Posts Tagged ‘IEP’
Why do I have to be ‘That Mom’
Why is it so hard to get services for our kiddos? Why do I feel that I am the only one who sees him? The real him. The fun, silly and loving him. Why do I have to annoy the school constantly….reminding them of who he is and how amazing he is? 4 weeks into school and every week (sometimes daily) it’s been something. He is not mean or aggressive….he is autistic and preverbal. He doesn’t understand what THEY want. He can’t communicate what HE wants. I’m saying what I…
Read MoreThe Other Side of the Table
I am no stranger to the IEP process that’s for sure. I just finished my 12th year as a special education teacher in a small town in the thumb of Michigan and I absolutely love my job. I’ve known I wanted to be a special education teacher since my junior year of high school and I pride myself in always trying my absolute best to put the students first and try to create great relationships with my students’ parents. I can’t tell you how many IEP meetings I have run…
Read MoreA Letter to “Those Special Education Parents”
Dear “Those Special Education Parents”, You may know who you are and you may not. You’re the parents that previous teachers warn the following teacher about before transition IEP meetings or in emails about an upcoming move to a different school. Administrators are aware of you too and they attend meetings that you’ll be at, even if their attendance is not required. And why have you received the label of “those Special Education Parents?” Because you advocate for the services your child deserves. Earlier this year, I had an IEP…
Read MoreI Never Knew that IEPs Would be so Hard
Autism is a journey. It is a journey in a foreign land. When you arrive there is no map, no travel guide, and no book of language translation. You start to wander aimlessly looking for anything or anyone that looks familiar. Someone or something that can point you in the right direction. You stumble and fall. You cry, kick the ground, and sit there determined that you can’t do this. You are overwhelmed, disappointed, and discouraged. You don’t want to be here you want to go home. Home is a…
Read MoreMy Son Doesn’t Have A Special Talent
We had our son Cody’s transitional IEP meeting today. We talked about the program Cody will be attending after High School and if it will be a good fit for him. As we went around the table everyone introducing themselves, I found myself torn with emotion. Here I sit with the teachers, coordinators, OT, speech pathologist, and caseworkers who all were instrumental in helping Cody get where he is today. And it seems with every IEP meeting I always ask myself the same questions. ‘Am I doing the right thing?’…
Read MoreLearning to Say Yes…
I know I’ve been gone forever. I go through these droughts where I don’t know what to say about Cooper. Trust me I have hundreds of things I could write about but the words don’t seem to flow out. Maybe I am too tired. Or overwhelmed. I don’t really have an answer. We are still having major potty training struggles and successes. Cooper is pee trained but his pooping is worse than ever. We have made the decision to keep Cooper at Fraser day treatment for one more year. So…
Read MoreThe Preschool Plan is in Place
I can’t even put into words how great Cooper’s teacher is and how amazing his IEP meeting went. I fell in love instantly. She was the perfect combination of calm, fun, loving and educational. This is the FIRST time throughout this school evaluation positive that I have felt happy. And positive. Jamie and I met in his future classroom with his teacher, 2 speech therapists, 1 occupational therapist, the special education director and 1 classroom aid. First, we sat at a tiny table with tiny chairs. I loved it. I felt…
Read MoreThe IEP Meeting
I have been hiding out. And insanely busy. I can honestly say I sorta like when that happens because I don’t dwell on little things. Like dirty houses or unfinished projects. And then life slows down and I am standing in chaos. So typical. Cooper’s IEP meeting was last week. First, it was 2.5 hours long. In a tiny room, that was way too hot, with 4 people. The people were very, very, very nice. But, it doesn’t matter how nice they are when the focus on the meeting is…
Read MoreUpdates and Cuteness Overload
Just a few updates. Cooper has had a couple tough therapy appointments. Speech and OT were a bust this week. But one positive is that we were able to redirect him a few times when he started throwing a tantrum. Which is a positive:-) We are really starting to feel the financial strain from his OT appointments and although he loves going…I wish I saw more of an improvement. Another amazing update is that summer is here and Cooper is LOVING being outside. We spent almost all day yesterday swinging,…
Read MoreTough Conversations
Today the school psychologist came to our house to do the final in-person evaluation. Our IEP meeting is set for the day after Memorial Day. We are so damn close. The phsycologist recently observed Cooper at daycare and was shocked at how he acted like a different kid in different settings. I totally get this and could said it until I was blue in the face. I actually gave up trying to tell people becaue I started to sound like a broken record. At the school evaluations Cooper resembles Lucifer. And…
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