Preparing for an Evaluation - Gathering Phase

First we had our second IFSP meeting about six months after the first. Shortly thereafter we had our transition meeting to talk about the steps necessary to transition from early intervention services to the evaluation necessary to see if Ava will qualify for services from the school district.

The evaluation is supposed to take place within three months of the transition meeting and the IEP meeting (if one is necessary) should be held within 30 days of the evaluation. So a clock is ticking. Before the evaluation is held, the evaluation team has to gather a lot of information. They get information from Ava's school (her current daycare teachers). They get information from her early intervention speech therapist and occupational therapist. They get information from the Parents as Teachers program about the screenings they've done. At the transition meeting I signed a lot of forms authorizing the release of information from one person or organization to the school district so that they can begin to gather all of that information.

Of course, nothing ever goes easily and smoothly. They need to know one very simple piece of information. They want to know if Ava can hear. We know she can. When they put the tubes in her ears they did an ABR when she was still under sedation and she passed. I need to find that paperwork and get it to the school district. The ENT's office says that the hospital will have those records. So, I called the hospital and they won't even tell me if they have the information I want until I sign a release form. The release form that I got in the mail today lists several types of information I could be requesting, but the results of a hearing test is not on the form. What a pain. I just need a person to look at a folder and tell me that they have that piece of paper. Then I need to give them permission to send a copy of that piece of paper to someone else. I haven't figured out how to accomplish that yet.

I'm half tempted to just ask the Parents as Teachers program to re-screen her hearing and send that paperwork to the school district rather that try to figure out how to get the hospital to give me what I want. However, knowing my daughter, that wouldn't be simple either. It's always something isn't it?