It's Just One Of Those Days....

So J made it to A's IEP meeting and things are better than I ever expected. A has been taken out of his regular classroom to attend a Special Education classroom for a couple hours a day. They work on his fine motor skills and learning to transition from activity to activity without a meltdown. Well, starting next year, for Kindy, he WILL NOT be pulled from his regular classroom. The Special Education Teacher said that he has done everything expected of him, and mastered it, and she no longer sees him needing her help. They have, however, put in his IEP that we are allowed to request a helper just for him in his regular room, if he needs one. Also, the Special Education Teacher said that he should be able to use an IPad, if needed. So that is something that is going down in the IEP, I'm also going to amend that to make sure that he can bring it home, so he can communicate with us as well with it. The school system will have to fund it. If the Board of Education can afford to buy a $700,000 building, and close down three schools to do so, they can afford to fund an Ipad for my son. They said that with him rejecting the use of Picture cards this year, really shows his determination to talk and they have no doubt he will achieve this. His Speech Therapist has also told us that he has achieved everything she has set forth for him to learn as well. He will be going to Speech Therapy this summer, 3 times a week, so he doesn't lag behind.

His regular teacher has said that she has NEVER seen a student have such an improvment in everything he does. His attitude, his working hard, his compassion for others, she is just amazed at how very smart he is. I knew that when he went into school, that the first thing they would thing was that he was mentally retarded because he couldn't talk. His Apraxia has nothing to do with his cognative abilities. It has nothing to do with how smart he is. Also, she said he was advanced for his age because when the teachers would be sarcastic funny back and forth to each other, he would laugh at them. I couldn't help but laugh at that because, HELLOOOO, he has two of the most sarcastic parents on earth. J and I always tease each other, we are always sarcastic, and pick on each other to no end. Of course he is going to get sarcasm! S does as well!

Also, he has a friend, they hold hands to their classrooms every day. Her name is Linda, and her classroom is right next to his, so when it's time for them to go to their separate rooms, they let go of one another's hands and go right into their classrooms. They said that is the cutest thing they have ever seen. It made me nervous at first because of the kindergartner who got suspended for kissing a girl on the cheek, and the Downs Syndrome boy who got into serious trouble for giving someone a hug. Things are taken way out of proportion anymore. Anywho, A wrote her name out in the dirt the other day, and we had no idea who Linda was until today. Also, he is writing and doing a damn good job at it! The teachers say he can write everyone's name, and spell it correctly, without help or prompting from others.

My hopes for A are very high. Before putting both of my kids in Pre-K, I worried and worried about how they would do, and act, and excel.  I really shouldn't have worried because they are both proving to be smart kids. I need to give them the benefit of the doubt sometimes. Sometimes, I need to just let go and let them.

Now, some might say, "Well, how do you know that the teachers aren't saying that so you won't raise a fuss?", and I say, "Because I've seen a change in him at home. I've SEEN, with my own eyes, everything he can do. I've HEARD with my own ears, all the new words and sentences he can speak". That's how I know they aren't just buttering me up.

He goes to Speech Therapy this summer for 3 days a week, 30 minutes at a time. That should be fun! Oy! But, I will do whatever it takes to get him the help he needs so he can go through school and life without being made fun of for not talking. Because, let's face it, he will, or already has, be teased for not talking. Even S does it, which we can correct at home, but I can't correct other kids at school. Not even when the Mama Bear comes out, wanting to do nothing but protect him. That's nothing I can help. I can only help A learn the tools he needs to cope with other kids. He's going to be a pretty big kid, so I'm not really worried, he'll be able to defend himself if he needs to.

So J took the engine head on my car to be resurfaced today, and got it back in a couple of hours. Turns out it was slightly warped, but fixable. The gasket had two breaks in it, so we know that was what the problem was. So we won't have to buy a whole new head, thank goodness. He'll be working on it this weekend, so it should be up and running by next week, I hope!

That's all I got, I'm tired and sore and finally reached a decision about getting a cane, which I know I'm going to do. The doctor can either prescribe me one, or I'll buy one myself. Ta-dah!