School - Turtle Creek,PA

My son also has issues with anxiety. And IEP will just line up ways the teachers can help him, but I don't know if you really need one at this point. It will follow him for a good while if you do that route, and if he is doing ok at school without it...

Good luck!

My son has this, it can be helpful, but I would watch out as sometimes your kid can be labeled, and sometimes schools are quick to do this and ask for kids to be medicated because they do get more money for having more students with 'problems'. If you think it would be helpful to your son then go for it. It just depends on what the school is doing.

Jenn, I was an IEP (special education) teacher for 10 years before being a SAHM. Here's what I can tell you... a) a psychologist can't diagnose anxiety but can suggest that you seek a diagnosis from a psychiatrist or pediatrician. b) having an IEP does not mean going into special education classes, it means support. c) an IEP is a legal document that is written all about your child to explain how he learns best, what he needs to be most successful, and why he needs these things. it will also include goals of things the team (teachers, counselor, family, etc) are working toward. d) your biggest job will be to make sure the goals are being worked toward e) having an IEP is not a life sentence, often times children "grow out of it" by reaching the goals and then the parent can request to "DPO" (due process out) of special education. f) considering your sons tragic loss (sorry to both of you!) maybe you can put as an accommodation in the IEP that he needs a grief group or counseling with the social worker or guidance counselor (whatever is available). If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to email, happy to help! Best of luck!

I have a daughter who has been dealing with anxiety for years (she is almost 9 now). We finally just put a label on it this year. For the last 2 yrs, during school months, she has run a low grade fever for months at a time. We finally realized that her body is so out of whack from anxiety that it just runs a fever continually at times. She is now seeing a psychologist to help her find some coping mechanisms. Her teacher has been AWESOME in working with her at school. She has given her accommodations without an IEP. We are hoping that she will gain the strategies she needs and be able to cope on her own next year. If not, our next step is to have her get the IEP. Right now her accommodations are related to test taking. She gets them read orally to her if she fails them written (b/c of anxiety, she often gets an F written and a 100 orally).

I am glad that the school saw the signs in your son and was willing to help him so early. I have had to ask for school counseling every year for my daughter; and no one has ever mentioned doing an IEP, until this year when she got a teacher who really cares about her. I think your son will really benefit from a specialized plan of action to help his specific needs.

Good luck with everything, and I'm sorry about the loss he has experienced. That is so devastating to a little guy like that. My daughter almost lost me when she was 3, and she never recovered emotionally (I was diagnosed with a brain tumor, had brain surgery, and did a year of chemo... all starting 2 days after having her little brother. Her life was turned upside down, and for years she thought you had to have brain surgery and be sick to have a baby.). Anyway, I know kind of what your son is going through. He could benefit tremendously from getting the help he needs at school (and outside psycho-therapy if that's possible). Again, I wish you luck with all of this!

An I.E.P. does not necessarily = special ed. An I.E.P. usually includes modifications that could mean pull out time to talk to someone, individualized help, assignment modifications, etc. It does not have to mean that your child received specialized academic services but it could. As a teacher I can tell you that an I.E.P. is more a legal process to ensure that your son is receiving the services or modifications he is supposed to. SOm ekids have an I.E.P. that simply states they should be allowed extra time on assignments, time to leave class if they get too tense or things like that. I'm sure your school district website has more information that is specific to your state.

LOVE that my son has an IEP! It was the greatest thing for him. He is out of the classroom for 120 minutes a week working one on one with people-speech, OT and psycologist. His grades have dramatically improved, he likes school much much more now, and he is able to cope with things that happen throughout his day much better. My son doesn't gain trust in people very quickly and having his IEP helped him work one on one with people to gain this trust so he does feel comfortable going to them when he has a problem. His IEP was written with the group of specialist at his school, his teacher and me. It took two hours I think so sit down and help write it (they each had done research and work before that
It is not a label per say and the kids don't make fun of him for having to leave the classroom. There are so many kids with IEP's now and getting extra help b/c the curriculum moves so fast that many kids are pulled in and out of the room often (or our district just loves IEPs lol)
Be sure to ask when you have questions, give your opinion and get a second opinion outside of school if you want. They are only going to help him on things they think he needs help in to succeed in school. So if his anxiety is affecting life outside of school it's going to be your job to take care of that. We did an out of school psychologist for 4 months over the summer and first part of the school year. It helped more than I could ever imagine. She was awesome and gave great coping skills not only for him but me too!! She gave me ideas to help him through his hard times that I had never thought of before.
Best of luck!

I have a friend who's daughter was in IEP and ironically, she lost her dad too when she was young.
It's not a bad thing at all. Your son will get special attention and guidance and that's not a bad thing at all.
It has nothing to do with intelligence. It doesn't mean there's anything "wrong" with your child.
I would take the help of the IEP program.
Many kids only need it for a short while as they work through things.
It can really help them get on their feet.

Best wishes!

IEP stands for INDIVIDUAL EDUCATION PLAN
kids that have these are lucky. they are looked at by educators on an individual needs basis. I wish every child could have one!
The biggest part is the M.E.T. meeting that will take place.
The principal, teacher, YOU and some other key players in educating your son will all meet up and Create Goals for your child that are specifically for him.

My son has had an IEP for years. Well every so often we amend it or go over it. Every 12 months a New IEP is drawn up. He is thriving. We have learned that he needs STANDING breaks while doing work, he is allowed to type home work and has Speech and OT a few times a month. He is not in Special ED. He just needed some individual attention :)

I think that schools would do this for every child if the could. But the funding and time just arnt there.

Its a positive thing and a Healthy good experience

LUCK :)

IEP stands for Individual Education Plan. It means your child will get the specialized care he needs. He won't just be given one. You will have to go for an IEP meeting. at the meeting will be teacher, school social worker, councilor, someone from the special ed dept of your school district. your child will first be observed in the classroom by several different people. you will have to sign for this. If he needs help it is better to get it now before things get to out of hand.

An IEP is an Individualized Education Program--a good thing. It will be developed by a team of professionals from the school, along with your input. You are a very important part of the team because you know your son best. It will focus on ways to help your son learn best. It does not mean that he will necessarily need special education, if you are referring to "learning support classes". It does mean that any special supports he needs in order to succeed in school will be identified and put into place. It also means that you can request a review of these supports at any time and make changes that will be more supportive. There are many helps online to assist you in learning to write and contribute to IEP writing. These will all be beneficial to your son. All children deserve an IEP, whether or not they get one! They may even have some suggestions that will be helpful in assisting your son to deal with his grief and loss. Your son is worth it! Encourage the development of an IEP as soon as possible, and then follow through and make sure the supports happen for him. It's law once it is written in the IEP. If it turns out you feel you need help, you should ask for an advocate. There is low-cost/free advocacy available to you through the Mental Health Association (which does not mean that your son has a mental health problem, but will help you determine if he needs their services to succeed) or they can refer you to other resources. Don't wait! It takes quite some time to develop a good IEP and they also have a fairly long period to implement it. If you get started now, it may be in place by the beginning of school in the fall.

Do not be afraid of IEPs. They are put in place only to help your son. From extened time to take tests to extra help in the classroom. Most of the time the other students don't even know the extra help is for him, just another teacher in the room. Just because he has an IEP does not label him as special ed. Plus, the school will meet with you before they put it in place and if there is something you don't feel comfortable with, don't agree to it.

My friend's daughter is 11 & has been in the IEP for 3 years and it's wonderful. It's just an extra teacher basically to help that student particularly in a regular classroom. No other students even realize what is going on and think it's just an extra "aide" in the room. It has helped my friend's daughter evolve so much with her emotional issues in handling situations. Every year you have to have a review of your child with the teachers, school psychologist, etc. to determine whether the IEP is necessary as the school pays for the program but I think you will see it is very worth it and can maximize your son's school days. Good luck!

My daughter was diagnosed with ADHD in first grade. This diagnosis automatically made her eligible for IEP. To me, this means that she gets all the extra help she needs. She received extra reading assistance. She was monitored and her teachers were all consulted. This is actually a good thing. Take all the help you can get. It's free and part of why we pay taxes. (oh, I am assuming your son is in public school.) My daughter was on medication for a while but it was such a struggle to get her to take it. She is not on any medication and is in 6th grade and has achieved distinguished honors every marking period. I do attribute her success partly to the extra help she received. It absolutely does not mean special ed classes unless there is a serious issue where he can't be in the regular class room. Ask questions and take whatever help you can get.

In simple terms an IEP is more paper work for teachers, but it gives them direction on how to help your son. They will review what they are doing for your son and how he has progressed. It is just extra help for your son on how he can overcome this anxiety. They talk to him and explain ways to help himself. My kids did an IEP for speech and ADHD. If he needs help dealing with his dad's passing, check out www.comfortzonecamp.org. It's a free camp to help kids grieve. I had to bribe my kids to go the first time and when we were leaving, they were asking when they could go again. Excellant place. They do somthing similiar at Camp Kon-o-Kwee, but Comfort Zone was best. Good Luck