So, the saga continues.....our trial 60 day period has elapsed (see I.E.Phew Part II) and the time has come (and gone) for a reassessment of Nicholas' classroom situation. As this time has passed, Nicholas has adjusted well to his new schedule of 2 1/2 hours of instruction in the morning at pre-school, and another 2 1/2 hours of instruction at his ABA center. And in this time, he has made amazing progress (of which I have posted several videos of during the course of this 60 days.)
At the last I.E.P meeting, his new goals for school were set based on the rapid amount of progress that he had made during the summer months using an ABA approach. At that time, he was only receiving this intervention 2 days a week, for 2.5 hours a day. Beginning in September, this jumped to 5 days a week for 2.5 hours a day (plus his pre-school time as well.) We did our best to create appropriate and measurable goals based on his very quick progress over the summer, but none of us could have ever predicted how much MORE quickly he would progress with five days of therapy vs. only two. All of this is good news if you look at it from the perspective of Nicholas' progress. We are ALL thrilled that he has been able to learn so many new skills in such a short amount of time, and not only that, but he has given us HUGE insight into his cognitive abilities based on the receptive language skills that he has demonstrated in therapy. This is obviously something to celebrate! But, then again, is it?
Here is the ultimate problem. It is fabulous that Nicholas has made such great progress over the last 60 days, and further, it is great that he has not only met, but exceeded most of his goals (mainly speech related) that were set in his IEP in the fall. However, it is very clear to me, based on the limited amount of progress made in the classroom before having started ABA therapy, that his progress has much more to do with what happens in the 2 1/2 hours per day of ABA vs. the 2 1/2 hours per day of instruction in the classroom. Now, this sounds like a negative statement towards the school staff, and that is not at all how it is intended. He has a fantastic teacher, and his therapists are fabulous and they all love and support him to a point that I never would have anticipated in a school setting. (Well, in fairness, I had no idea what to have expected since he's my first in school, but I think they are awesome!) However, despite this, there are several other differently-abled kids in this classroom, and simply too many to allow the kind of consistent, daily, one-on-one instruction that best suits Nicholas' learning style. Therefore, at the end of this 60 day trial, I have still requested that it be considered that he be moved into a "more restrictive" (a bad word in the public education system) classroom that is geared specifically towards students who have ASD, and also one that is a full day vs. 2 1/2 hours per day. Sounds like a pretty reasonable request, right? Well, it is and it isn't. That's where it gets complicated.
Much to my surprise, the team and the "powers-that-be" (after another 2 1/2 hour IEP meeting) have agreed to entertain my request. This is a HUGE deal....why? Because in our case, it means sending Nicholas to an entirely different school district since our current district no longer houses an ASD pre-school program. For a district to consider this is a complicated matter, because they are, in a sense. admitting or conceding to the fact that they do not have the appropriate resources available for him, are not meeting his needs in their current available setting, and also potentially taking on an additional financial responsibility in order to send him to an out of district location.
In our case, there are differences in opinion regarding whether or not his needs are being met in the classroom. After all, he IS meeting/exceeding his IEP goals, which would indicate that he is receiving the services and attention that he requires in his current classroom setting to learn. On paper, this sounds about right, and also makes it extremely difficult (both financially and politically) for a district to even consider this process of evaluation for sending him to a MORE restrictive environment. However, my son is very fortunate to have educators/therapists who are truly looking out for his best interests. The ones who see and work with him on a daily basis, despite what this looks like on paper (and not for lack of effort on their part, or even lack of some legitimate progress due directly to their hard work) have still been willing to say that his achievements, while great in the last 60 days, may have more to do with carry-over from his private therapy than from their own influence. Think about how difficult this would be to come forward as an educator and say to your peers, to your supervisor, and to a parent... that you may just be falling short in some areas that could really benefit a child. This is basically admitting failure, which is not at all how I feel about this team who is working with him. They have not failed him, but unfortunately have only been given a limited amount of time/resources to work with him, and for this reason are willing to admit that this may not be his best scenario, and one that will actually maximize his potential as a student now, and in the future.
As Nicholas' Mom, I am so grateful that they have stepped up on his behalf to imply such a thing, simply because they really believe that he could make more progress in a different setting. I recognize, as a parent, that this is an extremely difficult position for the school to be in, as well as for the individuals who care for him daily. As I've said before, as a parent of a special needs kiddo, you hear horror stories about how difficult it is to advocate for your child in the school system to be sure that his or her potential is maximized in the programming that has been decided upon for them (correction: that I agree to in an IEP meeting.) And my reality is unfortunately living up to the fact that this is going to be difficult. It is still stressful, and a struggle, and frustrating when you think about how much time must be put into this one aspect of his being. However, I fully recognize how lucky we are that he has a team of educators behind him who truly care about his well-being, and his potential to learn. They know him, I know him, and we all know where he needs to be.
That said, at the end of the day, just because this option has graciously been considered, it does not guarantee that he will end up where I would love to see him. There is yet another process ensuing (I will surely follow up with IEPhew: Part IV soon enough....ugh...) and we must meet yet another set of criteria, and have another discussion in order to make this happen. At this point, we are waiting for the potential school to do an evaluation of Nicholas in his current classroom, and make a decision as to whether or not they feel he would be a good fit for their program.
Whatever the case, it is out of my hands for the time being, and I feel that our district is doing the right thing by considering this as an option for him. I know how I want this to end, and I also know that it may not end the way I hope. Until then, I can only put my faith in the fact that the educators who will make these decisions will truly base them on their expertise, and what they feel is the best thing for my child. And until then, I will wait.....
This just in: That was a much too depressing note to end on, so I must share this completely unrelated video with my readers. If you are a FB friend of mine, you may have seen this already, so I apologize for the re-play, but this is just too good not to share on my blog.
As I said on my FB status two days ago: "This warms my heart and breaks it at the same time....I left the room for a few minutes and came back to find this happening...." This is my sweet, sweet two year old with my very Au-some 4 year old.....if this doesn't make your heart burst, nothing will.....Love her!
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