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1. The IEP is a written statement prepared for many of the children that we assess in the various placement facilities. When considered appropriate, a child is involved in an IEP that is developed by representatives of the local educational agency, teacher, parents, and the child, when deemed necessary, The IEP includes a statement of the present levels of the educational performance of the child and also includes a statement of specific educational services which are to be provided. Many of the children that we evaluate are provided with an IEP to ascertain if they qualify for SED (Seriously Emotionally Disturbed) educational programming. The IEP team, in writing, documents the child’s educational treatment needs that support the recommendation for placement in SED programming.
2. It is my experience that virtually all of the children that we deal with in the placement facilities would qualify for SED scholastic programming due to the nature of their emotional status. These children have specific needs that typically cannot be met in a regular classroom setting. Many of our children are quite depressed and also have considerable other psychopathology present that makes it quite difficult for them to handle a regular classroom setting and as a result, need more structure and closer observation than is available in the regular classroom. When we are assessing children for the possibility of placing them in an SED program, then certainly we need to emphasize the pathology that appears in our assessment.
3. The emphasis of the pathology needs to be noted in the text of the report, as well as in the diagnosis and recommendations to be made for the child in question. The diagnosis certainly should be consistent with the text of your report. Using a diagnosis of adjustment disorders or conduct disorders will likely disqualify the youth for SED programming since these diagnoses are commonly used for children with acting-out behavioral problems and, as a result, would not qualify for SED programming. It has also been the experience that children who manifest adjustment disorders and/or conduct disorders typically are acting-out a rather core depression that they experience. If this is indeed appropriate for the youngsters that you assess, then certainly this core depression should be emphasized in your report, as well as in your diagnosis and recommendations. Many of our youngsters have a history of suicidal ideation and/or attempts and this also needs to be emphasized throughout the report as these youngsters are certainly in need of quite close observation and supervision and need as much structure as possible. These youngsters most certainly need to be in the SED program and, at length, in your recommendations section of your report, you need to delineate this. It is quite appropriate to talk of the child’s sense of helplessness, hopelessness and valuelessness which renders them quite depressed and, as a result, in need of SED programming.
4. Both affective and cognitive psychopathologies would qualify for SED programming. Hence, not only depressive youths but also youths who are suffering from some thought disorder also qualify for SED programming and this needs to be thoroughly delineated in the text of your report, as well as diagnosis and recommendations. These children who evidence a thought disorder certainly need the increased structure and observation that SED programming affords. Another issue which qualifies for SED programming is that the youngster experiences considerable interpersonal difficulties. Relationships with peers are typically impaired and this, too, needs to be emphasized in your report. These youths certainly need resocialization training and this would be an important part of their psychotherapeutic treatment in their program. Also due to difficulty with interpersonal relationships, these children need increased structure and observation.
5. Youths suffering from any severe anxiety disorder, including a post-traumatic stress disorder, would also qualify for SED programming, as the increased structure and observation of the SED program would allay the child’s anxiety and this would also need to be emphasized.
6. There are key phrases to use in your report, when appropriate, to help qualify a youth for SED programming. If the child is indeed in need of a "small, structured setting," then certainly note such in your recommendations and also note if the child needs "direct supervision." Certainly, this would afford the child more structure and help allay any sense of helplessness that the child often feels.
7. If a child has a history of involvement in considerable violence and/or his primary difficulty has been of an impulse dyscontrol nature, then this likely would disqualify the child for SED programming, unless, again, this is a manifestation of another underlying pathology, which would certainly need to be noted.
8. Many of the children that we evaluate have considerable problems in terms of chemical dependency and this can certainly be stressed in your report. However, if chemical dependency is a primary, if not even singular diagnosis, then perhaps this would disqualify a child for SED. One would then have to assess if a chemical dependency was perhaps based on any of effective or cognitive pathology and if so, then documented in your diagnosis and recommendations. As an example, many of our children who are chemically dependent have been involved in substance abuse due to depression and essentially have become substance abusers to self-medicate their depression. This could certainly be documented and an appropriate diagnosis would be of an affective disorder in association with substance abuse.
Perhaps a few examples would be appropriate in terms of how a portion of the recommendations section could read: (1) John is a youth who manifests considerable depression and given to occasional suicidal ideation. Although not currently suicidal. he is in need of a scholastic program offering as much structure and direct supervision as possible to help provide close observation, as well as help allay his depression. John experiences a considerable sense of helplessness, hopelessness, and valuelessness. He is in need of close supervision for his own safety and protection regarding his marked depression and as a result, placement in the SED scholastic program is most warranted. (2) John is seen as being quite emotionally labile and unpredictable, He may experience some ego disorganization and needs as much structure and direct supervision as can be afforded from external sources to help allay his sense of ego disorganization. As a result, John definitely needs to be involved in the SED scholastic programming and this is highly advisable.
9. There are certainly a myriad of other recommendations that can be made appropriately so. This is to serve only as a guideline for recommending SED programming for the children we assess, when deemed appropriate.
If you have any further questions, certainly contact us and we will provide any assistance that we can.
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