No one could ever accuse me of having a boring life. Ever.
Why we have so many ups and downs here we make even the scariest rollercoaster look tame.
Once again, it's been a while since I posted last. And once again, I have a good excuse. Really.
First there was the fire incident. Although it was far better than it could have been, it was still quite unnerving. This also lead to a seemingly endless stream of adjusters, contractors and other vendors walking through our house in order to assess and fix the damage.
After that, we settled into relative calm until it came time for Twin Sister's IEP eligibility meeting. I have to say, in true AE style, I got a tad hyper-focused on the whole event. And people wonder where my kids get it from?
I prepared for weeks, researching every possible objection, combing through every bit of data -- all in an effort to make a solid case for my daughter being put on an IEP.
Going in, things did not bode well for success. Personnel at school repeatedly told us they "just didn't see any problems." In talking to other parents, I came to find out that this particular school was seen as "evil" when it came to special education -- doggedly denying services to many a child like Twin Sister.
So imagine my surprise when, halfway through the meeting, the district special education representative looked at me and said, "You don't have to worry, we ALL see the issues. Your daughter needs an IEP" I think I almost fell out of my chair. Literally.
Once I came to, I saw something surreal. The once
so-thick-you-could-cut-it-with-a-knife tension had somehow disappeared. Instead, everyone engaged an extremely productive brainstorming session on possible goals and objectives. It was like I'd died and gone to heaven.
Even better, a follow up meeting was set up for the next week to finalize the IEP and get services going. We were on a roll and I was loving it. Yippee.
Not so fast. The day before the meeting, I was bringing Twin Sister to a class in Denver, when I slipped on some ice and fell. In the process, I did a number on my leg. I not only broke two bones, but have several bone fragments floating around.
Needless to say, I didn't make it to the meeting. Oh, did I mention the part about this not healing on its own and requiring surgery? While the prognosis is fair, the recovery process is anything but short. I'm stuck in bed right now until surgery on Tuesday. Then it will be another two weeks until they can put a cast on it.
In any event, I'll be out of commission for quite some time. And while I'm always up for a good nap, I am getting a little tired of staring at the four walls of my room. On the bright side, I have had a chance to catch up on every TV show known to man as well as contemplate solutions to many of our societal issues.
So if you happen to know of any good books, just let me know. The longer, the better, considering I'll have plenty of time on my hands in the upcoming weeks.
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Comments (6)
I work in mental health and many of my minor child/adolescent clients need IEP's and I have met ALOT of resistance when I recommend one. It's like the teachers don't want to do the work? I really don't know WHY you wouldn't do everything you could to help a child succeed....Oh well. They have to anyway. :) Glad you didn't encounter the resistance you were expecting, but I hope your recovery is quick! Use the time to relax as much as possible! Sounds like you may have needed it. :)
Try goodreads.com for some good book suggestions.
I'm glad you were able to get everything started before your incident, and I hope your being out of commission doesn't delay the beginning of her services. And way to go for being prepared to fight for what she needs!
@Xbeautifully... Generally it isn't the teachers who oppose IEPs. In my experience, its usually either select members of the Special Education staff or the school's administration that resist. There are crappy teachers out there who just want a job with summers off. But, usually you find that it is those who are not actually connected with the students who get to make the decisions about who gets what assistance.
My little brother was denied accomodations by administration his entire school career despite documented ADHD and being borderline disgraphic. All my parents wanted for him was occasional shortened homework and extended testing time in math. Admin said no and that my parents could sue the district, but that they wouldn't win. It was the TEACHERS who stepped up and worked with him and saw that he did need accomodations. When he had to stop his ADHD medication 6 weeks before high school graduation due to a heart condition, it was the teachers who adjusted and saw to it that he finished strong.
I wanted to scream every time I would overhear a SE teacher at the school I taught at say, "I'm just so busy, I have 15 kids on my caseload AND I'm teaching a resource reading class this year." But, every time I would stop in their offices to ask about a student (I had 2 Aspies, several ADD/ADHD, and a bi-polar in just one of my mainstream high school geometry class) they would all be sitting around surfing the internet and complaining about having to do yearly in-class observations of their "huge" caseload of kids. Oh, and that wasn't enough problems in one class to qualify me for an aide - they were "stretched too thin" during that class period.
And you're right, teachers do "have to anyway." But I will admit when I would have paperwork delivered on a new student with accomodations, there were times I would just want to cry. Its not that I didn't want to do everything in my power to help this kid succeed, there just wasn't enough of me to go around. Legally you can't tell the other kids or their parents about why you spend so much time with those certain kids, why you had to cancel tutorials this morning (for an emergency ARD meeting), and why you didn't notify them that their child slipped from an 85 to a 79 (because instead of responding to emails, you spent your conference period in the SE room tutoring your bi-polar student to get him caught up on what he missed that week he was in the psych ward).
So I guess what I'm saying is: Don't come down too hard on teachers, most of us really are doing the best we can.
I am a parent of a 12 year old boy with PDD-NOS/ Autism. We are getting ready to move to the Denver area in the Spring and I am desperately looking for recommendations on schools in the area. Ultimately we would love to have him placed at Joshua School but can't afford the tuition and I am told they only transfer elementary-age children from public schools if their IEPs cannot be met. My son would be in the 6th grade. Please email me at procrastinatenow@hotmail.com if you have any advice.
Thank you! ~Christy
Modoc is a great book, I just finished it.
good news!