Discrimination at School
The Situation: Your child with epilepsy is struggling in school. A’s & B’s are becoming C’s. The teacher has begun to complain about bad behavior. The school is very helpful by increasing their communication with you and adding additional supports where they can, but your suggestion of a referral to the child study team is falling on deaf ears. The school feels the issue is social or behavioral. You feel the need for an evaluation to determine if epilepsy and medication side effects might not just be part of the problem.
The Discussion: Any child with a seizure disorder who is taking antiseizure medication and having difficulty in school would benefit from a thorough psychoeducational evaluation through the school or a private institution. And, these evaluations should be carried out more regularly than the norm. Children with epilepsy are at greater risk of having a diagnosable learning disability and may also have weaknesses in attention and concentration, memory, and language that affect their learning. As a result, it is extremely important that a child is tested as soon as concerns arise. Testing will reveal the child’s strengths and weaknesses and based on that, specific school accommodations can be put in place quickly. The sooner these measures are taken, the better chance there is of helping the child have a healthy school career, Unfortunately, many schools are resistant to recognizing seizures and epilepsy as a cause for problems with learning.
It is also not uncommon that budgetary constraints play a role in this unwillingness as well.
The Plan: There are laws in place that provide safeguards against this kind of discrimination. As a parent you have the right to request an evaluation of your child through the school district’s special education department. You will need to make that request in writing. Below are resources that will teach you about the education laws and assist you in preparing for school meetings.
Some parents choose to go to an independent neuropsychologist who specializes in pediatric epilepsy rather than school testing because they seek an “objective” viewpoint and are also aware that this testing will be tailored to the child’s condition. The report and the neuropsychologist him/herself can be present (in person or on the phone) at the school meetings contributing to the decision making process.
• Wrights Law offers a complete guide to education law including the IEP process.
http://wrightslaw.com/
• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
http://idea.ed.gov/
• Sample 504 Accommodation Plans
http://specialchildren.about.com/od/504s/f/504faq1.htm
• The National Center for Learning Disabilities includes information for college students
http://www.ncld.org/
• The National Epilepsy Foundation on Education
http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/living/children/education/
• The Northeast Regional Epilepsy Group Cognitive (Neuropsychological) Services
http://www.epilepsygroup.com/info4-11/diagnostic-services.htm#4