in need of help/advice...

happymomof1
Wed, 25 Mar 2009 07:50:25 +0000

“Teacher observations could conceivably help you get the support you need.”

This might be what the Dr. meant when he said the teacher’s would have to “fill out forms”. When Happykid went through this process in elementary school, her classroom teachers were asked to complete a very simple form evaluating her behavior. So were we. It was only one or two pages and asked us to indicate “all the time”, “some of the time”, “never” for a bunch of different things. Since you are requesting this LD evaluation yourself, don’t be afraid to ask who will be asked to complete this kind of survey form. At your age, you are expected to be an active participant in your own I.E.P. team.

“my dad is an immigrant”

Your dad isn’t being deliberately obstructive, he’s just operating with an outdated set of information. All of his concerns about your future and about the possible implications from a label of LD are colored by his own experiences 20 or 30 years ago. Most likely those experiences weren’t even in this country! The state-of-the-art in dealing with LDs in the US is radically changed from his time, and probably radically different from his place of origin. He’s smart. He loves you. Once he understands that things are very different here and now, there is every possibility that he will come around to your side. Be patient with him as he works his way through this process. Happydad is an immigrant too. Believe me, we had challenges explaining Happykid’s IEP process to that side of the family. I’m old enough to remember when “special ed.” was the kiss of death here in the USA. We got behind the process, and things have turned out well. Yours can too.

Wishing you well.