IEP meeting

[Trishasmom]

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

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

[Weeru...@aol.com]

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

[Trishasmom]

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

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[Mcda...@aol.com]

        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

[Weeru...@aol.com]

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.

[Mcda...@aol.com]

        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

[Ebunny59]

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

[Trishasmom]

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.  

[Mcda...@aol.com]

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