Anyone use an HSLDA special needs coordinator?

[Twinmom]

I'm feeling a wee bit overwhelmed ;) with teaching my four special needs kiddos and have been considering using the HSLDA special needs coordinators as a resource. Has anyone else tried these ladies? Good/bad experiences? What can I expect?

Thanks!

[Sandi_NC]

Hi Jennifer ~

Just wanted to say Hi ... and that I'm interested in your question as well. My youngest daughter is struggling with learning disabilities and I had considered contacting HSLDA too, but haven't as of yet. Our children came to us through adoption as well!

Blessings,
Sandi

[Twinmom]

Hi, Sandy!

[Twinmom]

Really, no one? Should I take that as a sign?

[MicheleB]

All I can say is that I called them to consult, left a message, and never heard back from anyone. I think I may have also sent an inquiring email. I wasn't sure I wanted to have to chase someone to have my questions answered, KWIM? I was a member of HSLDA at the time. But I don't want that to be your deciding factor... it's just what happened here.

[LisaTheresa]

I went to a talk given by the woman who was in charge of special needs at HSDLA. I can't remember her name, but I was thoroughly unimpressed. The only helpful information I came away with was that you can rent the WISC from HSDLA for $100 if you are a member. That was probably 5 years ago though, so maybe things have changed and there are others running the show now.

Lisa

[VinNY]

Same here. I left a message and didn't get a return call until 3 weeks later. I wasn't home to take the call. I found the information on their site to be helpful though. I have been doing Dianne Craft's 'brain gym' exercises for 14 weeks and have seen a difference with my dtr's reading. I do have a friend some years back that received money from HSLDA to help with private testing.
Virginia

[Twinmom]

Thanks, ladies. The website makes it sounds as though they can be very helpful, but I guess I won't hold out much hope.

Truthfully, this was a last straw sort of effort, anyway. As much as I love the concept of homeschooling for my kids, the actual day to day isn't working out so well for us due to the variety of special needs/personalities my kids have. We literally NEVER finish the day, everyone is squabbling, etc. Someone or everyone is probably going back to school in the fall, unfortunately. On the plus side, it is a good private school for kids with special needs, so they may actually get more of what they need there than they will with me.

:sad:

[chiguirre]

Seton has a special needs department. I haven't used it, but I liked what I saw. Although Seton is a Catholic school, the textbooks for sn students are, apparently, secular. It might be helpful.

http://www.setonhome.org/ld.shtml

[Renee in FL]

Seton has a special needs department. I haven't used it, but I liked what I saw. Although Seton is a Catholic school, the textbooks for sn students are, apparently, secular. It might be helpful.

http://www.setonhome.org/ld.shtml

I talked to someone locally here who has used Seton for her children and she was impressed with both the help and the materials they received. I have thought of using this option sometime in the future.

[Twinmom]

Thanks, that sounds interesting! I'll look into it.

[Jeannie in NJ]

Twinmom,

I ended up sending my special needs (hearing loss and moderate to severe learning delays) to a special ed. class at local school. He started in the class last year for 5th grade (age 11, now 12). He is in the same class this year for 6th, with the same teacher. She uses special hearing equipment. It is the same group of kids from last year, a total of 9 students and either 3 or 4 aides. My son loves it and is doing well. Everyone at the school is really wonderful with him. Many days, my son just goes into the principal's office and eats lunch with her. They are also fine if he ever has to miss days, no problem at all.

I sent him to school because I could not teach my other child (dd,) with ds around, he was too disruptive and it also took forever to teach my son. It was killing our mother-son relationship. We now have a great relationship.

I am only telling you this because you mentioned maybe sending one or some of your dc to school. If you do, be sure to ask for anything you want in the IEP. For example, it was important to me that the bus pick up and drop off in front of my house as ds is the type to just go up to a stranger's car and start talking to them (no matter how many times I have warned him not to) so I did not want him dropped off at the corner far from my house.

[Twinmom]

Thanks, Jeannie. Good ideas!

I'm thinking about sending my eldest back to school as her severe meltdowns and oppositional behavior often keep me from doing school with the younger two. What you said about the mother/child relationship really resonates with me. We are struggling together and I hate that we aren't getting along most days. It hurts a lot. I feel like I'm failing my other kids academically and I hate that they are picking up on her negative behaviors (not that they don't come up with enough of their own, but still...:glare:). She IS getting better and we are getting to the bottom of things, but I don't want to have her remember our relationship as so conflictual if I don't have to.

Bummer all around.

[DB in NJ]

different experience here. i called and got someone right away. she spent over an HOUR on the phone with me, sent me a few emails, prayed for me, and gave me a ton of info to look over. -- this was hslda i'm talking about, not Seton.

they were very helpful, very responsive.

[Twinmom]

Donna, that's really great to hear! I hope I'll have the same experience with them when/if they call! I'll post back and let you all know.

[knoxhomemommy]

I also found them very helpful and informative. Don't wait until August to call. They get many calls as school starts back so it takes longer to get a response.

[scrapbookbuzz]

Please keep in mind, too, everyone, that regardless of the HOW by which you choose to school your kiddos (public, private, home, etc), federal law in the United States mandates that you are allowed to benefit from the local school district's access to help/assistance for special needs kids. And, by law, the school district is required to help you, regardless of your chosen method of education. And should you contact them this year for the first time ever in regards to special needs testing, do NOT let them try to talk you into waiting 'til the fall just because this is the end of the school year. I had the school psychologist at our nearest public school try to pull this on me. But after she talked with the school district they told her, "No. You will do it now. We don't care if a family calls you on the last day of school. You'll get started now." My school district definitely won points with me on that one!

HTH!

As for having several kiddos with sn, do not think you are doing them a disservice by putting them in a 'brick and mortar' school if it really is focused in on their needs. It's okay for them to be there, mom. Really! :^)

[Renee in FL]

Please keep in mind, too, everyone, that regardless of the HOW by which you choose to school your kiddos (public, private, home, etc), federal law in the United States mandates that you are allowed to benefit from the local school district's access to help/assistance for special needs kids. And, by law, the school district is required to help you, regardless of your chosen method of education. And should you contact them this year for the first time ever in regards to special needs testing, do NOT let them try to talk you into waiting 'til the fall just because this is the end of the school year. I had the school psychologist at our nearest public school try to pull this on me. But after she talked with the school district they told her, "No. You will do it now. We don't care if a family calls you on the last day of school. You'll get started now." My school district definitely won points with me on that one!

HTH!

As for having several kiddos with sn, do not think you are doing them a disservice by putting them in a 'brick and mortar' school if it really is focused in on their needs. It's okay for them to be there, mom. Really! :^)

They have to provide testing, but not services. Whether you can get services for special needs dc while homeschooling depends on the state.

[Twinmom]

Fortunately for us, we have very good insurance and a decent income, so private services and evaluations have been readily available to our kiddos. We've found excellent services in this area, which has made home schooling so much easier. Our luck with the school system ended when our kids got out of preschool...ECI was available, but apparently they only have to provide actual services to school aged (5 and up) home school kiddos when they "have room," after the public school kids are served. They didn't have room for us, so no more speech therapy!

I am an LCSW myself, so finding outside services has been fairly easy. Another blessing from God has been finding the private school we are meeting with today. They are not specifically designed for special needs children but they ARE set up to accommodate them. The best of both worlds! "Mainstreamed" for most of the day with their same age peers but with the ability to work on their own personal level for skills-based subjects like math and language arts...sounds perfect to me! We meet with the principal today to see if the fit will be good for my eldest two. Our O.T. feels pretty strongly that the younger two need to be at home, so we'll probably be sending back two and home schooling two, at least for next year.

Still have not heard from the HSLDA special needs coordinators. I contacted them the day I started the thread, so according to their website they are not "late" yet!