And So it Begins.......

Elijah and I started back to school last week on January 5th. Jacob was home for a few more days and then returned to Waco to get ready for his classes that started today. Grad school starts for me on Wednesday, and hence the title of my blog AND SO IT BEGINS! Unfortunately, I may only get to PEEK at my classes come Wednesday, since I will be teaching my students, but hopefully I will have some time during my lunch.


Elijah has had a good start back to school. I have an ARD (IEP) meeting for him at the beginning of February and we will be talking about him going to HIGH SCHOOL next year. Where hast he time gone. So far there have been no issues and he seems happy. Work for me has been crazy, but by next week it should calm down some. I love the people I work with and that makes it worth it. I love the kids too and they are working so HARD!


Keep your fingers crossed that I don't get too overwhelmed with it all! My OCD can be a real hindrance at times, but it does motivate me to get ahead in my classes! Now, if it would just warm up a bit. I am really tired of the cold!

ARD Meeting

We had an ARD meeting for Elijah yesterday afternoon. I feel blessed to have such a great group of people working with and advocating for Elijah. The behavior specialist is going to come in and observe him to give the teachers some ideas on how to handle him. The LSSP is going to complete an evaluation on Elijah to determine if he is eligible for counseling. We discussed his medications and changes we have made in dosages and in the times he takes the medicine. We also discussed the STAAR test! We have a new test this year....the STAAR Accommodated, which will be on the computer. Elijah will take this test, but we are still waiting on guidance from the state on how it will really work. The staff at the school all agree that Elijah is a great kid, but that he is having a rough time right now. Hopefully we will figure out a way to support him better.

We will meet again after January! The school gets 45 school days to complete the assessment and then so many days to have the next ARD meeting. We can also discuss the STAAR-A some more and discuss plans for high school. OH MY DID I JUST TYPE HIGH SCHOOL. Oh what does the future hold for Elijah. I really don't know. He is such a smart kid, he just has to mature more and learn to think before he acts. Hopefully we will get a good plan for him and also a good plan for his future!

Doctor's Visit

It seems to never fail, that Elijah has a psychiatrist visit and then the next day has an AWFUL day at school. Yesterday, we visited the PRN for the psychiatrist Elijah sees and discuss his behavior. It has been off and on for a few weeks, but the PRN didn't want to change any of the dosages on his medication. I was not happy, but she is the expert. He just always seems to be "ON THE EDGE". He  tries so hard to make the right choice, but his body and brain won't let him at times.


I got a phone call from his principal today while I was at work, that he was having a ROUGH DAY. He was in the office having a meltdown. I finally got him on the phone and talked him down. I then made a call to the PRN and waited for a call back. When she called she stated that she thinks it is all behavioral, that he can control himself if he will calm down for me. Well, he used to calm down for the principal and teacher. Now it is a phone call to me. She increased one of his morning meds by 0.5 mg and we will go and see her in a month. I have also asked the school to pull the behavior specialist in to do some observation. I also asked for an ARD to discuss counseling and the STAAR-A exam. For those outside of Texas the STAAR is our state assessment and there is a new version...A is for accommodated. It will be on the computer. I want to discuss that with the school as well. Now I'll just have to wait for the diagnostician to give me a call.


I'll let you know how it all goes. Hoping for a better day tomorrow. I just hate to see him struggle with these behaviors.

TV Show--Parenthood IEPs

I watched last nights Parenthood episode tonight on my DVR. The subject of IEP (Individualized Education Plan) meetings was the story line for the family with Max, who has Aspergers. The writers did a decent job of portraying an IEP meeting and how overwhelming it can be for a family. I really wanted to jump in there and advocate for the two families involved. Max's mom went to an IEP meeting to assist another mom, and felt that she could have done more to help. Max's mom then finds out that Max is being sent to the library to do independent work because his teacher can't teach when Max is in the room. Max's parents are frustrated and don't know what to do or how to advocate for him. I think this part was something the writer's got correct.

Parents do have to educate themselves on the law and what the school needs to provide under IDEA (Individual's with Disabilities Education Act). I am a deaf education teacher I was used to being in an IEP meetings(ARD meeting here in Texas) in that role. As a parent, I find it difficult to know how to handle all of the situations I find myself in with him. I have learned to use the acronym FAPE(Free and Appropriate Education) as well as LRE (Least Restrictive Environment) to my advantage. I have also learned to say things like, "You are making my son fit into a program instead of making the program fit him." This phrase been a good one.

Elijah's next ARD meeting is in April! He is being re-evaluated this year and we will discuss those scores as well as the plan for next year. He has had a good year so far, but has just recently been having some issues. Of course, we just went to the doctor on Monday and NOW he is having problems with touching others. ARGH....I know this is probably a tic, but how to handle it. I am going to email his teacher again and ask for the behavior specialist to come in and see what is going on.

I am glad to see a TV program take on real life issues of families of children with special needs.