PDA

View Full Version : IEP: Problem with New Speech Therapist


Lisa S
10-13-2005, 08:24 PM
Hi, I hope someone has some ideas for me. If not, thanks for letting me vent.

Catherine's IEP meeting was today. It was an annual review. Her big triennial IEP was last year. Speech therapists working for the school district extensively evaluated Catherine's speech for the triennial IEP and saw problems with every area of articulation they tested. She has distortions, omissions, substitutions, as well as other articulation issues. The Goldman-Fristoe 2, a test of articulation, indicated Catherine's articulation was below the first percentile for her age. She has a high-pitched strangulated voice quality which also affects intelligibility. She is supposed to be getting one hour per week direct one-to-one speech therapy from the speech therapist. The speech therapists she saw last year gave her one hour a week of direct one-to-one speech therapy.

In the IEP meeting today, the speech therapist, who is new to this school this year, said she has not been seeing Catherine for one hour a week so far this year and now she wants to cut Catherine's speech therapy to only thirty minutes a week. She says Catherine's and her schedule are too full to permit a full hour of speech therapy per week. She says she is only at this school all day Tuesday and Wednesday, and Thursday mornings, which are often filled with IEP meetings.

My husband asked her if he needs to speak to the Executive Director of Special Education for our school district to tell her she needs to hire another speech therapist for the school since this therapist's schedule is so full and her case load is so heavy. The speech therapist says she wants to reevaluate Catherine's articulation because she doesn't think it is that bad now. I should have known she would try something like this when she complained about her increased case load last week! If this woman thinks she will lighten her case load at my daughter's expense, she will have quite a battle on her hands!

If Catherine says something to anyone who doesn't know her very well, they always look at me with a puzzled expression and a smile so I will tell them what she just said. Sometimes even people who know her very well don't understand her. How can her articulation be just fine if this is the case?

If you have any ideas, I would love to hear them.
Lisa

StrictNon-Confo
10-14-2005, 02:19 AM
You could somehow arrange for Catherine to dictate all that therapist's notes to a secretary :D and see what comes out as a result, not allowing that secretary to ask for clarification from someone else.

Or, have Catherine leave messages on her answering machine!

I've heard Catherine in person on my move out here, and yes, understanding her speech can be a bit of a challenge. I know from experience that not being readily understood by her peers or elders will only make her life much more difficult than it even comes close to needing to be.

Lisa S
10-14-2005, 01:01 PM
Thank you, Strict Non-Conformist. I'm laughing out loud thinking of Catherine dictating the speech therapist's notes to a secretary for transcription. Maybe if I can get her phone number, I'll have to have Catherine leave messages on her answering machine. These teachers and therapists tend to keep their home telephone numbers secret, though.

Thanks also for letting me know it's not just my husband and me who think Catherine still has difficulty being understood by people who don't hear her speech all the time. I refuse to allow this bureaucrat masquerading as a caring speech therapist to make Catherine's life any more difficult than it already has to be, so she can reduce her case load. I'll take the issue to court if I need to. I really appreciate your help.
Lisa

VTMama
10-21-2005, 08:32 PM
Hi Lisa,

Wow, sounds like Catherine's speech therapist needs to learn the meaning of the acronym IEP, huh?

It is so totally NOT your problem if her schedule is to full to accommodate Catherine's required 1 hour of 1:1 SLP services in her IEP. Also, you mentioned that she admitted to NOT seeing Catherine for her required 1 hour of SLP services so far this year ~ does that mean not the full hour....or not at all? In either case, this puts them out of compliance with the IEP. The Special Education District Coordinator needs to be contacted. This could spell legal trouble for them.

What grade is Catherine in? Is there someone, such as an aide, to carry out the SLP plan when the SLP is not there? If this SLP's schedule is too full at this time, the district needs to either hire another one, adjust her schedule, or contract privately for services for Catherine.

Please contact the Colorado Autism Society. If you don't already have a parent advocate, you might seriously want to look into it. Our school district wanted to reduce my daughter's 1:1 aide time and/or split her aide between her and another student (among other things). Our advocate came to the IEP and subsequent meetings with us and had her little tape recorder with her. Funny how that little machine helped. LOL!

Best of luck to you!
Vivian

Lisa S
10-25-2005, 11:36 PM
Hi Vivian,
You are so right. Her schedule is not my problem. I gave Catherine's IEP's to the private speech therapist she saw when she was younger and I plan to have the private therapist conduct an independent evaluation of Catherine's speech, to counter what I am sure will be the results of the school's speech therapist's "evaluation". Catherine is nine years old and she is in the fourth grade. I will contact the Colorado Autism Society and see if I can find an advocate, although we have a Special Education attorney on retainer if we need to take this to due process. I tape recorded this IEP meeting myself, so what she said is on tape. She has not been seeing Catherine for one hour per week, but she has been seeing her a little, much less than that. I don't want an aide giving Catherine speech therapy, but the district can hire another therapist for the school or contract with this private one who will do the independent evaluation, as far as I am concerned. Thank you so much for your help.
Lisa

VTMama
11-01-2005, 09:39 AM
Hi Lisa, Sorry I haven't been online. I'm so glad you are getting an independent evaluation for Catherine. Also, you were SO smart to tape the IEP. They have obviously been out of compliance and you seem well within your rights to take this to due process. Best of luck and I'd love to hear how things go.

:) Viv