IEP Meeting

So the moment that we have all been waiting for, drumroll please...the IEP Meeting. We finally had our IEP meeting today. As many of you know that read this blog, Brandon has been on a 2 1/2 hour program at school this year, until we received some definitive diagnosis's. We have been fighting for the last 2 years to get Brandon services under an autism label, instead of a hearing impaired label. Something that Elkhart County Special Education Services (ECSES) has fought us tooth and nail on. We traveled to the Indiana School for the deaf this summer and had Brandon evaluated there, as well as at the Christine Sarkine Autism Center at Riley Children's hospital. Both reports concur that Brandon is an autistic child, with Sensory Processing disorder, that also happens to be hearing impaired. So, with reports in hand and an advocate from InSource, we set off to get Brandon the services that he needs. For the past 2 years Brandon has been in a mainstream classroom without any para support. With the new information from the evaluations, it was pretty obvious that even with a para, the mainstream classroom was probably not the best academic setting for Brandon to thrive in right now. However, neither one of the elementary schools where we live have a special education classroom. So sending Brandon to a special education classroom means busing him, something we have debated about. ECSES aside, our experience with Brandon's school has been wonderful. The teachers have been great with him, and I can not rave enough about the Principal, and the Guidance Counselor. They have gone above and beyond in their attempts to help Brandon and so it was with very heavy hearts that James and I started considering the special education program. I set up a time this morning, and I took my mother in law with me, and we went to check out the program. I was very thankful to have my mother in law with me, both for moral support, and as a second opinion. Plus the fact that she knows almost everyone in our small town comes in handy as well =) The program has 14 students, 1 full time teacher, 2 full time para's, and 1 part time para. With the addition of Brandon they will be adding an additional para for him in the mornings. The children range in ages from kindergarten to fifth grade. I was very pleased to talk to the teacher and hear her use a lot of "sensory" talk in her explanations of how the classroom is run, and also when explaining her lesson plans. They also use a lot of modeling from the older students to the younger students. I was also happy to learn that they are a self contained unit. Their PE class is separate, as well as lunch time, and recess as well. So, after the time spent looking at that program, James and I had pretty much decided that was the route that we wanted to go. So at 2:30 we all meet at Brandon's school for the showdown, I mean IEP meeting =) It was decided that Brandon will start attending the special education program on Monday. He will receive additional para support. He will retain his speech and hearing impaired services, and occupation therapy. We are looking at adding physical therapy, and so that is another evaluation the the school system has 50 days to complete. So all in all we got all of the things that we were looking for. I really was hoping that Brandon could remain at the school he is attending, but the staff there as well as his developmental pediatrician feel that this will be a better placement for him. Now I know I have rambled forever about all of this, and I don't have any pictures to go along with this topic, but I have not blogged in forever, so what follows are random pictures that I have taken and not got posted. Sorry =)
Brandon as Sandman at the lake. He is the bad guy from the third installment of Spiderman.












The girls getting ready for the Apple Festival Parade. These are the buckets they made that the held the candy that they tossed to the crowd as they marched in the parade.










A visit to see my mom. Grandma Marilyn.













Alyssa with an adorable little guy that belongs to a very old and dear friend of mine. We were so happy to have him, and his mom and dad over for dinner.










The twins with same totally adorable little guy.














Brandon on the other end of the couch having nothing to do with totally adorable little guy =)











O.K. So they are completely random pictures, but they are recent =) Hopefully with things calming down around here, I will be able to blog a little more regularly. It's a goal anyway =)

Lisa