Dear Autism,
We were just on a break. I didn't totally break up with you. I mean, how could I? Even though I hate you, you are what made my boys who they are today. And I love them no matter what.
So, back to the break. I just needed a few days....3 to be exact. I needed to not be the mother of kids with autism. I needed to just be Stacey. I needed to not worry about meds and therapy. I needed to not check to see if progress was being made. I needed to not have to ask someone to use their words or to stop twirling my hair. I needed to not see a naked 6 year old boy running around the house. So, I took a break.
I grabbed some girlfriends and went to New Orleans. I walked around the city and enjoyed myself. I did not give anyone their meds. I did not talk to any of the therapists. I did not put Noah's clothes on him for the umpteenth time. I ate great food and sampled fabulous cocktails. I lived my life, not Autism's.
So now the break is over and I'm back with a vengeance. I am ready for anything you bring. The break did not make me feel guilty. Instead, it made me stronger and a better opponent. So Autism, just remember, I will never leave or give up. I will fight you tooth and nail. I will fight you for my boys.....you will not win.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
$40,000 is not a lot of money........
I received the billing statement for both boys for the month of January......they each billed $4,000. At this rate, the $40,000 will only last through October. We will definitely be tweaking the schedule. We can't be left to cover $4,000 for each boy for 2 months.
We have cut the Sunday shift back from 4 hours to 3 hours. I can't shorten the morning shift.....it's too valuable. I hope to gain some money back over the summer by not using the morning shift every day. Since Tim and I will be home, we can implement the picture schedule and routine before they get on the bus.
The benefits from the in-home therapy have been priceless. They are doing so well with getting ready in the morning. Nate is struggling because they have raised the bar. He now has to get dressed without anyone in the room to keep him on task. In order to get his reward, he must get dressed within 12 minutes. There have been many days that it's taken him 35 minutes. Oh.....to not be driven by a schedule. Nate also loads the dishwasher after breakfast. The dishes are now placed in rows between the rungs instead of just laying across the rack. Noah is making his bed and brushing his teeth.
The Sunday outings have been both fun and beneficial. They have gone bowling, jumping, and hiking. They also go out for lunch. They always take Noah to the restroom whenever they go into a different place. We are determined to break the tantrums that come with the public restrooms.
I am in the process of starting the paper work with the Department of Mental Health. I am hoping that some money will come our way. Unfortunately, the process is long and slow. I was also sent information about United Healthcare's $5,000 grant to pay for medical expenses. The application is very long and it states that "behavior therapy" is not covered. I will need to call and see if ABA is not covered. Unfortunately, the application in daunting.....it also must include documentation and a letter from a doctor stating the benefits of the therapy. I'm not even sure where to start....the pediatrician or psychiatrist?
We have cut the Sunday shift back from 4 hours to 3 hours. I can't shorten the morning shift.....it's too valuable. I hope to gain some money back over the summer by not using the morning shift every day. Since Tim and I will be home, we can implement the picture schedule and routine before they get on the bus.
The benefits from the in-home therapy have been priceless. They are doing so well with getting ready in the morning. Nate is struggling because they have raised the bar. He now has to get dressed without anyone in the room to keep him on task. In order to get his reward, he must get dressed within 12 minutes. There have been many days that it's taken him 35 minutes. Oh.....to not be driven by a schedule. Nate also loads the dishwasher after breakfast. The dishes are now placed in rows between the rungs instead of just laying across the rack. Noah is making his bed and brushing his teeth.
The Sunday outings have been both fun and beneficial. They have gone bowling, jumping, and hiking. They also go out for lunch. They always take Noah to the restroom whenever they go into a different place. We are determined to break the tantrums that come with the public restrooms.
I am in the process of starting the paper work with the Department of Mental Health. I am hoping that some money will come our way. Unfortunately, the process is long and slow. I was also sent information about United Healthcare's $5,000 grant to pay for medical expenses. The application is very long and it states that "behavior therapy" is not covered. I will need to call and see if ABA is not covered. Unfortunately, the application in daunting.....it also must include documentation and a letter from a doctor stating the benefits of the therapy. I'm not even sure where to start....the pediatrician or psychiatrist?
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Nate's appendix
It's scary when my kids are sick because they can't tell you that they don't feel well.
A few summers ago, Nate started acting strange. There were times that he was walking all stooped over and then he would straighten up. He seemed to be ok. He was eating, drinking, and playing just fine. After a few days of this he started to vomit and sleep a lot. On July 3rd, he was much worse so we went to the emergency room at Childern's Hospital.
We have always received the best care for the boys at Children's. We get a private room (no one wants to hear the screaming), they try to get us helped as quickly as possible, and they can handle the boys. Nate was running a fever and decided to do blood work.....not fun. It took many people to hold him down. His white blood cell count was very high, sign of infection, but where? His throat and ears were clear so they brought down a surgical intern. He put Nate through the drill to see if his appendix had ruptured. Nate could stand up and jump. This convinced the intern that his appendix was fine. The doctor then wanted to test his urine. Nate was VERY confused. We now wanted him to pee in a cup??????
The urine test came back positive. Nate had a urinary tract infection. I sent Tim down to the cafe for some drinks so I could talk to the doctor in private. How did my 10 year old boy get a urinary tract infection? Did I have something more pressing to worry about? Like who was touching my kid?????? Nate and Noah would be perfect targets for a pedophile since they can't talk to tell anyone what happened. I wanted to have this conversation with the doctor without Tim being there. I didn't think Tim could handle it. He would definitely kill someone. The doctor suggested I talk to the teacher at summer school and start an investigation.
They wanted to give Nate an IV, but he was so agitated that I convinced the doctor to just give him a shot of an antibiotic and let us go home. I promised to keep him well hydrated and just wanted Nate to sleep in his own bed. We got home around midnight and Nate fell right asleep.
Tim had a pole vault expo he had to attend in the morning. When Nate woke up, he was much worse. He was vomiting and had diarrhea. I called Vicki to watch Nick and Noah so I could take Nate back to the er. As I was trying to get Nate ready, he was laying in my bed. He had diarrhea in my bed and was just laying in it. He couldn't even get up out of the mess. I called the er to tell them we were coming back in. They put me in contact with the same doctor from the night before who told me that the second urine test came back negative. This was definitely not a urinary tract infection. I rushed Nate back in.
My mom met us at the er. By now, Nate was dehydrated and needed an IV. It took 6 of us to hold him down. At one point, my mother told the doctor to come up with a different plan, because this one wasn't working. I begged them to sedate Nate, but they wouldn't. The doctor wanted to do a CAT scan. I begged them to sedate him. They assured me it would be fine. They gave him some medicine up the nose to relax him. Luckily, Tim got there before the CAT scan. It took Tim and I holding Nate down 3 times through the machine before it worked. By the way, Tim and I were totally healthy. Nate's appendix had ruptured. It looked like it had ruptured two days earlier.
Now a surgical resident came to see me. Here's the plan: we will go in and insert a drain into his side to drain all the infection out of his belly. We will send you home and the drain needs to remain in for 10 days. The words "Have you ever heard of autism?" came out of my mouth. I told him there was no way in hell Nate would leave that drain in and if he didn't rip it out, one of his autistic brothers would. You need to come up with a new plan.
They email the films to the surgical fellow who was at a 4th of July BBQ. His plan, get him prepped for surgery, he would be in within 20 minutes. Then everything happened so fast. They finally sedated Nate....he was so inconsolable and miserable. He was in surgery in no time. The surgery took so long. Not only had it ruptured, but it had turned gangrenous. The surgeon stayed and scraped every bit of infection out of his belly so he wouldn't need the tube up his nose bringing it out. He understood that Nate couldn't tolerate that tube. The IV would be bad enough.
We spent 9 nights in the hospital with the IV antibiotics. They kept him pretty heavily sedated the first few days. His pediatrician came in the next morning to see Nate. He commented that he'd never seen Nate so peaceful....he was sleeping and is usually screaming at the doctor's office. The nurses were great with his care. Nate got used to the IV, but hated it when the doctor would come in to check his wound. Everyone listened to Tim and I when we had suggestions of how to handle Nate. The poor intern who sent us home the first night was at rounds every morning at 5:30 am.
When we left, the staff made a point to tell us that this had been a great learning experience for them. We are so thankful to have such a good children's hospital so close.
A few summers ago, Nate started acting strange. There were times that he was walking all stooped over and then he would straighten up. He seemed to be ok. He was eating, drinking, and playing just fine. After a few days of this he started to vomit and sleep a lot. On July 3rd, he was much worse so we went to the emergency room at Childern's Hospital.
We have always received the best care for the boys at Children's. We get a private room (no one wants to hear the screaming), they try to get us helped as quickly as possible, and they can handle the boys. Nate was running a fever and decided to do blood work.....not fun. It took many people to hold him down. His white blood cell count was very high, sign of infection, but where? His throat and ears were clear so they brought down a surgical intern. He put Nate through the drill to see if his appendix had ruptured. Nate could stand up and jump. This convinced the intern that his appendix was fine. The doctor then wanted to test his urine. Nate was VERY confused. We now wanted him to pee in a cup??????
The urine test came back positive. Nate had a urinary tract infection. I sent Tim down to the cafe for some drinks so I could talk to the doctor in private. How did my 10 year old boy get a urinary tract infection? Did I have something more pressing to worry about? Like who was touching my kid?????? Nate and Noah would be perfect targets for a pedophile since they can't talk to tell anyone what happened. I wanted to have this conversation with the doctor without Tim being there. I didn't think Tim could handle it. He would definitely kill someone. The doctor suggested I talk to the teacher at summer school and start an investigation.
They wanted to give Nate an IV, but he was so agitated that I convinced the doctor to just give him a shot of an antibiotic and let us go home. I promised to keep him well hydrated and just wanted Nate to sleep in his own bed. We got home around midnight and Nate fell right asleep.
Tim had a pole vault expo he had to attend in the morning. When Nate woke up, he was much worse. He was vomiting and had diarrhea. I called Vicki to watch Nick and Noah so I could take Nate back to the er. As I was trying to get Nate ready, he was laying in my bed. He had diarrhea in my bed and was just laying in it. He couldn't even get up out of the mess. I called the er to tell them we were coming back in. They put me in contact with the same doctor from the night before who told me that the second urine test came back negative. This was definitely not a urinary tract infection. I rushed Nate back in.
My mom met us at the er. By now, Nate was dehydrated and needed an IV. It took 6 of us to hold him down. At one point, my mother told the doctor to come up with a different plan, because this one wasn't working. I begged them to sedate Nate, but they wouldn't. The doctor wanted to do a CAT scan. I begged them to sedate him. They assured me it would be fine. They gave him some medicine up the nose to relax him. Luckily, Tim got there before the CAT scan. It took Tim and I holding Nate down 3 times through the machine before it worked. By the way, Tim and I were totally healthy. Nate's appendix had ruptured. It looked like it had ruptured two days earlier.
Now a surgical resident came to see me. Here's the plan: we will go in and insert a drain into his side to drain all the infection out of his belly. We will send you home and the drain needs to remain in for 10 days. The words "Have you ever heard of autism?" came out of my mouth. I told him there was no way in hell Nate would leave that drain in and if he didn't rip it out, one of his autistic brothers would. You need to come up with a new plan.
They email the films to the surgical fellow who was at a 4th of July BBQ. His plan, get him prepped for surgery, he would be in within 20 minutes. Then everything happened so fast. They finally sedated Nate....he was so inconsolable and miserable. He was in surgery in no time. The surgery took so long. Not only had it ruptured, but it had turned gangrenous. The surgeon stayed and scraped every bit of infection out of his belly so he wouldn't need the tube up his nose bringing it out. He understood that Nate couldn't tolerate that tube. The IV would be bad enough.
We spent 9 nights in the hospital with the IV antibiotics. They kept him pretty heavily sedated the first few days. His pediatrician came in the next morning to see Nate. He commented that he'd never seen Nate so peaceful....he was sleeping and is usually screaming at the doctor's office. The nurses were great with his care. Nate got used to the IV, but hated it when the doctor would come in to check his wound. Everyone listened to Tim and I when we had suggestions of how to handle Nate. The poor intern who sent us home the first night was at rounds every morning at 5:30 am.
When we left, the staff made a point to tell us that this had been a great learning experience for them. We are so thankful to have such a good children's hospital so close.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
I feel hope
It's now been 2 weeks of in-home ABA. I am beginning to feel like the tide is turning. We have been given more weapons to fight the battle with autism.
Nate is much more capable than I thought....or actually, more capable than I have time to let him be. It's so much faster and easier for Tim or I to do tasks for him in the morning. Now, the ABA staff can wait and give him the time he needs to be successful. I got the vacuum out last night to run and Nate actually took it from me to run himself. I couldn't believe it.
Noah's whole demeanor is improving. I don't know if it's the structured routine in the morning or the new school. He is sitting for longer periods at the table to eat and is holding his toothbrush himself and attempting to brush his teeth. He has had 2 great weeks at his new school. They told Tim that they are thinking about moving him to a higher functioning room. We hope they remember that he did this in the other building as well. He had 4 to 6 great weeks and then all hell broke loose. We will wait and see.
When I say that I am hopeful, don't think that I believe that Nate and Noah will be cured. I know they won't. I know that they will live in an assisted facility and never drive. I know that they will never marry or have kids. But, I do know that will a lot of hard work, they can gain small bits of independence and live productive, purposeful lives.
Nate is much more capable than I thought....or actually, more capable than I have time to let him be. It's so much faster and easier for Tim or I to do tasks for him in the morning. Now, the ABA staff can wait and give him the time he needs to be successful. I got the vacuum out last night to run and Nate actually took it from me to run himself. I couldn't believe it.
Noah's whole demeanor is improving. I don't know if it's the structured routine in the morning or the new school. He is sitting for longer periods at the table to eat and is holding his toothbrush himself and attempting to brush his teeth. He has had 2 great weeks at his new school. They told Tim that they are thinking about moving him to a higher functioning room. We hope they remember that he did this in the other building as well. He had 4 to 6 great weeks and then all hell broke loose. We will wait and see.
When I say that I am hopeful, don't think that I believe that Nate and Noah will be cured. I know they won't. I know that they will live in an assisted facility and never drive. I know that they will never marry or have kids. But, I do know that will a lot of hard work, they can gain small bits of independence and live productive, purposeful lives.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
It's been a week....
Well, it's been a full week with new people in the house. I feel like a new woman! Nick and I are walking out the door at 7:30 (on time). I am no longer frustrated by trying to keep Noah dressed so we can walk out the door.
The second day the therapist showed up in Nate's room at 6:30, the look on his face was priceless. I'm sure he thought it was fun for one day, but this was an everyday thing????? He didn't get the memo. The therapist helps Nate make choose clothes and waits for him to get dressed. They then come into the kitchen where he helps fix his own breakfast (he choose pancakes the first 2 mornings....he loves his carbs). She sits with him while he eats and reviews his data from the day before. Then, he cleans up his dishes, brushes his teeth (with assistance), and washes his face (with assistance). He will now tolerate warm water to wash his face and hands. He also makes his bed (slowly). He then gets break and can choose a fun activity. He then comes up and helps unload the silverware from the dishwasher. Since he HATES the vacuum, he has run it all 5 mornings. He then gets another fun choice and then waits for the bus.
Noah has also been working hard in the mornings. I think his therapist has been working harder.... He threw a massive fit one morning because I thought he might try oatmeal for breakfast. I was wrong!!! Just the sight of the oatmeal sent him to the floor kicking and screaming. This went on for the better part of the 2 hours. His therapist is also learning how quickly Noah can take his clothes off. After the third morning, the stripping isn't getting further than his shoes. They are helping him learn how to put his clothes ON, sit at the table during a meal, use a utensil. and not shove all his food in his mouth at one time. After breakfast, he gets to choose a fun activity. Afterwards, he makes his bed (with assistance) and brushes his teeth (with assistance and no screaming). When all this is finished, he works on some academic skills. His body parts now include head, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, tummy, and knees. They are also reviewing his letters and teaching him how to sit and follow along with a book.
Nick is also reaping benefits. He no longer tries to follow after his brothers in the morning and keep them on track. He also remembers to make his bed when he hears Nate being instructed to make his. He did not butt in when Noah was having his tantrum the other morning. I was so proud of him! He let the therapist deal with it and just went about his own business.
Two other therapists came today from 9 to 1. They took Nate and Noah bowling and out to lunch. Apparently, Noah ran and slid down the lane a few times. His pants are covered in the oil from the lane. He used the restroom in the bowling alley and had a meltdown over the electric hand dryer. He dropped to the floor and screamed for several minutes. The therapist got him to quiet down and even made him turn it on again before he could leave the restroom. He will be using every public restroom they can find.
Noah is also adjusting well to his new school. I called to check on him one day and it was so nice that the child screaming in the background was not Noah. It made me smile.......
The second day the therapist showed up in Nate's room at 6:30, the look on his face was priceless. I'm sure he thought it was fun for one day, but this was an everyday thing????? He didn't get the memo. The therapist helps Nate make choose clothes and waits for him to get dressed. They then come into the kitchen where he helps fix his own breakfast (he choose pancakes the first 2 mornings....he loves his carbs). She sits with him while he eats and reviews his data from the day before. Then, he cleans up his dishes, brushes his teeth (with assistance), and washes his face (with assistance). He will now tolerate warm water to wash his face and hands. He also makes his bed (slowly). He then gets break and can choose a fun activity. He then comes up and helps unload the silverware from the dishwasher. Since he HATES the vacuum, he has run it all 5 mornings. He then gets another fun choice and then waits for the bus.
Noah has also been working hard in the mornings. I think his therapist has been working harder.... He threw a massive fit one morning because I thought he might try oatmeal for breakfast. I was wrong!!! Just the sight of the oatmeal sent him to the floor kicking and screaming. This went on for the better part of the 2 hours. His therapist is also learning how quickly Noah can take his clothes off. After the third morning, the stripping isn't getting further than his shoes. They are helping him learn how to put his clothes ON, sit at the table during a meal, use a utensil. and not shove all his food in his mouth at one time. After breakfast, he gets to choose a fun activity. Afterwards, he makes his bed (with assistance) and brushes his teeth (with assistance and no screaming). When all this is finished, he works on some academic skills. His body parts now include head, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, tummy, and knees. They are also reviewing his letters and teaching him how to sit and follow along with a book.
Nick is also reaping benefits. He no longer tries to follow after his brothers in the morning and keep them on track. He also remembers to make his bed when he hears Nate being instructed to make his. He did not butt in when Noah was having his tantrum the other morning. I was so proud of him! He let the therapist deal with it and just went about his own business.
Two other therapists came today from 9 to 1. They took Nate and Noah bowling and out to lunch. Apparently, Noah ran and slid down the lane a few times. His pants are covered in the oil from the lane. He used the restroom in the bowling alley and had a meltdown over the electric hand dryer. He dropped to the floor and screamed for several minutes. The therapist got him to quiet down and even made him turn it on again before he could leave the restroom. He will be using every public restroom they can find.
Noah is also adjusting well to his new school. I called to check on him one day and it was so nice that the child screaming in the background was not Noah. It made me smile.......
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Merry Christmas to me..........
The best Christmas gift is the Autism Bill. Somehow I managed to convince the insurance company to start coverage on Januaty 1, instead of October 1. This means big things for the Hill household. Nate and Noah each get ABA therapy covered for up to $40,000 a year, per child. At $25 an hour, this gives us 1600 hours per boy. With 52 weeks in a year, that's 30 hours a week for each boy. That's a lot of help.
Here's my plan:
Two people will be here Monday - Friday from 6:30 am to 8:30 am. They will work with Nate and Noah to get dressed, wash faces, brush teeth, make beds, eat breakfast, and clean up. These are skills that Tim and I don't have time to work on before we go to work. The people will also put the boys on the bus here at 8:20 instead of me taking them to the sitter's at 7:30. This gives them an extra 50 minutes to work on skills. This may also help Tim get to work on time, since he won't have to make sure the boys are dressed before he leaves.
Two people will also be here Sundays from 9:00 am to 1pm. Nick and Tim go to church every Sunday and I usually stay home with Nate and Noah. Depending on Noah's mood, I am sometimes tied to the house instead of getting the shopping done. I also haven't been to church in years since taking Nate and Noah is not relaxing for me or anyone around us. This will give Noah time to work on some academic skills such as body parts and counting items. Tim and I hope that Nate's person will be able to help him come to church and possibly attend Sunday school.
I also want a session on Saturday afternoons for both boys. They both attend gymnastics classes for special kids in the morning, but need some structure in the afternoon.
We all agree that the top priority for Noah is potty training, potty training, potty training. we always seem to take 1 step forward and 2 steps back. We are hoping that having more adults in the house will help. We also have a list of academic skills for him to work on. The preschool teacher told us last that year that his academic skills were on track, but we just don't see it. For example, he can rote count to 20, but can't count out 5 items.
We are looking to increase Nate's independence with daily living skills. He needs to develop his self care skills so he will not need help when he is older. We also want him to expand his leisure activities beyond Elmo and v-smile.
One of the best parts is that the company that is supplying the therapy is going to hire Vicki. This means that they will pay her, not me. They will also pay her much more than I can. This is good for both of us financially. Vicki will make more money and I will save a lot of money. I usually pay her $600 a month. During football and track seasons, this amount is much higher. This is on top of the money that I pay the sitter to get the boys on and off the bus.
Nate and Noah will now be very busy:
Monday-
ABA 6:30 to 8:30 am
OT 4:30 to 5:30
Speech 5:00 to 7:00
Tuesday-
ABA 6:30 to 8:30 am
Speech 5:00 to 7:00
Wednesday-
ABA 6:30 to 8:30 am
jumping at Skyzone 4:00 to 5:00
Thursday-
ABA 6:30 to 8:30 am
Speech- 4:30 to 5:30
Speech 5:00 to 7:00
Friday-
ABA 6:30 to 8:30 am
Saturday-
gymnastics 9 to 11
ABA 1:00 to 4:00 (I hope)
Sunday-
ABA- 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
This is when I wish we had an extra bedroom to turn into a therapy room........
Here's my plan:
Two people will be here Monday - Friday from 6:30 am to 8:30 am. They will work with Nate and Noah to get dressed, wash faces, brush teeth, make beds, eat breakfast, and clean up. These are skills that Tim and I don't have time to work on before we go to work. The people will also put the boys on the bus here at 8:20 instead of me taking them to the sitter's at 7:30. This gives them an extra 50 minutes to work on skills. This may also help Tim get to work on time, since he won't have to make sure the boys are dressed before he leaves.
Two people will also be here Sundays from 9:00 am to 1pm. Nick and Tim go to church every Sunday and I usually stay home with Nate and Noah. Depending on Noah's mood, I am sometimes tied to the house instead of getting the shopping done. I also haven't been to church in years since taking Nate and Noah is not relaxing for me or anyone around us. This will give Noah time to work on some academic skills such as body parts and counting items. Tim and I hope that Nate's person will be able to help him come to church and possibly attend Sunday school.
I also want a session on Saturday afternoons for both boys. They both attend gymnastics classes for special kids in the morning, but need some structure in the afternoon.
We all agree that the top priority for Noah is potty training, potty training, potty training. we always seem to take 1 step forward and 2 steps back. We are hoping that having more adults in the house will help. We also have a list of academic skills for him to work on. The preschool teacher told us last that year that his academic skills were on track, but we just don't see it. For example, he can rote count to 20, but can't count out 5 items.
We are looking to increase Nate's independence with daily living skills. He needs to develop his self care skills so he will not need help when he is older. We also want him to expand his leisure activities beyond Elmo and v-smile.
One of the best parts is that the company that is supplying the therapy is going to hire Vicki. This means that they will pay her, not me. They will also pay her much more than I can. This is good for both of us financially. Vicki will make more money and I will save a lot of money. I usually pay her $600 a month. During football and track seasons, this amount is much higher. This is on top of the money that I pay the sitter to get the boys on and off the bus.
Nate and Noah will now be very busy:
Monday-
ABA 6:30 to 8:30 am
OT 4:30 to 5:30
Speech 5:00 to 7:00
Tuesday-
ABA 6:30 to 8:30 am
Speech 5:00 to 7:00
Wednesday-
ABA 6:30 to 8:30 am
jumping at Skyzone 4:00 to 5:00
Thursday-
ABA 6:30 to 8:30 am
Speech- 4:30 to 5:30
Speech 5:00 to 7:00
Friday-
ABA 6:30 to 8:30 am
Saturday-
gymnastics 9 to 11
ABA 1:00 to 4:00 (I hope)
Sunday-
ABA- 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
This is when I wish we had an extra bedroom to turn into a therapy room........
Monday, December 6, 2010
Noah's going to Southview........
Yipee!!!!!!
Noah's meeting went very well today. It was 2 hours, but this time, we were all on the same page. I sat down across the table from the Principal at Southview and said, "We can do this the easy way or the hard way." He replied by telling me that the data provided by Noah's teacher supports him going to Southview and he wasn't there to fight with me.
Boy, did they have data. When we looked at his IEP goals, he wasn't meeting them.....not even close. Usually goals are written to achieve the objective 80% of the time. There were goals that he was meeting the objective 0% of the time. 0%!!!! You don't have to be a math teacher to know that's not acceptable. I chose to just gloss over those 0 percents and focus on the main objective.....sending Noah to Southview.
We were also able to increase his Music Therapy from once a week to twice a week. Music Therapy is the only area that he is having any success and everyone agreed that more success would be good for him.
Tim and I are so happy! It's funny how we are acting like we just got both of our kids into Harvard. We just hope that Noah will have as much success at Southview as Nate. We were hoping that he could stay in the regular school for a few years, but it just wasn't working. It's not that the regular school was bad, he just needs more.
I wish I could see the future. I know this is a good move, but I am always wondering what else should we be doing? I won't rest until I know that we have exhausted every resource.
Noah's meeting went very well today. It was 2 hours, but this time, we were all on the same page. I sat down across the table from the Principal at Southview and said, "We can do this the easy way or the hard way." He replied by telling me that the data provided by Noah's teacher supports him going to Southview and he wasn't there to fight with me.
Boy, did they have data. When we looked at his IEP goals, he wasn't meeting them.....not even close. Usually goals are written to achieve the objective 80% of the time. There were goals that he was meeting the objective 0% of the time. 0%!!!! You don't have to be a math teacher to know that's not acceptable. I chose to just gloss over those 0 percents and focus on the main objective.....sending Noah to Southview.
We were also able to increase his Music Therapy from once a week to twice a week. Music Therapy is the only area that he is having any success and everyone agreed that more success would be good for him.
Tim and I are so happy! It's funny how we are acting like we just got both of our kids into Harvard. We just hope that Noah will have as much success at Southview as Nate. We were hoping that he could stay in the regular school for a few years, but it just wasn't working. It's not that the regular school was bad, he just needs more.
I wish I could see the future. I know this is a good move, but I am always wondering what else should we be doing? I won't rest until I know that we have exhausted every resource.
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