I have 4 boy's and my # 3 son was born at 26 weeks gestation age, I knew that he COULD have learning problems when he got older because of his early birth. He was put in Early Intervention right within the same week he was discharged from the NICU @ Rainbow Babies and Childrens Hospital. I was lucky that he was getting help early on. By the time he turned 4 he was so behind with a lot of skills, his speech was at a 18 month old's ability, I just knew something was not right.I had my son tested at age 4 by a neuropsychologist at the Cleveland Clinic. His pediatrician thought that he just might be Autistic or have Asperger syndrome and referred us to have a qualified specialest see him. It was a very lengthy prosses with his testing and in the end he was found to have ADHD combined type along with Apraxia that effects his speech and fine motor skills. He gets good grades in school and we rarely have issues with his ADHD. He is on an IEP to get the help he needs to stay on tasks during school.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is what you need to check out with your schools district. I am in Ohio and I have a currant copy of the Who's IDEA booklet.
They( school district) should be able to provide you with a copy of the Whose IDEA is This? A resource Guide for Parents booklet. In it it explains how you go about getting your child a Multifactorial Evaluation to see if they qualify for IEP.
I believe that they are wrong telling you that if he is found to not Qualify for help if you have an MFE done then you can not have him re tested till 2 years later. If you do not agree with a finding of NOT ELIGIBLE then you can request an independent educational evaluation or you can request a DUE Process hearing. My sister had her son tested 3 years straight with no luck, the last test they did the said he did not qualify and she requested a Independent evaluation be done and 3 day's later she got a call from the school telling her that they were qualifying her son for "OTHER health Impairment" and he was able to get help finally!
Also if you can, check out books at your library. Look for books that help give information to parents on childrens education or learning disabilities or even an IEP. One good one that I have read is By Lawrence M Siegel called Nolo's IEP Guide: Learning Disabilities
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