I wish I could tell you that this journey will be easy and that as long as you have all your paperwork together, your child will get the support he or she needs. But it’s not that simple. You are your child’s best advocate, and you have to fight for them and their rights.
Starting in kindergarten, I was told that my child was functioning just where he needs to be or a little bit below, so he could not get any services other than speech. You see, your child has to be function way below standards to get support. So, kids that are treading and barely staying above water get overlooked. They are the kids that fall into the cracks of this system.
The following year, it finally happened- my child scored low enough. The last day of school came, and with no warning, I received the report card saying my child was below grade level standards. I knew this day would come. I had been telling the school for two years about the trouble he was having. It is just frustrating that it came without a warning from the teacher.
So when we started second grade, we had an IEP meeting to make changes to the current IEP that was for speech only, and add a little more support. At the meeting, I discussed my concerns for further testing and the school asked if I was going to get an updated diagnosis from the doctor since the last one was from when he entered Kindergarten (three years ago). They said that if I was going to do that, then all the testing would be done by the doctor. So once again, the school wants to wash their hands clean of this and have me take care of it. Hopefully, once all is done, the school will be more supportive.
It is so frustrating at times to know what your child needs and not have the school on the same page. The only thing I can continue to do is help my kiddo the best I can and continue to be in his corner at school. I wish this journey was easier, but even on the hardest days, every second is worth it.
