You can't have everything, where would you put it?

[mishka422]

That was a great link Kerry. IEP's are SO important for special needs children. My son's diagnosis came a few years later than it should have because I, frankly, wasn't pushy enough in IEP meetings and requests for adjustments to IEP's. They started out diagnosing him as ADHD when he was 7, reassesed when he was 10 to include OCD. Then, we opted to put him in a self-contained class for 5th grade which he excelled in. That kind of rigidly structured but equally loving environment is what he needed at the time. It also helped me to see that further assesment was needed because of the way behaviors were manifesting themselves. In 6th grade he regressed so dramatically that we nearly had to put him in a private school for special needs children. Finally, they assessed him further and found him to be PDD-NOS with ADHD...not OCD. He got even more services while keeping him in regular classes and taking him off the OCD medications which significantly improved his behavior (bad reaction we had no idea he was having!). At long last, in 7th grade, he was put through yet another battery of testing and the county school psychologist along with our private psychiatrist and Marc's pediatrician. The conclusion after ALL of this......he has Aspberger's with underlying ADHD.

He still takes ADHD medication (without it he has major meltdowns) and he has social skills and study skills classes and modified schedules. We also extended him to a 5 year high school plan so he isn't overwhelmed.

Why am I telling you all of this? One simple reason. Don't be too quick to accept a diagnosis or to allow the 'experts' to make decisions about what is best for your child. You are the only expert where she is concerned and you are her only advocate. Be there. Speak up. No matter what you have decided about STBXW, you owe it to your daughter to be sure that everything possible is being done. Frankly, there is no such thing as and IEP that does not involve some decisions being made even if they are only for a trial basis.