Reading through posts here it looks like the more students that have a diagnosis or special education, the more money the school gets granted? Could they be pushing for a diagnosis for my 5 year old for this very reason? What can I do if I disagree?

Personally, I think it is very hard to get any kind of diagnosis. I repetedly had my now 7 yr old tested before they could actually qualify him for speech services even though it was obvious he had speech issues, the same is true for my 4 yr old. They will be testing him again in the fall, to see if he is far enough behind to qualify for an IEP. The schools told me over and over that my oldest was fine, even though I knew she wasn't. Looking back, I sure wish I had pushed more for testing. Country Mouse is going through He** trying to get her dd qualified for special services. So, no, in my opinion, the schools are not quick to qualify kids for special services and if they are recommended. I would take a serious look at it. If you really disagree, make sure you talk to everyone involved and find out their reasoning for suggesting the services. If you still disagree, I would see about taking him to an independent dr or developemental pediatrician for a second opinion.

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They don't qualify to get funding but if they have a SN child the school does get about double in funding for that child. At DS preschool they flat out told me that the wording in his IEP is so they can more money. I in turn get all my copies done at the school for his ABA, I get contact paper to laminate, paints, paper, and fun supplies. They get a lot of $$ and if I didn't ask for things I need to run ABA he would just be getting preschool.

The school does get extra money for a SN child, but it's to be able to afford things for that child. I'm sure many schools probably would run in the red without it. For instance, my child's Aspergers is fairly mild, but it's there. He also has Sensory Processing and motor issues. In the old world, he would have been ignored and fall behind. He has a part time aid for testing, special reading help, OT, Speech Therapy and a wonderful Resource Teacher. I'm sure he gets more, but if a child who is "mild" is able to get all this and still needs more, as he does, I can just imagine what the needs are for a child who has issues not so mild.

Believe me, I hardly think the school sees it as a profit center. It's hard to get these services, even with a diagnosis, as the district has to hire good people to do all this, and there are extra tools needed all year. I know of nobody who got rich working for the schools, except some of the top administrators.

They are probably pushing for a diagnosis because they see something - the have the advantage we as parents often don't have, of objectivity. They want to intervene early, way before the child falls back. If the school had their way, they wouldn't ever want to have to get extra money for any child - there would be no need, as every child would fly through school perfectly. That's not going to happen, obviously. They see issues in a child and try to get the child help, but a teacher is not qualified to make a dx, so that is what we parents must do. A teacher may see ADD in the window of time she has the child, and in the context of the child learning. However, they know the picture could be so much bigger, like with my fidgety son.

The system's not perfect, but it's what has been put together to help the kids who would otherwise fall behind and possibly fail. It's hard for a teacher to tell the parent something is going on - so many parents take it to say there's something "wrong" with the child. That's not it. It's more like the child is different. We all are, but to varying degrees, and the education system is based on teaching those that fall within certain degrees of the differences. The others, like my son, need help.

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I'm sorry but my personal opinion of our local school district is not very good. It floors me to hear how many parents have been approached by teachers about their kids having ADD. while i know that ADD is an actual condition, i can't believe that THAT many kids in one school district would have it?!! Somethings fishy around our school district.They are really viligant about pushing the issue around here.

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As a special educator myself (speech therapist), I can tell you that we do get some funding for special education students. It is definitely not enough to even educate them though. Our district does not get enough special ed funding from the state to pay for its teachers and all of the supplies needed. We are always getting money out of the general teaching fund. And labeling or qualifying a student falls under strict standards or guidelines per disability area. We can't just label students without them meeting qualification criteria (based on standardized testing or a medical diagnosis). I think sometimes it appears that we are looking for a label, but most often it is because we know that a student really needs help and has to have a label in order to get it in the schools. You definitely can disagree with an evaluation done by the school and even request an outside one if not satisfied. It is hard to be told that your child has a disability. I have been there, and even though I work in this field, it was still a devastating day for me.

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Lori

Mommy to ggg triplets born on 1-30-01