Being told your student is “Too Smart” for an IEP/Special Education- and knowing your students rights.

Recently I was honored with the immense privilege of being invited to speak at the ribbon cutting ceremony of the new location of the Independent Living Center of the Hudson Valley which was also a celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The ILCHV is near and dear to my heart because they were my first line of hope when I was struggling to get my son the supports he needed and deserved in his educational setting. It was truly a full circle moment, being able to honor Dominic Merante, my first caregiver/ student advocate and join forces in ally-ship now as a parent advocate with The Empowerment Project. It was particularly powerful moment because I was able to share it with my son in the room. He is the inspiration for everything i do.

I am attaching my speech here as I think it addresses many issues that need to be confronted head on.

We must do better!

My name is Megan Ross Penderleith and I am a resident of Hudson and the proud Mom to an amazing neuro spicy kid, my 8 year old son Ozzy!

Let me first start by saying- I am not a public speaker.

In fact, public speaking is my greatest fear, but Moms have the unique ability to overcome just about anything when it comes down to helping our children- so here I am.

I was first introduced to Dominic Marante and The Center for Independent Living several years ago when I was first beginning my journey to advocate for my son.

I was desperate for help and did not know where to turn.

Educational advocates are prohibitively expensive and I didn't feel I had any reasonable options.

So, I reached out to Christine Bower, the director of the Starting Place, the amazing little school housed in our Hudson public library. My son attended TSP for 1 year and it was life changing for him, so I knew if anyone would know where I could turn, it would be Christine.

I was right.

She put me in touch with Dominic and he was my lifeline during a very scary time in my son's educational journey.

He was kind, understanding, knowledgable, connected and genuinely wanted to help.

Having his knowledge and support meant everything.

We were told that Ozzy was "too smart" for special education, based on his high cognition and academic scores- that he tested too high to need supports.

Unfortunately this is a fallacy that is wrongfully perpetuated in many schools. That a child has to be failing in order to qualify for an IEP.

This is not true.

The IDEA clearly states that it protects children that have both high cognition and a disability that impacts their education. Academics are not the only reason a child can qualify for an IEP.

My son is exceptional, like all of our children.

But he is actually Twice Exceptional, or 2e for short.

These kids are one of the most misunderstood and under supported student populations because of the lack of knowledge and training devoted to their needs.

These students have varying disabilities.

In my sons case Autism 1, ADHD, and General Anxiety, but he also has very high cognition otherwise referred to as "Gifted".

These students are on both sides of the bell curve- doubly different from the norm. They need supports on both ends -support for their struggles related to their disability but also support for their advanced abilities- as they directly impact each other.

Asynchronous development is key to understanding these students needs- it refers to a mismatch in the rates at which a child grows across different developmental domains—cognitive, emotional, social, physical, and functional.

This Asynchronous development is especially common among twice-exceptional (2e) learners, whose advanced intellectual abilities often coexist with lagging skills in other areas that require direct instruction and skill building - such as executive function, social skills and emotional regulation for example.

A Twice Exceptional 10 year old student learner might read at a college level, experience emotions with toddler-like intensity, and still need help tying their shoes. This complexity often causes confusion and misinterpretation, both at home and in school and can lead to anxiety, depression and a negative self concept if not properly supported.

These are all qualifying areas that can and should be addressed in an IEP.

I can't tell you the looks of confusion I get from parents and teachers alike- that somehow they didn't know that was possible- to be both gifted and have a disability.

It is, in fact, very possible.

And, unfortunately, a lot more common than what is identified in our schools.

But when you think about it, there are a lot of 2e individuals out there that are very well known.

Helen Keller, Albert Einstein, Temple Grandin, Nikola Tesla, Stephen Hawking, Thomas Edison, Simone Biles, and on and on.

Twice-exceptional individuals are found within every socioeconomic, cultural, racial, and ethnic population and are present in most of our school classrooms.They have exceptional abilities that span, the arts, science, math, and so much more.

NYS does require that parents and guardians be notified IF their child is identified as “possibly gifted.”, but that rarely happens because there is no training in gifted identification.

And although New York is 1 of less than 10 states that has no state mandate for gifted education, the IDEA does protect kids like my son who are gifted, if they have a co occurring disability that impacts their education. This is extremely important to make clear.

I urge everyone to look further into Twice Exceptional students.

These kids need and deserve to be identified, recognized, and properly supported.

We, as a state, must do better.

And now that my son is finally being properly supported holistically in his educational environment, both having his curriculum differentiated for his advanced ability levels as well as supports for his areas of struggle- he is thriving.

And because he feels safe and supported, I can share my knowledge and my time with others in the community through my new project-The Empowerment Project.

My mission is to bring Support, Education and Community to caregivers so that they have the tools to feel empowered to self advocate on behalf of their student.

Through free Community events, educational workshops, as well as offering one on one individualized empowerment sessions, I am hoping to make navigating the Special Education system more accessible.

This is an entire world that we as caregivers are left to navigate seemingly alone, but there are so many resources out there that most caregivers are completely unaware of.

This journey is isolating and it's overwhelming and many caregivers just give up and trust that their students school is going to do what is needed.

Caregivers don't know the laws.

They don't know their parental rights and student rights. They don't know their options.

Thats where I want to help.

After years of advocacy I have so much information to share, in order to save other caregivers the time that is required to do the research alone.

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So today I am here as a peer and as an ally in advocacy and I couldn't ask to be in better company.

Thank you to The Independent Living Center of the Hudson Valley for all that you do to advocate , to educate, and to support.

And thank you to Dominic, for planting the seed and starting me on this incredibly meaningful journey.

With so much gratitude- Thank you.