Well, we had our second IEP meeting to finish up what we hadn't finished previously at the first meeting. It was completely pointless. I came out feeling 10x's more frustrated than before I walked in to the meeting. Javi is not really making a lot of progress in his current setting. In fact, he has regressed to the beginning of the year last year academically. His teacher said he is making slight and slow progress, but that is progression from a regression, so I wouldn't exactly call it real progress. Just as I said in my last post about this, it seems to be a complete class mismatch.
We attempted to use the "easy way out" and use an address change to switch him to a new class. Javi technically lives with his dad now, so using his address would put him at a different school. It was recommended and affirmed by a few people that this would be the easiest way to avoid all the complication of pointing the finger and saying that this was a crappy fit for Javi. The program specialist, flat out said he will not even be considered for a move until next year. She also said "considered", not guaranteed. She also seemed completely insensitive to the fact that Javi has no friends this year and that the kids in his class are starting to "tolerate" him now a little more than they were before. I guess in her eyes, the fact that he is tolerated instead of flat out ridiculed like he was before, is progress. I can also tolerate a pebble in my shoe, but it doesn't mean that I am going to learn to like it being there. I don't get a sense that Javi will ever truly be accepted in this classroom. I think his behaviors will be tolerated sometimes, but he may always be considered "the pebble".
We did at the very least, get a better feeling about the teacher. Definitely not to the level of caring we have felt from previous teachers, but a better feeling than we received in previous meetings with her. She seemed to show more of an interest in Javi being in a good place and making progress.
Ultimately what it comes down to is this, you can have every modification, assistance and service set in place in the IEP, but what matters most is whether or not the child is happy. Happy children typically produce better work and progress (just like happy employees). It's obvious to us that while Javi may be getting "used to the routine" he is not happy, not by comparison to previous years. I know that we can't go back to Deer Canyon (his previous school, the program specialist had eluded to the fact that this was not Deer Canyon and that there was no placement for him there) , nor do we care if we can. We just want our son to be happy and succeed to the best of his abilities. We want him to be well-liked and accepted and feel like he has friends, just like any other parent.
How long do we have to wait before we say enough is enough? How long will he have to struggle before they do something about this? I am willing to give it to the end of January, which would be when the semester is over, but if we don't see some positive changes and improvements, I think we may consider taking this to the next level. I think half a year for an "adjustment period" is long enough.
Showing posts with label ranting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ranting. Show all posts
Monday, December 8, 2008
Sunday, October 19, 2008
The Weekend Report
Well, as I said in a previous post, this has been a pretty somber weekend.
Friday, we "tried" to celebrate Mark's birthday, but it was tough to celebrate with so much sad new lately. I went and picked up Mark's favorite, sushi and I had chinese take out (not a big raw fish fan) and we just hung out at home and watched episodes of The Big Big Theory, which was at the very least, some comic relief from everything going on. We also cleaned up the garage a bit to get ready for the delivery of my Mom's fridge.
Saturday, made biscuits and gravy for the family then cleaned and headed to Wally Mart. I needed to pick up a gift card and a couple staples, paper towels and milk. Then we took delivery of my Mom's fridge via my uncle and cousin, along with a few other things. Thanks Mom! My mom is moving out of the apartment she has lived in for the last 11 years, so packing it up has been a challenge. She is set to move in with my Grandparents to help them out. She is over there everyday now, until dark, so it really has become pointless to keep a separate place. They really could use the help. It scares me that they are alone for even part of the day. I just wish there was something more I could do to help out, but it's tough with all we have going on and living 100 miles away.
Went to bed pretty early last night after reading RDI book for a little while.
Sunday, spent the day with Mark's Grandma and family, see previous post. We did find a great coffee place in Escondido called Safari Coffee on our way to see Grandma. Had a nice cuppa on our 40 min drive up. We had lunch at Chili's with Mark's parents. I suffered for the remains of the day for my choices to mix laco-coffee (I'm lactose intolerant) and spicy buffalo chicken mini sandwiches. Have had a double whammy of GiRD and lacto tummy all day and still suffering. Sure the emotional state isn't helping either.
The kids did really well this weekend, considering we were cooped up for most of the weekend. They were very well behaved at the restaurant and the hospital. They had the hospital staff and patients swooning. Everyone just kept telling them how cute they are, to which, we cannot dispute ;)
Hoping to see find that rainbow after all this rain, but it's tough right now. It still feels like the quiet before the storm. Wish that little black rain cloud would stop following us.
On another note, Javi's IEP is coming up this week. I feel like I'm going to have to get ready for a show down. We have been having some issues at Javi's school that need resolution. We are not entirely satisfied with his placement. I haven't been satisfied from the get go, but we were trying to be patient to see if things would get better once he got used to the new routine, school, class and friends, but it seems like they aren't. He seems to be having a rough time making friends. He says the kids are mean, so he just plays by himself. We have also primarily only had negative commentary from his teacher in his communication log. We are hoping to get to the bottom of what's going on. I am going to try my best not to be the mama lion and pounce on everyone at the meeting :)
Friday, we "tried" to celebrate Mark's birthday, but it was tough to celebrate with so much sad new lately. I went and picked up Mark's favorite, sushi and I had chinese take out (not a big raw fish fan) and we just hung out at home and watched episodes of The Big Big Theory, which was at the very least, some comic relief from everything going on. We also cleaned up the garage a bit to get ready for the delivery of my Mom's fridge.
Saturday, made biscuits and gravy for the family then cleaned and headed to Wally Mart. I needed to pick up a gift card and a couple staples, paper towels and milk. Then we took delivery of my Mom's fridge via my uncle and cousin, along with a few other things. Thanks Mom! My mom is moving out of the apartment she has lived in for the last 11 years, so packing it up has been a challenge. She is set to move in with my Grandparents to help them out. She is over there everyday now, until dark, so it really has become pointless to keep a separate place. They really could use the help. It scares me that they are alone for even part of the day. I just wish there was something more I could do to help out, but it's tough with all we have going on and living 100 miles away.
Went to bed pretty early last night after reading RDI book for a little while.
Sunday, spent the day with Mark's Grandma and family, see previous post. We did find a great coffee place in Escondido called Safari Coffee on our way to see Grandma. Had a nice cuppa on our 40 min drive up. We had lunch at Chili's with Mark's parents. I suffered for the remains of the day for my choices to mix laco-coffee (I'm lactose intolerant) and spicy buffalo chicken mini sandwiches. Have had a double whammy of GiRD and lacto tummy all day and still suffering. Sure the emotional state isn't helping either.
The kids did really well this weekend, considering we were cooped up for most of the weekend. They were very well behaved at the restaurant and the hospital. They had the hospital staff and patients swooning. Everyone just kept telling them how cute they are, to which, we cannot dispute ;)
Hoping to see find that rainbow after all this rain, but it's tough right now. It still feels like the quiet before the storm. Wish that little black rain cloud would stop following us.
On another note, Javi's IEP is coming up this week. I feel like I'm going to have to get ready for a show down. We have been having some issues at Javi's school that need resolution. We are not entirely satisfied with his placement. I haven't been satisfied from the get go, but we were trying to be patient to see if things would get better once he got used to the new routine, school, class and friends, but it seems like they aren't. He seems to be having a rough time making friends. He says the kids are mean, so he just plays by himself. We have also primarily only had negative commentary from his teacher in his communication log. We are hoping to get to the bottom of what's going on. I am going to try my best not to be the mama lion and pounce on everyone at the meeting :)
Friday, August 22, 2008
My Magic Wand
Well, today is one of those days where I am thankful to have my wonderful yummy vanilla iced coffees. Kaylee has therapy in a bit, her first OT session. We will also get the results of her OT eval. Ethan had to be in school at the usual time today and picked up at the usual time of 1PM. We have therapy across town from 11:30-12:30 and Javi gets out of school at 12:55. Time to do my magic and be in three places at once!!
*POOF*
My original plan was to pick up Ethan early at 11:00, then jet to Kaylee's appointment across town, then jet across town again. I realized quickly that wasn't going to work after my conversation with Javi's aide. She said we were going to have to figure something else out for Javi because it was just too overwhelming for him to wait at the curb. I had blogged the traffic congestion in my other post at Javi's school. The curb waiting is just not working out for him. Javi had a meltdown, which I could see from the other side of parking lot, being powerless to stop it. He really wants to dart to my car once he sees me, but they have such a procedure for pick up, he has to wait 15-20 minutes for me to get to the front of the loop. Mind you, I have been leaving 20-30 minutes before school dismissal at 2:35 and not actually being able to pick him up until 2:50. I have tried parking and walking in, arriving 30 minutes early, arriving only 20 min early to see if a little later would make any difference. So far, the only right way to do it is to arrive 30 minutes early and park 4-5 blocks away from the school and huff it in with the kids. For Kay and Ethan, that is there nap time, so they are not to happy to be awakened from their car slumber to be moved to a stroller. Either way it's difficult. I either have two screaming kids or one melting down.
The aide was just too overwhelmed by Javi's meltdown, so she said, "Well, this just isn't working for Javi. It's too much for him to wait at the curb. We are going to have to try something else tomorrow. Why don't you try getting here earlier?" I said, "I am already leaving 20-30 minutes before school dismissal. How much earlier should I get here?". She said, "Well, I realize that you have two little ones, but I think you are going to have to park and pick him up in the office from now on because this is too much for him.". She went on to say that I needed to plan ahead and write in the log who would be picking him up and where to meet. Well, so far, I have been the only one picking him up in the afternoon, so I am not sure what prompted that.
It irritated me a little that she seemed so flustered by Javi's behavior, being that she is an aide in his class. It really makes me question whether or not she can handle Javi's needs while staying supportive and calm. It is after all, only the first week and he has had a couple of questionable entries in the comm log that comes home with him. We are going to really evaluate the situation over the next couple weeks to figure out if this is the right placement for him.
Heh, ok, back to my plan for today. Since I realize I can't be all those places, I enlisted the help of Javi's dad. We are going to meet at the park after he picks Javi up from school, so we can chit chat and let the kids play after a long week of school. Hey, kids need time to decompress too. Since I can't be there to go to Kay's OT appointment, pick up Ethan and arrive 30 minutes early to pick Javi up, that was our only real solution. Thank goodness this is Kaylee's only session at 11:30, after that, it gets moved to 9:30.
Happy Friday!!
*POOF*
My original plan was to pick up Ethan early at 11:00, then jet to Kaylee's appointment across town, then jet across town again. I realized quickly that wasn't going to work after my conversation with Javi's aide. She said we were going to have to figure something else out for Javi because it was just too overwhelming for him to wait at the curb. I had blogged the traffic congestion in my other post at Javi's school. The curb waiting is just not working out for him. Javi had a meltdown, which I could see from the other side of parking lot, being powerless to stop it. He really wants to dart to my car once he sees me, but they have such a procedure for pick up, he has to wait 15-20 minutes for me to get to the front of the loop. Mind you, I have been leaving 20-30 minutes before school dismissal at 2:35 and not actually being able to pick him up until 2:50. I have tried parking and walking in, arriving 30 minutes early, arriving only 20 min early to see if a little later would make any difference. So far, the only right way to do it is to arrive 30 minutes early and park 4-5 blocks away from the school and huff it in with the kids. For Kay and Ethan, that is there nap time, so they are not to happy to be awakened from their car slumber to be moved to a stroller. Either way it's difficult. I either have two screaming kids or one melting down.
The aide was just too overwhelmed by Javi's meltdown, so she said, "Well, this just isn't working for Javi. It's too much for him to wait at the curb. We are going to have to try something else tomorrow. Why don't you try getting here earlier?" I said, "I am already leaving 20-30 minutes before school dismissal. How much earlier should I get here?". She said, "Well, I realize that you have two little ones, but I think you are going to have to park and pick him up in the office from now on because this is too much for him.". She went on to say that I needed to plan ahead and write in the log who would be picking him up and where to meet. Well, so far, I have been the only one picking him up in the afternoon, so I am not sure what prompted that.
It irritated me a little that she seemed so flustered by Javi's behavior, being that she is an aide in his class. It really makes me question whether or not she can handle Javi's needs while staying supportive and calm. It is after all, only the first week and he has had a couple of questionable entries in the comm log that comes home with him. We are going to really evaluate the situation over the next couple weeks to figure out if this is the right placement for him.
Heh, ok, back to my plan for today. Since I realize I can't be all those places, I enlisted the help of Javi's dad. We are going to meet at the park after he picks Javi up from school, so we can chit chat and let the kids play after a long week of school. Hey, kids need time to decompress too. Since I can't be there to go to Kay's OT appointment, pick up Ethan and arrive 30 minutes early to pick Javi up, that was our only real solution. Thank goodness this is Kaylee's only session at 11:30, after that, it gets moved to 9:30.
Happy Friday!!
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