Tonight's episode of Dateline covered young me with autism who were "aging out" of school when they turned 21. The episode highlighted two families' struggles with finding services for the sons after they turned 21. All parents of special needs students should be watch this episode of Dateline. This affects young people with intellectual disabilities, physical disabilities, and other developmental disabilities.
We had a transition meeting at Elijah's last ARD meeting (IEP meeting) back in February. Elijah attended the ARD and I asked that a representative from the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) to attend his ARD. The DARS representative works only with students who are deaf and hard of hearing. I signed consent for her to meet with Elijah at the high school next year and in the years to follow. I am hoping that we can come up with a plan for him for after graduation. Elijah can stay in school until the age of 21 since he is under special education. I don't know if he will need to stay in school until he is 21 or graduate when he completes four years of high school and passes his classes. He will be 19 at that time. He repeated second grade back in elementary school.
Like the moms in the Dateline episode I have educated myself on Elijah's rights and am his strongest advocate. I also have my experience as a teacher in special education to assist me. I am not sure how parents who don't have this background navigate the system. I don't usually write about work, but I do worry about my own students. All I can do is try to educate the parents as best I can.
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Saturday, April 11, 2015
I'm Hungry!
Elijah seems to always be hungry. I guess it is part of being a teenage boy and he will be 15 in just about two weeks. However, there are times that I know he is NOT hungry! Last weekend, my honey and I took Elijah, Jacob, Jacob's girlfriend and my mom out to eat for my birthday. We went to BJ's restaurant and my honey brought a cake from the "Nothing Bundt Cake" store. They make some awesome cakes and she got me a white raspberry cake!
We ordered two appetizers and Elijah did eat quite a bit. He ordered a small pizzas for his meal and ate three of the four slices. We all finished our meal and the waiter brought some plates for the cake. Elijah got his piece of cake and then told us that it didn't taste right. I told him he didn't have to eat it and he seemed fine with that. He then looked down at me as he rubbed his forehead looking quite sad. He says "I am hungry" with a tone of despair. My mom chuckled and I tried not to laugh. There was NO way he was hungry. He wanted one of the desserts from the restaurant. They have hot cookies with ice cream and that is what he wanted. I told him we were NOT ordering desserts because we were having cake. He sighed and just sat there looking all forlorn. He looked at my mother to see if she would get him something and she avoided eye contact. We all ate our cake and talked. He then looked down at me and said, "Can I have my cake back?" I gave him his cake and he ate it. My honey and I have laughed about this all week, because it is a running joke that Elijah is always hungry! In this way, he is a very typical teenage boy!
We ordered two appetizers and Elijah did eat quite a bit. He ordered a small pizzas for his meal and ate three of the four slices. We all finished our meal and the waiter brought some plates for the cake. Elijah got his piece of cake and then told us that it didn't taste right. I told him he didn't have to eat it and he seemed fine with that. He then looked down at me as he rubbed his forehead looking quite sad. He says "I am hungry" with a tone of despair. My mom chuckled and I tried not to laugh. There was NO way he was hungry. He wanted one of the desserts from the restaurant. They have hot cookies with ice cream and that is what he wanted. I told him we were NOT ordering desserts because we were having cake. He sighed and just sat there looking all forlorn. He looked at my mother to see if she would get him something and she avoided eye contact. We all ate our cake and talked. He then looked down at me and said, "Can I have my cake back?" I gave him his cake and he ate it. My honey and I have laughed about this all week, because it is a running joke that Elijah is always hungry! In this way, he is a very typical teenage boy!
Saturday, March 21, 2015
It Happened Again!
We got a new front door today, so workmen arrived early this morning to take out the old door and install the new door. It was a good three hour job with them even installing a new door frame. There was a lot of noise and a lot of work going on. Elijah and I were just hanging out in the house and watching TV. The cats were locked up in Jacob's room and my honey was off at work.
About an hour before they finished, one of the workmen says to me, "there is someone here to see you". I was surprised to hear this, because I wasn't expecting anyone. I then walked to the door and said, "there is someone for me?" He then pointed to two women and a teenage girl walking up to my door. Of course, there is a lot happening in this area so they didn't get too close. All three of them were dressed up like they were going to church and one of them voice and signs "hello, I see you have some construction. We just wanted to stop by to see you with an invitation." I immediately knew they had see the DEAF CHILD SIGN at the end of the street and asked some neighbors where the deaf kid lives. She then signed and voiced, "your son is deaf, right?" I said, "yes, but he doesn't use sign language. He is oral.". She then said, "Oh, ok." I just stood there and didn't say anything else. She then said "thank you. I guess we won't bother you" and they left.
The three of them left and then I looked at the workman and asked him if they had driven up to my house. He said that they had. I am not sure WHY this bothers me BUT it does. They had probably found out where I lived sometime before today and then made a special trip to come and see the deaf kid and his family. I relayed the story to my honey when she called later. She then told me that someone had stopped by a few weeks ago when Jacob was home for Spring Break. Elijah and I were not home, because I had taken him to a doctor's appointment. This happened about a year ago too. While I appreciate that they want to reach out to the deaf community, I would really prefer they just NOT show up on my doorstep uninvited. The woman today signed better than the last woman who stopped by though.
About an hour before they finished, one of the workmen says to me, "there is someone here to see you". I was surprised to hear this, because I wasn't expecting anyone. I then walked to the door and said, "there is someone for me?" He then pointed to two women and a teenage girl walking up to my door. Of course, there is a lot happening in this area so they didn't get too close. All three of them were dressed up like they were going to church and one of them voice and signs "hello, I see you have some construction. We just wanted to stop by to see you with an invitation." I immediately knew they had see the DEAF CHILD SIGN at the end of the street and asked some neighbors where the deaf kid lives. She then signed and voiced, "your son is deaf, right?" I said, "yes, but he doesn't use sign language. He is oral.". She then said, "Oh, ok." I just stood there and didn't say anything else. She then said "thank you. I guess we won't bother you" and they left.
The three of them left and then I looked at the workman and asked him if they had driven up to my house. He said that they had. I am not sure WHY this bothers me BUT it does. They had probably found out where I lived sometime before today and then made a special trip to come and see the deaf kid and his family. I relayed the story to my honey when she called later. She then told me that someone had stopped by a few weeks ago when Jacob was home for Spring Break. Elijah and I were not home, because I had taken him to a doctor's appointment. This happened about a year ago too. While I appreciate that they want to reach out to the deaf community, I would really prefer they just NOT show up on my doorstep uninvited. The woman today signed better than the last woman who stopped by though.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Jacob: Life at College
Jacob started his second semester at Texas State Technical College in Waco in January. He only has three more semester until graduation with one of those semesters being over the summer. He has become more independent each day. Today he texted me that he was having some issues with his car. He said it was "sputtering" and the check engine light was on. I called him to get more information. One of the other staff suggested he take it to Auto Zone and let them run a diagnostic. I searched the web and found one close to him. I told him to ask them for a suggestion on where he might take the car to be checked over.
He called me a little later and said Auto Zone suggested a garage and I looked it up for him. He was still at Auto Zone. I gave him the address and he found it. He then called me back and said that he made an appointment to take the car back on Friday morning for them to check it. It could be any number of things. They also said they would give him a 10% discount since he was a student at TSTC and many of their mechanics come from the school. I reminded him to call me with a quote prior to approving the work and I told him how proud I was of him for handling all of this. It is a learning opportunity and he did well!! I am VERY PROUD of him. He listened and handled the situation and made some decisions all on his own. He still has some growing up to do, but he is on the right track. Life is a journey!
He called me a little later and said Auto Zone suggested a garage and I looked it up for him. He was still at Auto Zone. I gave him the address and he found it. He then called me back and said that he made an appointment to take the car back on Friday morning for them to check it. It could be any number of things. They also said they would give him a 10% discount since he was a student at TSTC and many of their mechanics come from the school. I reminded him to call me with a quote prior to approving the work and I told him how proud I was of him for handling all of this. It is a learning opportunity and he did well!! I am VERY PROUD of him. He listened and handled the situation and made some decisions all on his own. He still has some growing up to do, but he is on the right track. Life is a journey!
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Snow Days!
Elijah, my hone and I have all been home for the last two days due to the ice. School was cancelled for both Elijah and I. My honey cancelled her classes, because she didn't want to drive out in the ice and I don't blame her! I just found out that my school district has a two hour delay tomorrow morning. Now, being home has been nice. We have slept in and made a nice dessert today. I even got a nap and also got ahead on several grad school assignments.
However, being stuck home with a child who has OCD and tics can be a challenge. Elijah was determined he was going to play outside yesterday. First of all, it was ICE not snow and secondly HE has a nasty cough. He got breathing treatments every three hours yesterday and today. He would NOT drop it yesterday and kept trying to sneak out. He just had it stuck in his head that HE HAD to go outside and play. The tics have not been too bad, but there were a few times I had to ask him to go to his room to watch TV. I could only take the noise for so long and my computer is in the den where I do my grad school work. This only happened once yesterday and once today, so overall it wasn't too bad. I also limit his time with electronics (iPad, Nintendo DS and Wii-U) so he was BORED quite a bit. I played with him some, but there is only so much we could do!
Of course, now Elijah is determined that there will be NO school tomorrow. He is even arguing with me about it. I have remained calm and reminded him that the decision has not been made and we will get up in the morning and see what the news has to say. The school district will call me if there is a late start or cancellation. I am hoping he just doesn't argue with me in the morning and then have his bad attitude carry over into school. At least there are only three days left this week.
However, being stuck home with a child who has OCD and tics can be a challenge. Elijah was determined he was going to play outside yesterday. First of all, it was ICE not snow and secondly HE has a nasty cough. He got breathing treatments every three hours yesterday and today. He would NOT drop it yesterday and kept trying to sneak out. He just had it stuck in his head that HE HAD to go outside and play. The tics have not been too bad, but there were a few times I had to ask him to go to his room to watch TV. I could only take the noise for so long and my computer is in the den where I do my grad school work. This only happened once yesterday and once today, so overall it wasn't too bad. I also limit his time with electronics (iPad, Nintendo DS and Wii-U) so he was BORED quite a bit. I played with him some, but there is only so much we could do!
Of course, now Elijah is determined that there will be NO school tomorrow. He is even arguing with me about it. I have remained calm and reminded him that the decision has not been made and we will get up in the morning and see what the news has to say. The school district will call me if there is a late start or cancellation. I am hoping he just doesn't argue with me in the morning and then have his bad attitude carry over into school. At least there are only three days left this week.
Saturday, February 7, 2015
Turkey Bacon
When Elijah was very young, I worried the child would be TOO skinny. He just never seemed to gain any weight or to grow taller. I took him to an endocrinologist and he was behind the curve when it came to growth, but the doctor thought we should wait and see if he would catch up to his peers. He did and is finally growing TALLER.
Unfortunately, many of the medications the takes for Tourette Syndrome, OCD and ADHD have cause him to EAT, and now that he is 14 he is really EATING. We got him walking over the summer and started counting calories, and he lost 10 pounds. Overall, he is doing well and we monitor what he eats. However, when he is very hungry he eats and eats whatever is around. He has been known to eat a whole package of luncheon meat or a package of pepperoni in the fridge. We recently bought a small box to lock up a few things in the refrigerator, for two reasons. He cannot just EAT all the time, or he will really gain weight and he has to learn some self control. We also keep the freezer in the garage locked.
Some of you may think I am a mean mom! Well, my honey found an empty package of TURKEY BACON in the fridge today. There had been about 3 slices left two days ago. He stated that he had eaten it. Upon further questioning, I learned that he ate it RAW. OH GROSS....that is all I have to say to that. Later tonight I was putting clean sheets on his bed when I reached down between the bed and the wall to grab a few stuffed animals. I found two bowls, several dried up orange peels and CHOPPED PECANS. We found the empty bag in the fridge when we went to look. Somehow he had grabbed the bag of pecans and spilled all of them between the wall and the fridge. We had not even noticed they were gone, because we use SO many pecans during the holidays for baking that we can't keep track of them between us. I found a LOT of pecans under his bed and we are going to flip the mattress off tomorrow to see what else we can find. Pecans are expensive, and he didn't even eat them, he wasted them. I also don't think he is hungry most of the time, but thinks he is hungry due to the meds. The doctor told me kids like him on these meds will eat trash out of a trash can. I didn't really believe him, until Elijah ate RAW TURKEY BACON! YUCK!
Unfortunately, many of the medications the takes for Tourette Syndrome, OCD and ADHD have cause him to EAT, and now that he is 14 he is really EATING. We got him walking over the summer and started counting calories, and he lost 10 pounds. Overall, he is doing well and we monitor what he eats. However, when he is very hungry he eats and eats whatever is around. He has been known to eat a whole package of luncheon meat or a package of pepperoni in the fridge. We recently bought a small box to lock up a few things in the refrigerator, for two reasons. He cannot just EAT all the time, or he will really gain weight and he has to learn some self control. We also keep the freezer in the garage locked.
Some of you may think I am a mean mom! Well, my honey found an empty package of TURKEY BACON in the fridge today. There had been about 3 slices left two days ago. He stated that he had eaten it. Upon further questioning, I learned that he ate it RAW. OH GROSS....that is all I have to say to that. Later tonight I was putting clean sheets on his bed when I reached down between the bed and the wall to grab a few stuffed animals. I found two bowls, several dried up orange peels and CHOPPED PECANS. We found the empty bag in the fridge when we went to look. Somehow he had grabbed the bag of pecans and spilled all of them between the wall and the fridge. We had not even noticed they were gone, because we use SO many pecans during the holidays for baking that we can't keep track of them between us. I found a LOT of pecans under his bed and we are going to flip the mattress off tomorrow to see what else we can find. Pecans are expensive, and he didn't even eat them, he wasted them. I also don't think he is hungry most of the time, but thinks he is hungry due to the meds. The doctor told me kids like him on these meds will eat trash out of a trash can. I didn't really believe him, until Elijah ate RAW TURKEY BACON! YUCK!
Monday, January 12, 2015
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!
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!
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