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LINDA
NEWLAND - B.Michelle
DOB: November 28, 1988
Medical Diagnosis
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder (ADD) 3 years, 9 months
Speech and Language Impairment (SLI) 3 years, 6 months
Sensory Integration Dysfunction (SID) 4 years, 1 month
Severe Dyslexia 9 years 3 months
Educational Diagnosis:
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder (ADD) 7 years, 2 months
Speech and Language Impairment (SLI) 4 years, 5 months
Learning Disabled (LD) 7 years, 3 months
B.Michelle lives with her
biological parents, Linda and Larry New land and two siblings.
Nicole, Age 14, born with a cranio facial disorder corrected by
surgery at 4 mos. and is not displaying any developmental
difficulties. B.Michelle also has a 10 year old brother, Cass
with a diagnosis of Aspergers Syndrome/High Functioning Autism.
B.Michelle was the product of a
normal gestation and delivery, but did display difficulties in
both motor, sensory integration, and language development early
on. Her parents provided private ST and OT service as a
preschooler, and she made improvements in these areas.
B.Michelle, while doing well socially, is having great
difficulty learning to read. In fact, she at the fourth grade
level, and is still reading at the pre-primer level, with
writing skills of course commensurate with the reading level.
B.Michelle does not have a
history of emotional disturbance, nor of mental retardation. She
lives in a intact family, and English is the family's only
language.
Easy Intervention /
Pre-School
We were asked to evaluate
B.Michelle for Early Intervention as her bother had been with
the program for about a year and there was some concern on
Brittnay's intelligibility. Testing showed B.Michelle to qualify
for a "Speech/Language" label as a student mildly impaired.
Brittnay entered "Alice Hatch Pre-school", Bend, OR..
Parents were concerned that B.Michelle's speech and language
goals were not being adequately address and requested a change
of placement to the "Circle Time Preschool for the
Developmentally Delayed." At B.Michelle first yearly review,
according to testing, Brittnay no longer qualified as a student
with mild speech and language impairments. B.Michelle was
dropped from Early Intervention. Parents did not agree.
Three months later, B.Michelle
was tested by Head Start at the request of parents and
B.Michelle qualified for the "Speech/Language Impairment" label
again by the same speech pathologist who denied her three months
ago. B.Michelle remained in this placement. During this
placement, B.Michelle received a diagnosis from a independent
evaluator for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (A.D.H.D.).
School district refused to acknowledge this report, citing she
was to young to get this kind of diagnosis.
Parents are strong believers in
Early Intervention, unhappy with the "one stop therapy model for
all" that was being done. Parents ran private speech/language
and O.T. services to enhance what Early Intervention was
offering or not offering.
Kidegarden - Buckingham
Elementary, Bend La-Pine School District
Parents continue their crusade
to get the school district to test for ADD and learning
difficulties as B.Michelle continued to suffer difficulties
making the connection from sound to print. Parents are denied
further testing with school citing she is to young to test. The
school insisted you can not get accurate testing on a child
before they are 6 years and 8 months. IEP goals consist mainly
of Articulation and Language. B.Michelle starts to exhibit
frustration and anxiety from not being able to recognize basic
sight words like her classmates. Parents are told this is
developmental, give her time and she will catch up. Parents
brought academic and classroom goals to the IEP table, none made
it into the IEP.
B.Michelle ends Kidegarden with
no pre reading or writing skills. School data reports this is
normal and parents are overly concerned. Brittnay's report card
reads, "she is a kind girl who treats people with respect and
cares about their feelings. Brittnays actions are appropriate in
class and she is a role model for classmates. B.Michelle's
knowledge of letters/sounds and numbers have improved greatly.
She is doing a good job of trying to write and puts lots of time
into her art work. B.Michelle has been a joy to have in class."
It is important to note here that this teacher was hand picked
by mother as she had just come out of a University for the Deaf.
This was her first year teaching. Big mistake on parents part.
Foot note: Parents were
repeatdly called to come and get B.Michelle due to low grade
fevers and stomach aches. There was some speculation that this
was a tactic Brittnay used to get out of school. B.Michelle was
immediately diagnosed as having strep in her blood. The medical
community tried to treat with antibiotics. Due to the fact that
an overuse of antibiotics has proven harmful to children, the
medical community could only treat for so long. This condition
remained until parents threaten a law suit three years later and
B.Michelle's tonsils and adenoids were FINALLY removed.
First Grade - Amity
Creek, Bend La-Pine School District
After much insistence from the
parents, school district finally agrees to give B.Michelle a
Psycho- Educational Assessment, which confirms the
independent evaluation for A.D.H.D.. As a result, The label of
Learning Disabilities (LD) is added to B.Michelle's IEP. The
team felt that the program components needed were: reading
comprehension content; math reasoning/operations, within large
group getting daily ministering in s small group, learning basic
rules/procedures in a small group; listening skills, writing -
tracking from large chart to paper, sequence patterning.
Medication was suggested and parents respond this is not a
option at this time. Parents did a trial run when she was in
pre-school with negative side effects. Parents chose to look at
other options before revisiting medication.
Second Grade - Amity
Creek, Bend La-Pine School District
Parents continue to battle to
focus some attention on why their 2nd grader still
cannot read and write and the implications of AD.H.D. and the
effect that has on Brittnay's ability to learn. Parents provide
Bio-feed back. Brittnay's brain waves stunned the provider to
the point that she invited staff of Amity Creek to one session.
B.Michelle's Theta waves are out running the Beta waves. A
referral is made to Dr. Thomas Barclay in Portland, OR for brain
mapping.
At this time, research was
starting to show a correlation between ADD and a sleep disorder
along with brain markers for ADD. Parents go to Portland and
have the extensive EEG done. Dr. Barclay advises parents that
there is a slowing of the brain over certain sections as seen by
other patients with ADD. Dr. Barclay literally drops dead the
next day. He worked closely with Benson Shaeffer Ph.D. of
Emanuel Hospital and Dr. Jim Schimschock/neurologist from
Portland, OR. Mother calls both and Benson retrieves the EEG's
from the machine. Problem. This is such a specialized field that
no one from Oregon is qualified to read these EEG's. Mother gets
on Internet and contacts every Brain Mapping Center available.
But no one would read the EEG's. To date, they are sitting in
storage at Emanuel Hospital.
B.Michelle finishes second
grade still unable to read and write. Her report card states:
"She has made great strides in all academic areas this
trimester. In reading she has been strengthening the skills
needed to be a fluent reader. She has developed some strategies
to help her unlock unknown words. She does enjoy being a guest
reader in our class. ...........Socially, B.Michelle has made
some good friends. Keep up the good work.
Third Grade, Amity Creek
Elementary, Bend La-Pine School District
B.Michelle still has not made
the connection from sound to print while school district
continues to downplay. Because B.Michelle receives SSI for her
disabilities and because of Clinton's welfare reform act.
Brittnay is re-evaluated for SSI. It just so happen that the
evaluator that SSI sought was the same SLP who worked privately
with B.Michelle several years ago, so she had a frame of
reference. The evaluation results stun and reconfirm what the
parents have always known. B.Michelle scores within the K-1
grade levels for reading and writing and spelling and is
considered to be a candidate for drop out. It is recommended
that the school provide B.Michelle with a lap top computer and
voice to text software as it seems unlikely that Brittnay will
catch up soon. This is the first time the words, "severely
language impaired and severely dyslexia" appear in reports.
Parents pay the first of two
visits to the Superintendent to try and resolve this issue. Once
again, parents are told to wait as teacher and staff observation
report no problems or delays. B.Michelle finishes the third
grade still unable to read, write or spell. Parents refuse to
sign the IEP.
Fourth Grade, Amity Creek
Elementary, Bend La-Pine School District
Where are we now?
Parents come back to the table
and try and get B.Michelle modifications in the classroom as
well as a phonemic awareness program. School only provides whole
language. School made arrangements for parents to borrow lap top
computer with Dragon Dictate software for B.Michelle for one
month trial basis. School refuses to use as they don't see a
need. Program did not work at home, as Dragon Dictate ONLY works
for children with perfect articulation.
School still insists B.Michelle
is a fluent reader. Unhappy with school, parents pay for another
independent evaluation which supports the last. B.Michelle is
STILL reading at a K-1 level across the board. Recommendations
are one hour per day direct to instill phonemic awareness. 5
hrs. per week, 4 x's per month yields a price tag of $700.00 per
month. Parents were given the names of 14 attorneys who advised
parents that it would take anywhere between $10,000. To 50,000.
To pursue Due Process against my school district.
What ever happened to a Free
and Appropriate Education? Why do we have laws like IDEA, ADA
and where is the Office of Civil Rights? I assure you, there is
nothing unusual about B.Michelle. She is your classic child with
dyslexia. This is 1998, we know how to treat this. When will
reading, writing and math become important in Oregon? How low to
out State test scores have to fall before we do something about
this? Who will help these children?
Nowadays, education seems to be
for the rich and famous and not the poor and improvised. Funny,
I don't recall finances being a prerequisite when congress
passed IDEA, ADA and Section 504. I must of missed that part!
______________________________________
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Oregon Parents United Unless Otherwise Noted
All Rights Reserved
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