Stand Up For Your Kids

When Pumpkin was little,she was very ill to the point that she had hand,foot and mouth,strep throat and an ear infection.  This little girl was deathly ill and she acted like it was a normal day.  I fought with the doctors to find out what was wrong.  I wouldn’t accept that this was normal.  Finally,she was tested.  My 2 year old baby girl was only 20 lbs.  She was so tiny.  The doctors thought that she had cystic fibrosis.  I cannot even begin to describe the terror that put into my heart.  But I was determined that my child would live to be a healthy adult.  I was determined that it would not stop her.

The first thing that happened was for me to come home and work.  Then she had her adenoids and tonsils removed.  She had tubes put in both ears.  Slowly she began to build her immune system up.  Pumpkin is adopted.  According to the doctors,her mother must not have eaten the right things while she was pregnant.  This caused Pumpkin to have a low immune system when she was born.  Please if you are pregnant take care of yourself.  Your baby will appreciate it.

Back on track we go… The point in bringing this up is that I pushed to find out what was wrong with my daughter.  I didn’t accept it was normal.  I trusted my mother’s instinct that something was wrong.  You are the only one who will fight for your child.  I can’t stress that enough.  Trust your instincts.  They are usually better than you think.

I started fighting for Pumpkin’s education at 2 ½ years old.  I wish I had known to do so before that.  I didn’t.  I was a new mother with no clue how the system worked.  I finally got a referral from my doctor so that Pumpkin started seeing a speech therapist once a week.  She loved sour gummy bears.  She could handle any spicy foods going.  The reason was that her mouth was not awake.  She hadn’t learned to start speaking at this point.  She was saying maybe 10 words.   While she was suffering with all the ear infections,she was hearing things like she was underwater.  So she never learned to talk.  I had to have a speech therapist come out to help her.

She started preschool when she turned 3 years old in the system with an IEP.  IEP stands for Individual Educational Plan with the school system.  You and your child have rights in the public education system.  As the parent,you must request that the school system evaluate your child.  The school system must respond by a specified time.  Your child will then be assessed for psychological and academic testing.  They will,also,do a thorough review of your child’s medical,development and school history.

Once a decision has been made,you will meet with the school IEP team to discuss the next steps.  The IEP team will review the assessment with you discussing any and all findings and relevant information.   There will be someone who will monitor and carry out each phase of the IEP.  You will be given a written copy of the IEP and you must agree to the recommendations.  If you don’t agree,don’t sign it.  You can agree partially or completely.  If you don’t agree,you can appeal the results through a process known as Fair Hearing.

Once your child is in the system,there will be an annual review of the IEP to make sure that your child’s needs are being met and to plan for the next school year.

If you feel uncomfortable going in to face the IEP team,take an advocate with you.  Contact your local Children’s Services to find out where to find one.  You are the voice of your children.  Don’t be afraid to speak up.

The reason that I brought this subject up is because I had a parent tell me that they were afraid to fight for what their kids need.  I’m telling you as someone who is experienced with the system that if you don’t fight for them,they will fall through the system cracks.

Stand up!

Note:  Pumpkin is a well adjusted healthy little girl today.