Hi all,

Hope all is well.  It's so quiet here lately I'm almost afraid of waking
someone up with my post. lol

We have an IEP meeting coming up this Tuesday.  It's mainly to cross some
t's and dot some i's but it is also a good time to revamp a few programs
since Trisha is moving along very quickly so it's time to up the ante so to
speak.  I have some concerns with ST but hopefully that is an easy fix.  We
still do not have a PT yet so that is something we need to address and I
spoke with her OT and we feel she needs more OT time even though she is
making progress she is now getting to the stage where it's taking longer to
work on her programs than it was before (which is good news because it means
she is making progress towards being able to write and sign even better but
she still has some major issues with her thumb and pinky finger and  some
other issues that now she is trying to do more has come up that we didn't
see before.   I am also requesting yet again (SD is very slow) AT training
for school, Trisha and myself which I have been requesting now for over 5
years and this time is the last time I request because if it doesn't get
done this time I'll start filing complaints.  The school is great that she
is going to but they still need training in her modes of communication in
order for her to really make functional progress, One thing I have learned
recently it's not just about learning how to use the device, it's about
learning how to properly take care of it as well.  The hinge on the laptop
got broken (from improper shutting of the lid) by staff.

So most of the issues is at SD level.  She has a good team as far as the
teacher and staff goes and her signing assistant has really blossomed this
year at the new school.  She has some really good hidden talents that we did
not see at the other school because the school was so stifling.  She has
made some really good progress.  We've been very creative with working on
her signing skills like painting each finger nail a different color so she
can have a better visual of where the finger placements should be, I made a
hand out of a surgical glove filled with rice and painted on nails so she
could practice placing the fingers into different signs.  We are working on
her reading using sign as well as the MeVille to WeVille program and she is
doing great on spelling and vocabulary and I will be asking that we up the
ante a bit more in the reading area so that she doesn't get bored.

While she still has times what we call her song and dance if she doesn't
like or want to do something it doesn't last very long and she is easily
redirected back to work.  She loves going on her daily walk and out to the
swings.  But I think her favorite spot is what they call the motor room
which is filled with sensory items as well.  Unlike the other school where
she would work for a few minutes and take a break and then work and break ,
this school she works a whole session and is given the opportunity to break
but most of the time she requests to keep working.  She has a 1-1 TA that
works with her directly but then when she has mastered a program other
teachers or TA's will come and go over the program to make sure she has
truly mastered it with someone different which I like.  They go out once a
week to the community for different activities some just for pleasure others
for part of their curriculum and Trisha enjoys doing that and it has helped
her in so many other ways as well.  They don't go out in a single line like
a herd of ducks following their mom but each child has their 1-1 and while
they are still together it's more natural and each one can walk and look at
their own pace within reason.  For halloween, they went shopping for their
halloween party and her TA learned NOT to get in front of the cart when
Trisha is pushing it. lol  This will be the first IEP meeting with the whole
team since school has started so it will be interesting to see how this one
goes.

For anyone using Face Book feel free to come by and check out Trisha's photo
albums.
Trisha's photos<http://www.facebook.com/Trishasmom?ref=profile#/Trishasmom?v=photos&r...>

Also feel free to look me up on Face book my user name is Trishasmom.

So what is up with everyone else?  :-)

Carol
Trishasmom
If we always do what we've always done, we'll always get what we've always
gotten

Carol,

Sounds like you are busy and everything is moving forward. That's great! I  
have been impressed with the updates and photos on facebook.

Things here are busy this week. One of Jessie's favorite singers (Terry  
Garland) is coming to town to do a benefit concert for her horse riding  
group. She has listened to his music since she was a toddler. If you enjoy Blues  
music check him out at TerryGarland.com  Jessie is so excited she got to go
 see him sing for the first time in Sept and now she knows he is coming
here to  play for her & her friends. So we are busy doing interviews for the
local  TV, paper, and radio.....Jessie is loving all the attention! She is
such a  little Diva!

School is going great this year....she is making such progress it fun to  
watch....our girls getting their chance to shine....isnt it wonderful?

Merlie  (Jessie's mom.....the coolest teenager in the world)

Always  remember......the mighty oak is just one little crazy nut that
stood its ground!  - unknown

"Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and  suddenly
you are doing the impossible." ~ Francis of  Assisi

That is so great and of course you will send links so we can watch the
interviews right? lol
I am so glad she is enjoying herself and especially happy that school is
going so well for her.  Maybe this will be a better year for all of us.  I
was thinking the other day that we are all so spread apart it's hard to try
to get together for any kind of reunion but I was wondering if maybe we
could do something like a webcam reunion?  At least then we can see each
other and talk and our kids could see each other as well.  That would be
cool, and maybe for those who might not have webcams if they live close to
someone that does we could have lots of little mini reunions via the web.

Carol
Trishasmom
If we always do what we've always done, we'll always get what we've always
gotten

Wow Carol so nice to hear  that Trisha is coming into her own.  I will be
going to ASHA next week and  I am so looking forward to it.  It gives me so
much hope to see everyone  learning more about AAC.  Let me know if anyone
needs me to scope  out something for them I would be more then happy to do
that for you  all.

Now here me rant...........well not that bad.  It is so funny it makes  me
laugh.  Lee is having a difficult time with spelling and reading a  bit.  We
were going to have an 504 meeting and the chair said no to my  request to
have the SLP there too.  Ya that is the laughing part our son  has a speech
disorder and she wasn't going to invite the SLP who has the expert  info to
come!  I politely said ok and then requested a special ed eval. and  told the
sped dir. how dismayed I was that she declined my request to have her  
invited.  Funny 15 mins later I was cc'ed on and email to the sped dir that  she
was gong to be invited.  :)  Gee when are they ever going to get  the
importance of the team and including all team members.

M-C

LOL M-C ....when are they going to learn that you (like a lot of us) dont  
take "no" for an answer when it comes to our child! :o) Lee is so lucky to
have  you in his corner! Let us know how the meeting goes.

Merlie  (Jessie's mom.....the coolest teenager in the world)

Always  remember......the mighty oak is just one little crazy nut that
stood its ground!  - unknown

"Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and  suddenly
you are doing the impossible." ~ Francis of  Assisi

yes I will let everyone  know how the meeting goes.  I am thrilled that I
will be at ASHA and I have  soooo many friends that are SLP's.  Thanks for
your vote of  confidence!  

M-C

Our warranty expires Jan 3, so i figured it was a good time to send
the Eco in to get the pesky mic problem we have fixed.  Only now, they
sent us a loaner, and guess what?  I duplicated the problem on the
loaner device, proving this is a prgoram problem, and not a hardware
problem.  At least know I have somewhat isolated what keys to NOT hit
on the Eco, to cause the problem in the first place.  WARNING any
other Eco-14 users, do NOT import a wav or sounf file on a key, or
record on a key, and then hit the clear key. I think that is the
sequence that is causing all the problems, trying to clear a key you
recorded or have sound on.

Anyway, Kendra is finding 4th grade rough, as it is hard work. I have
given up the idea that they will use Word with her, and just have them
put everything into a notebook.  They seemed to have problems with
Kendra accidentally erasing everything she had, so the notebook makes
that harder to do accidentally.  And the aide doesn't mind using a
notebook, so i have focused on them using them well.  They seem to be
doing a lot of writing with the Eco.  Still irritates the heck out of
me, that if something isn't capitalized, they mark points off,
although it is usually the Eco's or the aide's fault, not Kendra's.
Still giving her 16 spelling words even though her comprehension and
attention level is around 10.  I understand uping it to 12 maybe, to
push her  a little, but it is impossible to use a device, and spell
out 16 words in her 20 minute attention span!

Kendra learned how to do something new, and I think I created a
monster, but this could be a career some day.  I taught her how to use
the sound recorder in windows, and to play with the speed and the
effects.  Soon, I will teach her how to use Movie Maker, and put a
bunch of pictures together into a movie format.  Then, hopefully we
can combine the two.  Everyone be on the look out for a Kendra Movie
this year, LOL

Robin, I just got your materials from your training today,  I WISH I
could have been there, but our van is just to unreliable right now to
drive that far.  Thanks for allowing Kim to send me the materials
though.

other than that, we are dealing with typical preteen girl stuff this
year.  Training bras, a boy that is her best friend she gets teased
about, high emotions and the fact she isn't like everyone else and
can't do what everyone else does all the time, etc etc.  Just can't
wait until she is a teenager (NOT).

Amy

On Nov 9, 12:28 pm, Mcdalz...@aol.com wrote:

Thought I would post an update about our IEP meeting.  It went well and we
accomplished many things with some that we need to follow up on in the next
week or two.

I went in with the requests for:

more OT
getting the power cord to her laptop replaced as it has a short in it
more direct 1-1 session for signing
AT training
specify that all related services would be 1-1 (was never an issue before
but hey that was an easy fix).

What we decided on was
30 additional minutes a week for OT
PT consultation
30 additional minutes a month for ST consultation
power cord will be replaced
AT training teacher and I will make a conference call and get that set up
took out mastered goals and replaced with new goals in 9 weeks of the new
school she learned more vocabulary words than in years at the other place.
added vibrating watch under accommodations

I requested that her TA be at the meeting and it was so great how the
teacher say sure no problem.  This TA works with Trisha at home and she also
worked with her at the old school where they would never let the TA's come
to an IEP meeting.  We talked about what she got out of being at the meeting
and she said it helped to understand why these things were put into place
and how they affect not only now but how they will benefit her in the future
as well.  She said it made it so much more clear and she understands better
why I ask is this being done or that being done etc.  The TA was so glad to
be included as part of the team and of course we asked her questions and not
just had her there to sit with Trisha she participated.

Ms. Trisha was of course her charming self and loved being center of
attention for awhile but then she got absorbed in her work and pretty much
ignored us unless we mentioned something that caught her attention or when
we asked her questions.

When they brought her laptop down they forgot her mouse which wasn't a major
issue because over the last year or so she's learned to use the mouse pad
even though it's slower for her and she doesn't have as much control she is
still able to use it functionally. But, for some reason she got it in her
head that the Sp.Ed. Dir. had the mouse in her brief case and all of a
sudden decided to search for her mouse all along signing mouse to indicate
that was what she was looking for.  I do not think she ever was totally
convinced that the Sp. Ed. Dir did not have her mouse. lol  Oh well, it
brought up another skill that needs work on.  :-)

So all in all, a good meeting.

Carol
Trishasmom
If we always do what we've always done, we'll always get what we've always
gotten

Yah..............one for  the good guys.....all the team members!  M-C