IEP and diapers

[Peony]

I know my kid is not the only one that is on a IEP and not potty trained. Did you have diapering written in? How was it handled? We are going round with the school district and then the preschool that does not accept children in diapers. DS1 has ASD and potty training is not on his radar. I finally got a "team" meeting for next week but no one is going over my options. Any experience with labeling a preschooler as "disabled"?

[Drummer's Wife]

What about a 504 plan? My DS had an IEP, but eventually qualified for a 504 plan due to health related issues. I think that's the big difference between the two. IEP is more learning disabilities (and stuff like speech, OT, etc.) where a 504 is good if it's a physical or health thing. They have to accommodate, regardless, even when it's a "potty trained only" program.

[Peony]

Ok. So maybe I need to ask for him to have a 504 along with his IEP. His IEP is written only for speech issues. The school district has been less then helpful during this entire process so I am trying to arm myself of what to push for since they are not volunteering any information. It was all I could do to finally get them to agree to this meeting. Fun times! 

[fairejour]

What is his category of qualification for his IEP? If it is ASD, you can write it in. If it is just speech, you'll need to change it in order to add something like that.

[KCMichigan]

Originally Posted by Peony 

I know my kid is not the only one that is on a IEP and not potty trained. Did you have diapering written in? How was it handled? We are going round with the school district and then the preschool that does not accept children in diapers. DS1 has ASD and potty training is not on his radar. I finally got a "team" meeting for next week but no one is going over my options. Any experience with labeling a preschooler as "disabled"?

I had DD2 on an IEP from age 3-5 as a preschooler. She was potty trained but got OT & PT at preschool. Her IEP was done through the local public school at age 3- I requested an evaluation/testing. 

Her twin DD1 was on nothing and was not potty-trained at all due to medical reasons. We talked about a 504 for her, but since the preschool was so accommodating- it was not needed. It was a 3 hr program and to be honest was rarely an issue during that time.  

Both DDs were in a preschool of  with kiddos with Spec. Needs and At-Risk. The teacher was FABULOUS and DD1 had one restroom break at 1.5 hours into preschool and that was that. She wore pull-ups.

Originally Posted by Drummer's Wife 

What about a 504 plan?They have to accommodate, regardless, even when it's a "potty trained only" program.

Yes, a 504 would cover medical issues. It covers any impairment that affects 'self-care skills'. It has legal heft and is required for any child that has a disability of any kind that would impact daily life. 

 

My suggestion would be to do a written request for evaluation for ASD through the schools (or if you have outside eval see if they will accept it). The school then have about 30 days to evaluate and see if they need to adjust his IEP. 

If you have an IEP and want to add a medical health care plan- you can do so. Be prepared to provide medical documentation for potty training (if it is physical, emotional, developmental that is causing the lack of Potty training, etc) from a Doctor. 

Clearly state what your DS needs in the letter from a Dr ( X  needs to be taken to the restroom every _____ hours. He needs assistance from an adult in changing. X should have a private restroom with his supplies within_____ minutes of his classroom., etc). Very explicit.

My DD2 is still not potty trained and she is 6.75. She is otherwise fully functional in the classroom. Her school has been great- as long as we provide medical documentation. She gets a restroom break every 2 hours and has paraprofessional assistance.  She has a 504 (since she is not eligible for an IEP since her disability does not impact her academic success). It was as simple as requesting a meeting to discuss it, making sure I had a medical letter of her needs, and filling out the 504 paperwork. The school is then legally required to fulfill the 504 requirements. Schools HAVE TO allow 504s. A school may not tell you they 'do not do them'.

What kind of preschool setting is it? A private preschool can turn away a child that is not potty trained. Public funding should take any student with a disability. The school system should also have a preschool for students with special needs if needed.

Look at the website www.wrightslaw.com for information on your DS, his rights, eligibility for a 504/IEP, and other great information.

[34me]

I think I recall that you are looking at private preschools because public is not available in your rural area? Unfortunately, I believe the pp is correct. Any publicly funded preschool has to accept your child regardless of potty training status; a private preschool does not.

[Peony]

Yep, public preschool does not exist here. Well, the school district accepts a limited number of four year olds for a program but there is nothing for a three year old. We are left to find our own private preschool, work out all the details ourselves, and then the school district will pay the school. To say that this has been frustrating would be an understatement. Preschools are very limited, they are in high demand, most have a 1-3 year wait list so I can not just shop around. The two schools that I did manage to get in, neither one has diaper changing facilities and can not legally accept him. If this was one of my other kids then I would just say oh well but he needs to be around other children. His IEP was written four months ago and he was dxed as ASD through a Children's Hospital after that. He presents very atypical, we had to to go through two evals there even. the school district went as far as to tell the Developmental Pedi that there was nothing wrong with DS1 other then a general speech delay so I do not have high hopes that they would eval him as ASD.