Yesterday was the ARD meeting. I believe it was the second one for the year as the first one was when we formally requested a re-assessment evaluation for an Autism Spectrum Dx addition to his IEP.
We had been given the findings report during the weekend so we'd gone over that and I had spoken with the school Psychologist as well since, so I knew we were getting the diagnosis added. Weight off my mind. Last time we tried was his first go around in 1st Grade and we were denied. Or rather, they found things...but not that were affecting him "academically"...therein is the rub!
This time tho, we all were in agreement. So we simply proceeded to the new accommodations for him. He also received a Speech addition now that he is older, it had become more evident that his prosody and pragmatics need help and there are a few letter sounds to work on as well. We absolutely agreed. The OT had some suggestions and findings as well relating to his fine motor...again, agreed.
In all we added quite a bit to his IEP. Speech twice a week, notes given on a sheet of paper at his desk vs only the overhead or board as transfer of information is rough for him. My husband and the Diagnostician also pushed for a calculator addendum to be put in..not necessarily for NOW, since math fact fluency is something he needs to get, and we are working on...but just to HAVE it there so its one less thing to fight for later on. We also added in frequent breaks during testing....small group testing vs entire class...and trascribing (he writes his answers on the test itself vs the scantron..which can be tough for him and cause additional anxiety). Some things about social interactions...lunch buddies, giving him jobs that are seen as important so his peers see him as important and competent, etc.
All in all we tried to lessen the level of anxiety he feels in class, prepare him for the inevitable testing, oral presentation, and social interactions that WILL be part of the higher elementary grades he is now part of. I think it went very well, and everyone present had nothing but nice things to say about him...how gentle he is and how sweet...how interested he is in pleasing the teachers. I know that to be true since he lives to play by the rules in general. But it is nice to hear!
Now we head out to conquer the rest of 3rd Grade and hope the things we enact help, and the results are good!
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Monday, December 17, 2012
He has Asperger's, too...
So, its Monday. Not really any other..."oh gross its Monday." Monday's, either. It is the Monday after one of the WORST weekends my country has ever had. Children were brutally slain, by a young man...for unknown reasons. Young ones, their teachers, their Principal...their protectors in school. Slain for unknown reasons.
In the quest to FIND reasons in really what I feel is an utterly UNreasonable situation, America is dissecting the gunman. His family, his life, his conditions, his upbringing, his experiences. That is what we do. Some people make careers out of it...profilers I think they're called. The rest of us "amateurs" just want to understand, as tho IF we understood...it would change anything. Make us feel safer. Make this make "sense". Um, no.
Now, the "A" word is starting to make the rounds in the media, and likely as a result, at water coolers around the Nation this Monday of all Mondays. "Autism" "Asperger's"...the kid had it, didn't he? Some talking head said so, some law officer or DA or investigator or some "official" at the scene. The A word must be part of this puzzle...or indeed that one last piece that was hiding under the sofa cushion driving you insane because you cannot complete your picture without it.
I can hear it now, first probably just whispers "Well you know my friend has a nephew that has IT...and my friend said the kid is kinda, you know...quiet and strange." Maybe there's a nod and sidelong glance to see if anyone is dissenting or worried about the tone of the convo. If there isn't, it might get more interesting mightn't it? More JUICY. "Well I don't like to say it, but I heard a lot of kids with Autism are aggressive as hell. They'll slap you or punch you if you so much as make eye contact. That is why they don't look at you. That is how you can tell someone has it...I mean besides all the other weird stuff they do. Some of them are darned smart tho, and that makes them even scarier if you ask me." So it will go on and things will descend in a more and more sordid account of what the A word is, how people with IT, act and what their futures are likely to be.
Well, now! Ain't we a tolerant society, quick to embrace our fellow man...even if he is different. Um, No. No, we're not. I think the past elections made that ABUNDANTLY clear don't you? I think the already existent lines and walls and borders we have drawn around groups of people based on things like politics, religion, sex, gender, mental acuity, ability to "pass for normal"...makes that pretty evident. So, now people with Autism...anywhere along its vast and varied spectrum. are to be lumped in with a man who kills children. How...very "American" of us!
I have a son on the spectrum. He is 9 now. He was diagnosed with Asperger's and ADHD as a 1st Grader, outside diagnosis that we paid for when he kept having issues with impulse control and sitting still in class...and was receiving almost daily bad marks in his communicator as a result. It was a lengthy, tiring process that I won't go into here, tho it is detailed elsewhere in my blog. Needless to say the result was just as I wrote, I have a son on the Autism Spectrum.
He is in 3rd Grade now, having done 1st twice, and just this year his social and academic limitations have gotten him the official A word on his school treatment plan. That took time to get...they do not hand the A word out like candy on Halloween. For many reasons...one likely being that as we begin to see now, once it is "out" that you have the A word, boy are you hanging yer butt out there to be kicked. Not just by the system or your peers...but apparently by the media and the water-cooler and social media crowd as well. FUN!
I wanted to share my son with you guys...in pictures. Because I want you folks to understand that Autism is a Spectrum...and the children and teens and young adults on it, are as varied as snowflakes. No, they do not all have amazing genius hiding under strangeness. Some are just average, some well below. No, they do not all grunt instead of speaking or use fancy flowery language at age 5. No they do not all have no concept of humor or never smile. No, they do not all rock back and forth or scratch themselves or pull their own hair when stressed or to calm. They all have SOME things in common and just as many unique to them. Just like non spectrum people a room full of A word folks can have infinite combinations of personality traits, some exaggerated to the point of caricature, others so subtle you'd have to be TOLD they were there.
This is my son, on Monday...today. He is not wanting to get up for school.
Ah! I have managed to get him up, mostly. LOL! He always gets up, goes to the restroom, then brushes his teeth...while I lay out his clothes. Then he returns to dress and I put on his socks for him. We do it, just this way...every single morning. He likes routine...but so do a lot of us. ESPECIALLY, first thing in the morning.
See...we made it to the breakfast table! Here he is taking his Concerta before school. It helps him concentrate and control his need to constantly be in motion. He knows what they are, how they help, and as you can see...he is a morning person...once you get him out of bed! Some A Word people can, and do...smile and show happiness and be silly too....because they are all individuals. What do you take before work? Coffee? Aspirin? Xanax? ;)
This is my son waiting to leave for school. He is watching Youtube videos. Videos of a man who works at a car dealership and makes video tours of every car they get in stock. My son loves these and they are the only thing he watches on Youtube. Violence, even of a cartoon nature...scares him. Until he turned 8, his favorite shows were Dora and Diego and Spongebob. He still loves the sponge...but who doesn't? :) Yes, some A Word people have special interests they indulge in to decompress. They tend to talk a lot about them and have a hard time with subject change. But in our house special interest time is structured, limited and we encourage always...participation in family chats and activities.
This is my son at a street festival we go to every year. He remembers this statue and likes to sit next to him and mug and make faces for my camera...every year. Some A Word folks...have a decent grasp on humor and can alter their facial expressions to suit that grasp. My son likes jokes, even if the more subtle one's go over his head. He can tell when I laugh at something he does it means I am happy and he likes to see me, and others happy.
This is my son with a 3 week old puppy. We raised Beagles for several years here. His gentleness with the fragile puppies was admirable...considering, A Word or no...he is still a young boy. They taught him that ALL living things can feel, be hurt, and give and receive affection if it is properly given.
This is my son with HIS Beagle. He chose her himself...and they are very happy together. He feeds her every day as part of a chore list he is responsible for. He bestows love and affection on her, often...and whenever she is in trouble with me (as Beagles often are actually lol.) she runs to him to shelter her.
This is my son with his sister...on vacation in DC. He spent a 10 day stretch with us, a long road trip...daily adventures with tons of walking and novel sounds and experiences. He rode the Metro with aplomb and soaked in the atmosphere and sweltered in the heat. He went in to art galleries and museums and behaved properly. Some A Word folks, are more than capable of managing new scenarios and experiences without meltdowns and yelling or tantrums...IF their support team/family knows how to manage and present things. There is no reason for A Word folks to have to be isolated or not experience the same things any other person would...it just has to be presented differently, and the WORLD, needs to allow that.
This is my son, loving on me. Some A Word people are VERY capable of expressing unprompted affection. If they feel safe, if they feel it will be accepted. They experiment and test it out, to see that it is not scary...that it will not be pressed upon them or that they will be ordered to give it. Affection from A Word people is a true honor because it is never faked, for politeness sake, or merely out of habit. It is real and heartfelt and it means you are very special and safe for them.
This is my son, playing car with his Daddy. Some A Word people are very capable of some form of imaginary play. Especially centered around their special interests. Note the Frisbee wheel? lol...
This is my son, wearing feathers on Thanksgiving. He helped us do the crafts and enjoyed it. Some A Word folks...enjoy being part of a safe group and doing things together. He and his sister are very close and he plays with her and trusts her not to ask too much of him.
Don't mistake any of the above for an attempt to say my son is "normal". He is not...not that any outside person would accept as such. He hums, makes beeping car noises to himself. He wrings his hands and leans side to side. He darts glances or looks past your shoulder instead of into your eyes, he touches novel flooring and interrogates rather than has conversations. He doesn't give a rip about other children or people unless they come into his space and present themselves properly. He has no idea WHAT to say when unknown people ask him to play or his opinion...unless he is given a script to follow. He has Asperger's...he IS Asperger's. But, he is also a snowflake...different from likely anyone else on Earth...like we ALL are. He does not deserve to be mentioned in the same breath with a killer, or dissected by water cooler talk, he is what he is. A loved member of a dedicated family that bears ultimate responsibility for the man he will some day become...and we understand that. Just as I hope that EVERY parent out there, understands that. Thanks for reading...and please do feel free to share this post.
In the quest to FIND reasons in really what I feel is an utterly UNreasonable situation, America is dissecting the gunman. His family, his life, his conditions, his upbringing, his experiences. That is what we do. Some people make careers out of it...profilers I think they're called. The rest of us "amateurs" just want to understand, as tho IF we understood...it would change anything. Make us feel safer. Make this make "sense". Um, no.
Now, the "A" word is starting to make the rounds in the media, and likely as a result, at water coolers around the Nation this Monday of all Mondays. "Autism" "Asperger's"...the kid had it, didn't he? Some talking head said so, some law officer or DA or investigator or some "official" at the scene. The A word must be part of this puzzle...or indeed that one last piece that was hiding under the sofa cushion driving you insane because you cannot complete your picture without it.
I can hear it now, first probably just whispers "Well you know my friend has a nephew that has IT...and my friend said the kid is kinda, you know...quiet and strange." Maybe there's a nod and sidelong glance to see if anyone is dissenting or worried about the tone of the convo. If there isn't, it might get more interesting mightn't it? More JUICY. "Well I don't like to say it, but I heard a lot of kids with Autism are aggressive as hell. They'll slap you or punch you if you so much as make eye contact. That is why they don't look at you. That is how you can tell someone has it...I mean besides all the other weird stuff they do. Some of them are darned smart tho, and that makes them even scarier if you ask me." So it will go on and things will descend in a more and more sordid account of what the A word is, how people with IT, act and what their futures are likely to be.
Well, now! Ain't we a tolerant society, quick to embrace our fellow man...even if he is different. Um, No. No, we're not. I think the past elections made that ABUNDANTLY clear don't you? I think the already existent lines and walls and borders we have drawn around groups of people based on things like politics, religion, sex, gender, mental acuity, ability to "pass for normal"...makes that pretty evident. So, now people with Autism...anywhere along its vast and varied spectrum. are to be lumped in with a man who kills children. How...very "American" of us!
I have a son on the spectrum. He is 9 now. He was diagnosed with Asperger's and ADHD as a 1st Grader, outside diagnosis that we paid for when he kept having issues with impulse control and sitting still in class...and was receiving almost daily bad marks in his communicator as a result. It was a lengthy, tiring process that I won't go into here, tho it is detailed elsewhere in my blog. Needless to say the result was just as I wrote, I have a son on the Autism Spectrum.
He is in 3rd Grade now, having done 1st twice, and just this year his social and academic limitations have gotten him the official A word on his school treatment plan. That took time to get...they do not hand the A word out like candy on Halloween. For many reasons...one likely being that as we begin to see now, once it is "out" that you have the A word, boy are you hanging yer butt out there to be kicked. Not just by the system or your peers...but apparently by the media and the water-cooler and social media crowd as well. FUN!
I wanted to share my son with you guys...in pictures. Because I want you folks to understand that Autism is a Spectrum...and the children and teens and young adults on it, are as varied as snowflakes. No, they do not all have amazing genius hiding under strangeness. Some are just average, some well below. No, they do not all grunt instead of speaking or use fancy flowery language at age 5. No they do not all have no concept of humor or never smile. No, they do not all rock back and forth or scratch themselves or pull their own hair when stressed or to calm. They all have SOME things in common and just as many unique to them. Just like non spectrum people a room full of A word folks can have infinite combinations of personality traits, some exaggerated to the point of caricature, others so subtle you'd have to be TOLD they were there.
This is my son, on Monday...today. He is not wanting to get up for school.
Ah! I have managed to get him up, mostly. LOL! He always gets up, goes to the restroom, then brushes his teeth...while I lay out his clothes. Then he returns to dress and I put on his socks for him. We do it, just this way...every single morning. He likes routine...but so do a lot of us. ESPECIALLY, first thing in the morning.
See...we made it to the breakfast table! Here he is taking his Concerta before school. It helps him concentrate and control his need to constantly be in motion. He knows what they are, how they help, and as you can see...he is a morning person...once you get him out of bed! Some A Word people can, and do...smile and show happiness and be silly too....because they are all individuals. What do you take before work? Coffee? Aspirin? Xanax? ;)
This is my son waiting to leave for school. He is watching Youtube videos. Videos of a man who works at a car dealership and makes video tours of every car they get in stock. My son loves these and they are the only thing he watches on Youtube. Violence, even of a cartoon nature...scares him. Until he turned 8, his favorite shows were Dora and Diego and Spongebob. He still loves the sponge...but who doesn't? :) Yes, some A Word people have special interests they indulge in to decompress. They tend to talk a lot about them and have a hard time with subject change. But in our house special interest time is structured, limited and we encourage always...participation in family chats and activities.
This is my son at a street festival we go to every year. He remembers this statue and likes to sit next to him and mug and make faces for my camera...every year. Some A Word folks...have a decent grasp on humor and can alter their facial expressions to suit that grasp. My son likes jokes, even if the more subtle one's go over his head. He can tell when I laugh at something he does it means I am happy and he likes to see me, and others happy.
This is my son with a 3 week old puppy. We raised Beagles for several years here. His gentleness with the fragile puppies was admirable...considering, A Word or no...he is still a young boy. They taught him that ALL living things can feel, be hurt, and give and receive affection if it is properly given.
This is my son with HIS Beagle. He chose her himself...and they are very happy together. He feeds her every day as part of a chore list he is responsible for. He bestows love and affection on her, often...and whenever she is in trouble with me (as Beagles often are actually lol.) she runs to him to shelter her.
This is my son with his sister...on vacation in DC. He spent a 10 day stretch with us, a long road trip...daily adventures with tons of walking and novel sounds and experiences. He rode the Metro with aplomb and soaked in the atmosphere and sweltered in the heat. He went in to art galleries and museums and behaved properly. Some A Word folks, are more than capable of managing new scenarios and experiences without meltdowns and yelling or tantrums...IF their support team/family knows how to manage and present things. There is no reason for A Word folks to have to be isolated or not experience the same things any other person would...it just has to be presented differently, and the WORLD, needs to allow that.
This is my son, wearing feathers on Thanksgiving. He helped us do the crafts and enjoyed it. Some A Word folks...enjoy being part of a safe group and doing things together. He and his sister are very close and he plays with her and trusts her not to ask too much of him.
Don't mistake any of the above for an attempt to say my son is "normal". He is not...not that any outside person would accept as such. He hums, makes beeping car noises to himself. He wrings his hands and leans side to side. He darts glances or looks past your shoulder instead of into your eyes, he touches novel flooring and interrogates rather than has conversations. He doesn't give a rip about other children or people unless they come into his space and present themselves properly. He has no idea WHAT to say when unknown people ask him to play or his opinion...unless he is given a script to follow. He has Asperger's...he IS Asperger's. But, he is also a snowflake...different from likely anyone else on Earth...like we ALL are. He does not deserve to be mentioned in the same breath with a killer, or dissected by water cooler talk, he is what he is. A loved member of a dedicated family that bears ultimate responsibility for the man he will some day become...and we understand that. Just as I hope that EVERY parent out there, understands that. Thanks for reading...and please do feel free to share this post.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
The 2012 ARD Meeting
Well it was today! I had the usual butterflies going in. I know what to expect but still...going into this sort of meeting where you are not sure what's going to be said or etc can be a bit nerve wracking. My husband was able to come this time so that makes it that much easier. He's only missed one, and that was unavoidable.
For those unfamiliar, an ARD is an annual meeting REQUIRED by public schools for any child that has an IEP (basically a special learning plan designed for them due to some academic challenge or medical challenge). You go over the goals set last year, pick some for this year and next, and address any and all concerns over the child any side has. It is typically a parent, a diagnostician...any special ed teachers the child sees, the child's regular teacher, and Admin from the school. In our case, the Principal.
For all that they are a nervous time I also acknowledge that it is a pretty big deal to get to sit down once a year (or more if a parent calls for it) with all these people...in the same room, and discuss ONLY your child. That is huge and I honestly wish ALL parents could do this at LEAST once a year. I know it's pretty much impossible but still. Being able to raise a concern and have the Principal and every adult responsible for your child on a given school day...right there in front of you to discuss and talk with, is really something. They cannot hide from you, give you the run around...ignore you...foist you off etc. Not that all schools or school personnel do that...BUT..
So anyways it seems like our boy is doing about as well as he should be now. He is struggling with out of the box concepts in math and reading/writing...as to be expected with a person with Asperger's really. Speaking of that? I had in my head going in, asking for a re evaluation on him for that very thing. Right now his IEP is ONLY addressing issues with his ADHD, as he was found NOT to meet the criterion for a SCHOOL Asperger's dx last time in Kindergarten. I was wanting to re-visit that because I am seeing more of an effect of being Aspie as relates to schoolwork and such...
Turns out the wonderful Diagnostician at the school brought that up even BEFORE I had a chance! She was very frank in saying she see's more NOW than then...when he was younger and see's some of the social and academic deficits he has NOT narrowing in the way they would if he was just a "late bloomer", and so she herself suggested we try again for the dx of Asperger's. BUT, and here is where she differed from me...she wants to delay the re-assessment until next year as opposed to doing it now.
Her reasoning was...sure right now he MIGHT pass because he DOES have some deficits...BUT if we wait a year, when he is in 3rd Grade and doing 3rd/4th grade work...those deficits will be MUCH easier to spot, harder to ignore and she WANTS him to get a "yes" this time from the Board because she thinks he can benefit from it and needs some services that would afford him. I had to think about it for a bit because my first instinct is to get him re-assessed NOW. But in the end the important thing is to GET THE DIAGNOSIS put onto his file because then it STAYS and goes with him as he moves along. If we try again, and get another "no"...well that wouldn't be so good. And bottom line right now he could not be picked out in his current class by much else from his poor writing as "special needs"...and therein is the worry about testing now. He is an average student doing average work, and struggling in some things the way other kids are.
So the decision was ours at that point and given how much his teacher is doing already and plans to maintain and ADD to this year, we agreed to wait. The assessment itself involves time out of the class and he is holding his own right now and we just don't want to mess with it or make him worry etc right now and throw that all off.
BTW his teacher is just in love with him, you could tell thru the whole thing. She talked about his little idiosyncrasies and such with such candor and amusement and tenderness that we could tell that. She is doing A LOT in the course of the day to make his experience in the classroom better, and she is using his resource time well. That made me much more comfortable waiting. One cannot stress enough the importance of a teacher willing to accept a difference and learn to work with it and most importantly not look on it as a dreaded, mandated duty or "ugh", but as something she wants to do to help a student she genuinely would like to see succeed. I am so grateful to her :)
I also am going to share that the work I did with my therapist was in force here too. I felt so different leading up to it. Butterflies and nerves but not that loin-girding...battle axe rattling momma Grizzly like RAWR facade over myself. It's hard to describe but before I did that work I felt almost like I put on a different person over the real me because the real me wasn't strong enough or assertive enough. Today I felt like it was just me...and momma bear was still there but she was behind me (just in case I needed her but it would be MY call to make), and we were working together. I hope that doesn't sound to nuts but if it does...consider the source. LMAO!
Anyways. I am happy with how things went, grateful to not be alone in this, my husband and family and my friends are all so helpful and supportive of us. I thank them each and every one!
For those unfamiliar, an ARD is an annual meeting REQUIRED by public schools for any child that has an IEP (basically a special learning plan designed for them due to some academic challenge or medical challenge). You go over the goals set last year, pick some for this year and next, and address any and all concerns over the child any side has. It is typically a parent, a diagnostician...any special ed teachers the child sees, the child's regular teacher, and Admin from the school. In our case, the Principal.
For all that they are a nervous time I also acknowledge that it is a pretty big deal to get to sit down once a year (or more if a parent calls for it) with all these people...in the same room, and discuss ONLY your child. That is huge and I honestly wish ALL parents could do this at LEAST once a year. I know it's pretty much impossible but still. Being able to raise a concern and have the Principal and every adult responsible for your child on a given school day...right there in front of you to discuss and talk with, is really something. They cannot hide from you, give you the run around...ignore you...foist you off etc. Not that all schools or school personnel do that...BUT..
So anyways it seems like our boy is doing about as well as he should be now. He is struggling with out of the box concepts in math and reading/writing...as to be expected with a person with Asperger's really. Speaking of that? I had in my head going in, asking for a re evaluation on him for that very thing. Right now his IEP is ONLY addressing issues with his ADHD, as he was found NOT to meet the criterion for a SCHOOL Asperger's dx last time in Kindergarten. I was wanting to re-visit that because I am seeing more of an effect of being Aspie as relates to schoolwork and such...
Turns out the wonderful Diagnostician at the school brought that up even BEFORE I had a chance! She was very frank in saying she see's more NOW than then...when he was younger and see's some of the social and academic deficits he has NOT narrowing in the way they would if he was just a "late bloomer", and so she herself suggested we try again for the dx of Asperger's. BUT, and here is where she differed from me...she wants to delay the re-assessment until next year as opposed to doing it now.
Her reasoning was...sure right now he MIGHT pass because he DOES have some deficits...BUT if we wait a year, when he is in 3rd Grade and doing 3rd/4th grade work...those deficits will be MUCH easier to spot, harder to ignore and she WANTS him to get a "yes" this time from the Board because she thinks he can benefit from it and needs some services that would afford him. I had to think about it for a bit because my first instinct is to get him re-assessed NOW. But in the end the important thing is to GET THE DIAGNOSIS put onto his file because then it STAYS and goes with him as he moves along. If we try again, and get another "no"...well that wouldn't be so good. And bottom line right now he could not be picked out in his current class by much else from his poor writing as "special needs"...and therein is the worry about testing now. He is an average student doing average work, and struggling in some things the way other kids are.
So the decision was ours at that point and given how much his teacher is doing already and plans to maintain and ADD to this year, we agreed to wait. The assessment itself involves time out of the class and he is holding his own right now and we just don't want to mess with it or make him worry etc right now and throw that all off.
BTW his teacher is just in love with him, you could tell thru the whole thing. She talked about his little idiosyncrasies and such with such candor and amusement and tenderness that we could tell that. She is doing A LOT in the course of the day to make his experience in the classroom better, and she is using his resource time well. That made me much more comfortable waiting. One cannot stress enough the importance of a teacher willing to accept a difference and learn to work with it and most importantly not look on it as a dreaded, mandated duty or "ugh", but as something she wants to do to help a student she genuinely would like to see succeed. I am so grateful to her :)
I also am going to share that the work I did with my therapist was in force here too. I felt so different leading up to it. Butterflies and nerves but not that loin-girding...battle axe rattling momma Grizzly like RAWR facade over myself. It's hard to describe but before I did that work I felt almost like I put on a different person over the real me because the real me wasn't strong enough or assertive enough. Today I felt like it was just me...and momma bear was still there but she was behind me (just in case I needed her but it would be MY call to make), and we were working together. I hope that doesn't sound to nuts but if it does...consider the source. LMAO!
Anyways. I am happy with how things went, grateful to not be alone in this, my husband and family and my friends are all so helpful and supportive of us. I thank them each and every one!
Friday, January 6, 2012
Into 2012 we go!
Christmas and New Year's passed remarkably well here at our place. I am making some headway in dealing with my "mommy issues" and so far we've had some successful attempts to spend time together without any drama. I am hopeful on that front. I did some work just after Christmas with my therapist that was tremendously helpful. Hoping to continue that later this month.
All the Christmas gear was stowed away within a couple days of the day passing. If I don't do it then it tends to linger on way past NYE lol!
On the kiddo front, Elias's ARD meeting is next week and I am just a BIT jumpy/antsy about it. I am really torn between wanting them to RE-evaluate him for Autism and what it would mean if they did and found he was. Right now his IEP is only addressing his ADHD issues and honestly I think his Aspie stuff is more what's holding him back this year, the retention...openness to new concepts...and fine motor is just not there. I am hoping that the meeting yields a consensus on these items so we can formulate a new plan for him. So that's been giving me a couple of sleepless nights. He is doing WELL, but is still IMO behind where he should be and right now he just doesn't seem like a "3rd Grader" even with several months left. Fingers crossed.
Lily and Eli both tho, went back to school yesterday and both had a good day. Eli claims he doesn't want to go but he is truly, happier within all the structure and routine vs kinda vegetating her at home. The school's short week, tho mystifying seems to be a good "getting back into the swing of things" approach.
We are headed up north this weekend to "do Christmas" so that should hopefully be nice. At least there's always booze! LOL.
All the Christmas gear was stowed away within a couple days of the day passing. If I don't do it then it tends to linger on way past NYE lol!
On the kiddo front, Elias's ARD meeting is next week and I am just a BIT jumpy/antsy about it. I am really torn between wanting them to RE-evaluate him for Autism and what it would mean if they did and found he was. Right now his IEP is only addressing his ADHD issues and honestly I think his Aspie stuff is more what's holding him back this year, the retention...openness to new concepts...and fine motor is just not there. I am hoping that the meeting yields a consensus on these items so we can formulate a new plan for him. So that's been giving me a couple of sleepless nights. He is doing WELL, but is still IMO behind where he should be and right now he just doesn't seem like a "3rd Grader" even with several months left. Fingers crossed.
Lily and Eli both tho, went back to school yesterday and both had a good day. Eli claims he doesn't want to go but he is truly, happier within all the structure and routine vs kinda vegetating her at home. The school's short week, tho mystifying seems to be a good "getting back into the swing of things" approach.
We are headed up north this weekend to "do Christmas" so that should hopefully be nice. At least there's always booze! LOL.
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