at (B) when your son goes there for testing.  Do mention the student by name if you know this student's name.  There is an article on the Adayinourshoes website that says about summarizing phone calls and in-person meetings to get what was told verbally into writing so it doesn't come back later as a surprise when they backtrack what was said.

Lots of things qualify an an IEE.  From what I've seen, a doctor's note saying a student has PTSD & XX is a trigger is an IEE - at least schools treat them like an IEE.  If it's a school eval, then the school follows it.  If an eval exists that can support your perspective, share it with the school.

Schools need to follow what their data says.  Seems like their data says your son needs a Level 4 school.  Request an eval so they can assess and see if their new/recent data might say something else.  Do it in writing so there is no confusion about your request for new eval at a building other than (A).

[TiredMomma]

I just replied, but I don’t know where it went.  

[TiredMomma]

I ask about an IEE, because the evaluation done at a university 2 months ago was submitted to the schools.  It says my son is at a level 3 setting.  If this qualifies for an IEE, then the schools would have to accept that he is at a level 3.

The district rep/school coordinator is ignoring my request for a PWN.  I’ve asked at least twice for it, but she never mentions it.  She first said she would send one out on the 5th of June.  It would be in response to denying my request to enroll my son at the level 3 school.  She is talking like his placement has been determined, but there was no meeting to decide that.  
 

Could a meeting with two district reps be an IEP meeting?  They met with me about this placement, and I have a written agenda from them.  I’m sure they’re both LEAs. It wasn’t referred to as an IEP meeting.

I appreciate all of your advice, thank you!

[JSD24]

The eval done at a university is an IEE/outside eval.  School 'consider' outside evals - including the ones they pay for.  After providing the eval to the school, the next step is a meeting to go over the eval so the school can consider it.

To have an IEP meeting, you need an LEA, a parent (optional if they don't want to come), a sp ed teacher (parent can excuse them in writing), a gen ed teacher (they can also be excused by the parent) and a person who can explain an eval if there is an eval to review at the meeting.

It seems like they are using an old school eval to say he needs level 4 where there is a more recent outside eval that says level 3.  They are allowed to follow an old eval rather than following a more recent outside eval - this is the school's choice as the outside eval is looked at as biased where a school eval isn't.  PWN is generally provided after an IEP meeting but it can also be provided after other meetings.  (In my area, I've seen it after a 504 meeting.)

Did you request a school eval (in writing so there is a paper trail) so the school might see he's changed with therapy, homeschooling,  different meds and time?  Have you directly asked them why they feel he needs level 4 when you have an eval report saying that level 3 is needed?  Keep in mind that school psychologists get the summer off so they might not have one available to do an eval.  (My district has them working 5 days longer than teachers so they can be called in during the summer to do an eval or 2.)

[TiredMomma]

I have spoken to the schools about evaluations after starting school.  I have told them I want homebound services, and a school eval done while he is receiving Homebound services, but they deny that he qualifies for that.  I have a letter being written from his doctor that says he does qualify, but I haven’t received it yet.  
 

i did ask why they say he needs level 4, and their answers were that he left that school, and he is expected to return to that school.  Also, that they are unsure how he will do in a large school with kids coming and going (he’s been in public school before, and he will be integrated slowly).   They say that his eval isn’t a school eval, and it’s a medical one.  That school evals can be quite different.  I have to have them show me how it is different.  
 

When I signed him up for school on May 8th and turned in all of his registration papers, I asked for an IEP meeting then.  I asked for one twice more after that.  I met with the 2 district heads informally (huge mistake), because I thought I had enough in writing to show that he should attend the middle school.  After that they called proposing ESY at (A) school.  I said no, ESY at (B) school, homebound services, and starting school slowly at (B) school is what I’m asking for.  She ((B) school coordinator then said we need an IEP meeting, and she would send out a PWN. 
This is the PWN denying my son the right to attend school (B).

It seems that the school was ok with giving a school eval during summer, but we haven’t determined a district yet. Even now we still haven’t found the right anxiety med for my son after trial and error 3 times, and the new med he is trying isn’t working either.  He is so out of sorts that we couldn’t do an eval now.  His anxiety is through the roof, and he’s showing side effects that are bad. They rocketed this weekend, and I have to wait until tomorrow hoping his doctor isn’t out of office this week. The PWN had to have it listed as a considered source, and why they deny it.

I heard from son’s PACER advocate yesterday, and while out of office she has referred me to another PACER advocate.  I emailed them last night, and will hopefully hear from them tomorrow.  
 

Thank you for telling me about the information written about PWN’s, and next steps.  It is really helpful!! The suggestion is to call the DOE and complain.  It’s the first thing on my agenda tomorrow.  I don’t know how soon a complaint is acted upon, but Coordinator is trying to schedule our IEP meeting for July 9th or 10th.  I will need more time for a new advocate to go over information, and for the DOE to investigate my claim.  I need that PWN before the IEP.  Do I tell the school I filed a claim, and that his IEP will have to wait until after their investigation?  The DOE will probably tell me what to do.  I hope.  I don’t want the school to have an IEP meeting without me.  The school is waiting on me to set a date and time before sending out a notice, so at least they haven’t done that yet.

Thank you for helping me! 
 

[JSD24]

If the evaluator has school credentials, it's a school eval.  If the evaluator's credentials are medical, it's a medical eval.  Some evaluators have both school & medical credentials which makes their evals school evals.  The doctor letter sounds like it's medical & not an educational perspective.

The district you pay your school taxes to is generally the district that does the eval but I know some states that go by the school where the student attends.  (You could live in X district & send your child to a private school in Y district where Y has to do the eval.)

I'm hoping you figure out his meds.  We went through this with my child.  Things got so out of hand that we looked into a residential placement.  We upped the dose & things settled down.

In my state, when you file a state complaint, you concurrently need to give the school a copy of the complaint.  Follow the instructions with how this is done in your state.

[TiredMomma]

Thank you!  I am so frustrated.  If I had a PWN I could be making progress.  As of right now, I have no PACER advocate-I emailed PaCER, but it will take time to hear back. His therapist will be out for surgery.  I hope that they will listen and put the meeting out as I request, but they aren’t listening to anything else.  There is a lot of good advice here, and I appreciate it.

[JSD24]

Like I posted before:

There is a saying in schools:  If it's not in writing, it didn't happen.

Make sure you have a paper trail.  If you do have a phone or in-person conversation, follow it up with an email so you get important points in writing.  I know this is a PITA but it's necessary.