Changes

Last week was a big week of changes in our household.


Thursday was the start of a new semester for the boys. S took advantage of his IEP during exams and actually had a scribe for both his Geography and Science exams. He felt very good about the Science exam, but wasn't as confident with his Geography one, however. He did spend a fair bit of time studying, so I hope he gets a good mark. (Geography was never a strong subject for me, either, so I understand that struggle.)

This semester he has Math, English, Phys-ed and Religion. Again, a nice mix of tough and not-so-tough courses. I've not sent my "letter of introduction" to his teachers, but I think I will send that with him next week.

The A-man feels very confident that he will have 80's in all of his classes except English. He's not quite sure what to expect in that class. Apparently he did quite well on the essay prep he had to do prior to the exam, so I'm hoping that he is pleasantly surprised at the end of it.

I guess we will know for sure next week.

Thursday was also a big day for me as I less Boss know that I had accepted a new position. I am actually not even aware of a start date yet, but I know it won't be until the middle of March at the earliest. I'm sort of hoping that I will have a lag between leaving this job and starting the new one; the kids would be on March break that week, and it would be really nice to have a full week off to get some organizing done around the house. But, as I said, nothing has been set as of yet.

My leaving came as a very big shock to Boss. And an even bigger one to my assistant. I explained to her - privately - that I was very confident in her abilities and that knowing she was in place was actually a factor in my decision. Of course, there were quite a number of factors, but it's good to know you are not actually leaving the company in a lurch. Especially when the company works with such a small crew.

Boss took me to lunch on Monday to discuss things further. I guess he'd had the weekend to digest the information and he wanted to use the private conversation to feel me out for what type of job I would be doing, the pay difference, that sort of thing. When I told him the pay I would be receiving at the new job, he realized that he would not be able to match it. I knew this - and had he surprised me and tried to match the pay - I'm not even sure what I would have done to be honest!

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On a different note, Hubby and I have some issues we have to work through with our darling S. Over the Christmas break S and I had a bit of a disagreement about the quality of time he had put into completing an assignment. After our discussion, I had gone to bed.

A short while later, Hubby came upstairs to find S standing near my purse, with a $20 bill in his hand. Hubby LOST it. He never yells - or very rarely - and he hollered so loud at S that he woke me up.

I was not privy to the discussion Hubby had with S - I thought the cooler head was dealing with the situation, so I left it alone. Of course, Hubby and I did discuss it later, but at the time I knew the right parent came across that situation. S and I did have a brief follow up discussion about the series of events that lead up to that, and he explained to me that he had never done such a thing before, and he wasn't really sure why he did it that night other than he was upset with me and that it was something he did on impulse.

My knowledge of ADHD does permit me to believe that this was an impulse, but it also doesn't allow me to not punish him and remind him that stealing is illegal.

On the week that Hubby and I were on holidays, and the boys stayed with my parents, my Dad noticed that three $2 coins went missing off his side table. When he mentioned it to Hubby and I, we both knew right away who to talk to. Of course my Dad did mention the missing change to both of the boys at the time and both claimed no knowledge of the event. Dad knew the money was gone, but he also had no knowledge of the event at Christmas, so he wasn't sure who wasn't telling the truth.

Hubby had a serious conversation with S to follow up on my Dad's situation, and then I dealt with it in a whole other way. When I gave the boys their bi-weekly allowance, I short changed S. When he asked me why he didn't get his normal amount, I told him the money he had taken from my Dad was an advance.

His head went down, his cheeks flushed, and I believe I made an impact.

I certainly hope so.

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And, on a totally separate issue again - poor Nee was required to take very drastic measures with J. He was admitted to a youth centre for emergency treatment. He will be released at the end of this week, I believe, but when he was in for the past three weeks, he has been under 24 hour surveillance with no access to cigarettes, alcohol or drugs. He has also been receiving therapy and testings that would normally take upward of a year to receive.

On the down side, Nee and her partner have separated and she will be moving into a new place this weekend. J and her partner had an altercation before the New Year, and now he doesn't want J in his house. Ever.

What is a mother to do? Well, naturally she had no choice - her decision was made when he wasn't willing to come to a compromise.

My heart is breaking for my friend, and I am hopeful that some answers will arrive when J is released.

Meeting the new SERT

I had a great meeting with S's new SERT this morning. We reviewed his existing IEP and talked about what types of changes should be incorporated since he is now in high school.
She is fairly new to the SERT world, so I actually had to explain a number of things about S's various conditions, and also about the services he has received in the past and how to we got to where we are today. She seemed very receptive to any suggestions that I made, and I am cautiously optimistic that his IEP will actually be something that the teachers will be able to understand and follow.

Right now S has EA support in all classes but Music, but all of them are in a 'background' capacity. Both the SERT and I would like to see S develop and grow his independence, and we figure having an EA on hand, but not WITH, will help with that.

During the meeting, I found out that she isn't really sure where they are going to set up S's scanner/printer. I suggested that our HOME would be a good location - that way he would be responsible for scanning all of his information, but he wouldn't be required to lose classroom time to do so. She really liked that idea, and actually sent an email off the the Superintendent of Special Education right then to see if this was something that could be done.
I will keep my fingers crossed on that one. Oh, what a coup that would be.

I am going to have to make some appointments for the teachers, but I think I will wait another week or so before doing that.

Took S into the Health Unit this morning to get his final Hep B shot. He missed getting them in Grade 7 because he forgot to take the forms in. Our timing for getting to the school was good because just as we were arriving, they were calling students with the last name beginning with our last name letter down for school pictures. S grabbed his late slip, then went off to get his picture taken before going to Music class.

We had a nice weekend.
On Friday night I went out with some friends for dinner and then to see "Bjorn Again", which is an ABBA cover band. Saturday morning I got to sleep in a bit, and then I did a bit of cleaning around the house and Hubby and the A-man and I went shopping in the afternoon. S had been invited over to his friend's house for the afternoon, so Hubby dropped him off there before we headed out.
Both Hubby and I got some gear for riding the motorcycles, then the A-man was happy because he was able to pick up some more pieces for his game that he is working on. He's been painting away everyday trying to get them all done. Now he has another 20 more to paint.

Yesterday I did some rearranging of furniture in the living room, then around noon Hubby and I went out for a motorcycle ride. We went quite a distance, and really did have a nice afternoon. I was really greatful for the full face mask that we had bought the day before because I found the wind to be quite chilly and strong on my face. Of course, when we stopped for lunch, it was beautiful and both Hubby and I were able to take off all our 'gear' to eat lunch in just short sleeved tops.
We got home around 6pm, and about 10 minutes later my parents arrived for a short visit. Just as they were getting ready to head out, the R-man and GF arrived... it was a busy spot!

I've taken today off work so that I can do a bit more around the house, but so far I haven't really done that much, but I am just about to go full force...

Here is a picture of me that was taken yesterday just as we arrived at the restaurant for lunch.
I'm so pretty....

Letter to the teacher

Here is the letter S will be giving to his teachers when he starts school next week:

Dear Teacher,

I would like to provide you with some information one of your Grade 9 students this year – S.

I know you will be receiving a copy of his IEP within the next few weeks, but I thought it would be best to start the year with all of details about his special educational requirements fully explained, and to also let you know that I would appreciate being kept aware of his progress in your classroom via email. Above, you will notice I’ve provided my various contact numbers and home email address for your records.

S has been diagnosed with a number of learning disabilities, in addition to having ADHD, Aspergers and a Generalized Anxiety Disorder. He has had a board-provided laptop for two years, and has been well-trained on all of the programs installed on his system. S and I also participated in a Board-sanctioned training program over the summer and we are both prepared to ensure a positive and successful transition to his next level of education.

While attending the training program in August, the Superintendent of Special Education assured the parents that most of the text books utilized in our schools have already been scanned and are available through the Board office. I would appreciate it if you could let me know the details of any textbooks that will be used in your classroom so that I can ensure he has what is required already on his system. If you can email with this information sometime this week, I will confirm the data is on his system over the weekend.

In addition to having his textbook available electronically, I wanted to advise you that S does have a graphomotor disability, and should not be requested to copy detailed notes from the board. His IEP will indicate that this information be provided to him already prepared, so that he can make notations as the work is being discussed in class. (If possible, it would ideal if the information could be provided in advance to allow him the opportunity to scan it into the laptop prior to class and make electronic notations, but I do realize this won’t always be realistic.)

S will utilize Kurzweil (a text-to-voice software program) to assist him with the reading of the text, and Dragon Naturally Speaking (DNS) will be used for the inputting of his information. DNS is a text-to-voice program that allows him to share his thoughts and ideas freely – he will use this program to speak into the computer, get his thought into print, and will then require some time to edit the information into suitable context.

For the past three years, S has had EA support, and I have been advised this will continue during his time at your school. I’m not fully understanding of how EA support works within the high school environment and ask for your patience while both S and I adjust to this.

Now, a little bit about his Aspergers. In January 2008, S underwent some extensive medical testing, including an fMRI at a hospital. The fMRI is a functional MRI that actually monitored and assessed his brainwave function. In a nutshell – and using a few technical terms as possible! - the results of this test indicated that S needs information to be provided repetitively for it to become rote - his brain simply does not encode novel tasks. He processes everything in a literal manner, and is not able to conceptualize how his present actions can/will affect his future. He lacks imagination and will not be able to visual/conceptualize new ideas. He can neither read nor understand facial expressions/voice tones, and often will not look you in the eye when speaking. He will not do this to be rude – he simply is unable to do this, so please don’t force this issue as he can become agitated.

With respect to the ADHD and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), S has been fortunate to have been experiencing fewer and fewer symptoms of the GAD, and hopefully won’t have any problems at highschool. He has been known to become very anxious during transitional periods or during times that are out of the norm (such as leaving ‘normal class’ to go to the gym for an assembly.) Past experience has shown that when advised of schedule adjustments in advance, he tends to cope better. S experiences typical ADHD behaviour – sometimes he will need gentle reminders to remain on task (without drawing attention to him) and he does not have innate organizational abilities. Due to his short working memory, he will require reminders about recording homework assignments and assistance in determining the best plan of attack for large projects/assignments. Again, this is where it would be helpful to send me an email with homework details so that I can ensure he stays on task.

Despite the conditions I have explained to you, S is a very happy teen that truly wants to do well, and is very willing to please others. Nothing makes him happier than to be of assistance in some way, shape or form. He is very musically inclined, loves to do magic tricks, and is happy to tell you the latest joke he has heard. He has an average-to-above-average IQ, and has the ability to do well in school if provided the necessary accommodations. S has been the target of bullies in the past, and as such, tends to want to ensure all rules are clearly explained and treatment for all is ‘fair.’

I have always been very involved in my son’s education, and would like to see this continue at high school. I realize that my child is not perfect, and I also recognize that S’s perception is often very different than the perception of others. I am willing to take the time to ‘peel the layers’ to get to the heart of any/all issues with him, and it is my sincere hope that together we will have an opportunity to ensure his success. Once the school year has begun, I would appreciate the opportunity to meet with you and further discuss the information I’ve included in this letter. I apologize for the length of this letter, however I feel it is very important to start the new year/new school with as much information shared as possible.

I will contact the school within the next two weeks to set up a meeting if I don’t hear from you prior.

Thank you for your time – I look forward to meeting you soon.

And onward

The 3-week old chicks have arrived. They are quite a bit bigger than I was expecting them to be, to tell the truth.
They have lost most of their “chick fuzz” and are mostly feathers. They still have the underlying fuzz around their necks and under their wings. You can even see a big of the combs starting to form on their heads now. We have a couple of heat lamps in the brooding pen, but I don’t think it will be too long before we are able to put them out in the coop.

All are very skittish, and I now understand where the term “You are such a chicken” comes from. If you make any type of sudden move around their pen, they will all go running the other way. They can be quite comical at times, actually.

S was very excited about the arrival of the birds. He sat outside and watched them for the better part of an hour. After supper I went out to watch them with him, and was quite surprised to hear his analogy on the “pecking order” of the chicks.

“Look at those ones there, Mom. See how the two of them are alone in the corner over there? Those two are the geeks. They are like me and J. They have a good time just themselves, just pecking away in the corner and having fun together. Now watch what happens. She how she is going to head over to the main group and try to fit in? Yeah – watch that big one; I call her ‘Bertha the Bully’. Watch what she does. See?! She just pecked her and then jumped on her! They are so mean to the geeks, but the geeks would let them come in to the corner and peck with them. They wouldn’t mind at all.”

In his mind, S has divided the chicks into three separate and distinct groups – the ‘populars’, the ‘regulars’, and the ‘geeks’. I honestly don’t think he can tell any two chickens apart, but he swears he knows which one is Bertha. “She’s the fastest one; the biggest one. She knows she’s bigger than all the others.”

The first thing he did this morning – even before getting dressed – was to go out to the garage and check on the chicks. I’m sure he is going to do all that he can to try and make these chickens his friends. Not sure that he will be successful in that venture, but you never know. (And yes, he is very clear about the fate of these birds and realizes he won't get to keep any as 'pets')

I will confess though – it absolutely broke my heart to hear him talking the way he did. I remember being in Grade 8 and how hard it was to not be one of the popular ones. The chosen ones. Everyone wanted to be like “them” but it was impossible to get in, no matter how hard you tried, no matter what you did. When I mentioned S’s conversation this morning, my assistant commented that it sounded like S had accepted the divisions. I said that I felt he was more resigned to it rather than accepting of it. She’d never thought of it that way.

The A-man stayed home from school today. He told me that he was sick, but I am pretty sure he was just over tired. He’s been working pretty hard the past three days trying to get caught up on his English assignments that he didn’t get done. He will be getting a failing grade on his mid-term because he had so many assignments that simply were not handed in. When I spoke with the teacher, he assured me that he would mark the assignments and apply them to the A-man’s final grade. He told me that he realizes the A-man is more than able to complete the work and this has been proven by the assignments and tests that he has completed in class. I was glad to hear that, but I think I am going to have to address the organizational portion of the A-man’s IEP.
At this point, I'm starting to thing that it's simply not clear enough for the teachers. They just don’t get that he lacks the ability to start something if he isn’t given absolutely clear and set directions to do so. This teacher provided them with one sheet with a number of dates in which assignments would be due. Yeah - that doesn't work for him.

(sigh) Just when I feel like things are on the upswing, we always have a few bumps in the road! Not sure if I will be able to have it addessed this year, but I will be SURE to make an appointment to meet with ALL of his teacher's next year to address these issues. Will also be making an appointment with the Special Ed teacher to ensure the IEP is even more clear than it currently is.

Passing Time

Lately I've noticed that days - and weeks - have been flying by at an incredible speed.
Now, in reality, I know that the days are 24 hours long - and that doesn't change - but sometimes as I'm writing the date for something, I actually have to stop and check if that's right, because, well, "It just CAN'T be nearing the end of April already, can it?"
I'm not sure what has caused this increased time thing, but I sure wish it would stop! The crows feet wish it, too.

I had a meeting at the school last week regarding S and his transition into high school. To tell the truth, it was a bit of a time waster. I knew we had to do the IPRC review. It's more or less a formality that is mandated by the Board. S has Aspergers - that isn't going to change, nor is his need for an IEP going to change. But, we have this meeting, say "Yup, it's status quo" and then move onward.
I was really ticked when I realized that the Spec Ed teacher from the high school wasn't going to be at the meeting. That was the whole intention, I had thought. Instead, I get to hear all about how S hasn't been doing his homework, how S did "this" about a month ago... and onward.

Regarding the homework issue, I explained to the teachers that I could only enforce the homework completion that I knew about. If it's not written in his agenda, I don't know about it. Period. The Principal pointed out that this problem would be worse once he moves schools because the involvement is even less.
High school does, however, have a program called "Student Success." Held every day at lunch time, the teacher's advise the Student Success (SS) teacher of homework/assignments assigned for student x, y and z, and then the SS teacher will actually follow up with the student to ensure he has completed their work.
What an amazing concept - it's like a homework room! Gee - years ago I suggested having something like this at our school and was told it wouldn't work because of a, b and c. Guess the truth of the matter was that none of the teachers were willing to give some of their lunch time to ensure it worked. As parents we could only do so much and according to Board rules a teacher has to be involved in any "school programs."

Be that as it may, it would appear that S will have an opportunity to become involved in this SS program and may actually be able to complete a large portion of his work at school, with a teacher there to assist, and then the entire homework issue won't be a bone of contention at home. Love that idea, especially after the Math tirade I lived through last night.

The A-man will be bringing home his mid-terms on Friday. Sounds like the majority of his marks are going to be good with the exception of English. See, he's got great marks in the assignments that he's actually completed, but the ones that he hasn't done have pulled his marks way down. Why, you ask, hasn't he turned in all of his assignments?
Well, the teacher gave a sheet to the students at the beginning of the year with various dates/deadlines on it, and the A-man didn't make notations of said due dates.
It all comes down to the whole "lack of organizational skills" again. The teacher does seem to recognize that the A-man is a good student and has told A-man to work on getting everything done as soon as he can and it will be accepted.

On Sunday night we were going through all of the work, and I was making notes on the laptop to assist the A-man, and he was making notations in his palm pilot to help with future reminders. He started getting really stressed out about all that he had to do. Fortunately we didn't get into a full-blown rage outburst, for which I was very grateful given the sheer size of the boy now. (That was terrible enough when he was 8, couldn't imagine it when he's 6'2" and weighing in at 185.)
I was able to calm him down by pointing out that the notations I'd made, and the ones he had made were going to assist him in getting it all done and to just do one thing at a time. Looking at it "all" at once wasn't going to work. "Just think of one task at a time, and slowly you will get it done," I explained.

I'm hoping this scare will be enough to get him on the right track for getting better organized. Guess this is something else I will have to monitor (without appearing to monitor, that is.)
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We get our chicks tomorrow. Little brooding area has been prepared - heat lamp is ready. Will pick up the chick meal when I get them, I guess. Then two weeks after that we get the pheasants. Should be interesting...

Dirty, rotten, nasty.....

ssss---sss---snow!!!! Yes, it is on the ground this morning! Ahhhhhh..... it is WAY to soon for snow!

Didn't do too bad in getting myself moving for work yesterday, and I think I even funtioned as was necessary, which is always a good thing. Took it fairly easy again last night; played on the computer and watched TV with the boys. Today I am back feeling totally normal - well, except for the nasty white stuff that is looking back at me every time I look out the window.

The A-man was a little upset this morning to see that we had received a letter of concern from his Science teacher. The sheet had "assignment completion" and "organization" and "work habits" checked off as concerns he would like to discuss at our parent-teacher interviews. None of the other teachers indicated any concern for discussion. The A-man was 'sick' yesterday and didn't go in to school, so I am hoping I am still able to get a fairly good interview time with this teacher.
After I saw that letter, I also realized that I have not yet received the A-man's IEP in the mail; I've asked him to follow up with his guidance councillor about that today, too.

Actually, I haven't even read S's IEP yet - it arrived in my hands on Thursday morning just as S was getting ready to head off to school. I sent the SERT a quick email in the morning telling her that I would review it when I got back home. Hmm.... guess I'd better try and find that, huh? lol - oh look, here it is!!

The A-man is going to set up an appointment for me with his teacher. Hopefully all of the 'good' times haven't been taken and I'm stuck with something dreadful like 8:30 at night.

This and that

This afternoon I get to attend my last-ever “Meet the Creature (I mean Teacher)” night at S’s school. S has the same teacher as last year, and I’ve known her socially for at least five years, but we are still going. S really wants me to meet his new French teacher for some reason. (I guess he just needs someone/something to be new to justify our going.)

Had an ADHD information session to attend last night. It was an open discussion evening, with primary focus being on the development of an IEP. I was the moderator for the discussion, and although there wasn’t a lot in attendance, we had three new people there. All of them are fairly new to the world of ADHD and special education. Its nights like this that keeps me involved in this association. When you see the relief in other parent’s eyes, the simple understanding that all in attendance truly GET IT, well, it makes the hard work justified in some way. I’m glad that we are able to offer a support system for parents – I just wish we had more people that would help us provide this support. I understand life is busy – I feel like the epitome of ‘busy’ right now – but I still find (or make) the time to do what I can.

At work yesterday, I felt like I was glued to my chair with a lifeline extended from my fingers to the keyboard. Was working on a big presentation that Boss will be making on Friday and we got down to the final crunch-time. Got it all done, but whew, was I ever beat when I finally left work. (Then headed straight to my ADHD meeting…)

The A-man was very disappointed in the cancelled date, but I guess R was also upset. Which is a good thing, too, I suppose. (Would have been much worse if she’d been blasé about it all.) We went and saw “Momma Mia” on Tuesday night to help ease the pain. I had seen the play a couple of times and have the CD. (Big ABBA fan, I suppose.)
The movie was good. Very different from the play in that there was (obviously) a lot more scenery and the movie allowed them to show a lot more details than you can get on stage. There were some scene/setting changes, but I still enjoyed it. Even got choked up at the ‘sad’ part – even though I knew the end. Glenn Close did a very good job with her part, and Colin Firth in a 70’s jumpsuit was truly a sight to behold!
Both boys enjoyed the movie, and I’m pretty sure it will become a movie we will own in our house once it’s out on DVD. (Couple of sexual innuendos I was uncomfortable with S seeing, but I doubt it’s not anything he hasn’t seen before…)

Hubby is on nights this week and next, and next week I have something going on every single night of the week, and then a work/fun weekend in Montreal. This week is/was also a week of things going on every night – including a double booked night tonight. We have a wedding this weekend – S’s Godparent’s daughter is getting married on Saturday. Her first crush (when she was 7) had been on Hubby. She figured she would marry him when I was ‘finished’ with him. We tease her constantly about that still.

Looking forward to the long weekend that is coming up!

New execptionality

I had an IPRC meeting on Tuesday for S. This was a standard, “have it every Spring,” type of meeting, so it wasn’t something that I really had to prepare for.
Given the report from the hospital – and the results of the fMRI – the school wanted to change S’s exceptionality from “Multiple” to “Autism”.

The multiple part of his exceptionality was to encompass his learning disabilities and his anxiety disorder, which can often account for the negative behaviour. The school suggested that we change over to the Autism area of the IPRC, because they felt it would better encompass his newly diagnosis of Aspergers.
I was a little hesitant about signing off on this change, for obvious reasons. This has finally been a good year for him. He has been having a very successful year, and I am positive that this has happened because of all of the accommodations that are in place for him. I did not want to see any of these be taken away from him.

I asked, time and time again, at the meeting for the reassurance that changing his exceptionality would not change the accommodations that are in place. I also wanted to make sure that all of the past IPRC reports would remain in his OSR. He will be going in to his ‘transition’ year next year – and a new school the following year. I do not want to have to start the battle again come Grade 9. I have been assured that all of the records will remain in the file; therefore the high school will have access to all of these files.

I have been stewing about it this for almost a week. (I had even broached the subject at my board meeting last week.) One lady on the board told me that the school is likely pushing for the Autism exceptionality because there is so much more funding available to the school through the Ministry of Education. After talking with everyone at the board meeting, and then at the school meeting, I decided that I would sign off on the new exceptionality. The end result is the same – he needs accommodations, we know why he needs them, we know what has (and has not) worked in the past, and I will continue to ensure all of that continues to happen. WHY he is exceptional doesn’t really matter. I also have copies of all of the information in his OSR, and if something should go missing, it will be amazing how quick another copy will arrive.

Considering the success the A-man has been having in high school, I don’t think the transition will be that difficult. The school has an amazing head of resource, and I am sure it will be good for S, too.

Last night

Picture this: It’s about 7:30 on a Tuesday evening. I have arrived home late and am just sitting down to dinner. The R-man and his girlfriend have just arrived home and I am chatting with them.
S comes upstairs and sits down at the table. The conversation goes as follows,
“Hey buddy. How you doing? How was your day?”
“Fine. But, Mom, I have to make a thermos tonight.”
“A thermos? Why do you have to do that?”
“For Geography. And it’s due tomorrow.”
“Uh huh… and where is the assignment sheet? I’ll need to see that to make sure we have all of the items you will need to do this.” Meanwhile, I’m thinking, “What does a thermos have to do with Geography?”
“I don’t have the sheet, but I have a note in my agenda.”
S goes downstairs and gets his agenda. He turns to the page where the note is written, and hands me the book. I can’t make out much of what it says – he has terrible handwriting.
“Do you want me to read that for you?” He proceeds to read me a note that tells me he has to turn in the thermos in the morning as it was actually due TODAY and the assignment was given on April 16th. (Yeah, two weeks ago.) If he doesn’t have the assignment done, he needs to have a note from me explaining why it wasn’t done.

Oh, you bet. I was totally not impressed. I looked back in his agenda. On the day the assignment was handed out, he had written w/s (worksheet) in the Science section. Nothing else. Nothing is written in the agenda about a project being due, not on the date the assignment was given out, not on the day that it was do. Not one thing – just "w/s".

“uh…Bud, this is a project for Science, not Geography.”
“Oh….well, that makes more sense, I guess.”
“Mhm…and just HOW do you plan to come up with a thermos in ONE NIGHT when the rest of the class has had two weeks?”
“Well, I just didn’t know why we had to do it, so I didn’t want to.”

??!!??!!!? (He didn’t want to…!!)

Anyway, I told him to go down to the garage and find some cardboard, and something else that could possibly hold liquid. He came up with a 1.5 litre plastic bottle and a large cardboard box. I showed him how to measure, and then he cut out 4 sections of the box that would be able to surround the bottle. I showed him how to score the cardboard to fold it, and he proceeded to tape (not very neatly) the cardboard in a sort of box around the bottle.
He then told me, “I need insulation to keep cold things cold and warm things hot.”
“What types of items can be used for insulation?”
”Umm… well, snow, Styrofoam, um… insulation – that sort of stuff.”
Off he goes on another scouring adventure to see what he can find that will work as an insulator for his ‘thermos.’
He comes up and tells me that he found some insulation in the laundry room from when Hubby was putting in the new washer and dryer, and asks if he can use that. After a quick phone call to Hubby to ascertain that this is, in fact, okay, I tell him he can.
We don plastic gloves, and go down to insulate the thermos. Boy did he ever stuff that box good.

Afterwards, he added more tape to the box to ensure that it would all stay together. Total time on the project? Maybe 45 minutes. Did he complete the assignment? I have no idea – because he didn’t bring the actual assignment sheet home.

Am I pleased? Nope.
Am I going to contact the school to find out WHY he didn’t have a note in his agenda about the assignment? (The agenda that we have to purchase every year, but is never used??) You bet.

I am ticked at S, for sure. He knew it was due, and he simply didn’t want to do it, so he opted not to mention it. He is very much aware of the fact that I wasn’t very happy with his actions.

However, that said, I am ticked that he has two – not just one – teachers in that class that could have taken the time to ensure that he had it written as a reminder in his agenda. He has a full time EA! Is that not part of her job??
Assistance with organizational skills is something that is on his IEP. I am going to have to make a phone call to the SERT today to get some clarification on this.

Should I be upset with S alone, or am I right in being upset with the EA also?

Where has the time gone?

Today, the A-man turns 15.

I am still amazed that this can be so. It just seems like yesterday that the doctor's office called to confirm my pregnancy test was positive.
I remember when he was just days old: My house was full of friends and family getting ready for my parents 25th wedding anniversary (would have been nice for him to be born on time, rather than waiting over 2 weeks to make his entry...) and as I held him his entire body filled my arms from wrist to elbow. Cuz told me to enjoy it - he would grow so fast. At the time I could never have believed it truly would.

Oh, as he grew up, and we started to encounter the many issues that have occured with him, I will admit that the days just seemed to be never ending. Still - 15 years, gone.
~~~
We had parent teacher interviews for the A-man last night. Mid-term reports will be coming out soon, so I guess they just like to let the parents know in advance of what to expect. In the fall I was not able to attend the meetings because I was in Mississippi, so this was a very new experience to me.
The teacher for our first appointment was running late, so Hubby and A-man went to the second appointment while I waited for the first. His English teacher. Well, I sat down and she told me, "I just have to say, I love the A-man. He is such a great student, and I loved him right from the very first day." I smiled, naturally, but inside I was quite unprepared for such a glowing report of my boy. Only once before (just last year) have I ever really heard a good thing about him, and that was from a teacher that I knew socially - so it just didn't hit me quite the same way.
The teacher asked me if he had tourettes, and then told me that his IEP didn't specify that - she has taught TS students before, which is why she suspected that. She said that despite the stutter, the A-man never hesitates to participate in class. She is amazed at how well he comprends all that he reads, and how quick his is to raise his hand to answer questions. She commented more than once that his love of reading makes him an ideal English student, and she was surprised when the A-man told her that he wasn't good in English.
My meeting with the English teacher was just the beginning of a very positive evening; all of his teachers had nothing but positive comments about him:

• In English he needs to just slow down when doing hand-written work, take the time to proof-read, and if possible, type his notes rather than doing by hand. Sitting at 84%
• In Math, there were no concerns that the teacher mentioned. Sitting at 86%
• In Phys-ed, the teacher wants him to give 110% (I hate that comment - you can't give more than 100%) and be serious about warm ups, etc. Sitting at 84%
• In Religion, the teacher explained how he uses real life experiences to let the kids realize that religion, and the bible, really do apply to modern day-to-day life. He has a very unorthodox approach to teaching religion - one that students love, and many parents have issues with. He insisted that grades were irrelevant, and that the people (and karma!?!?) you surround yourself with are really more important. He said A-man's circle is a very positve circle. (see what I mean about unorthodox?) Sitting at 79%, but has not yet turned in 2 assignments, but there are no deadlines on handing in assignments.

All in all, this is not the same child that had the teacher phoning me to whine and complain, and then give 3 failing grades to in Grade 7.
Not the child that in Grade 4 was tested for giftedness, but decided it was 'boring' so only did what he had to do.
NOT the child, that at aged 4 told his day-care provider that the food was garbage, and he would not eat it.
Not the child that I have heard - repeatedly - "Thank GAWD that isn't my kid..."

THIS is the child that in my heart of hearts I knew he was, and could be.
THIS is the child I have always loved, and I am SO glad that he has finally emerged for the rest of the world to see.

Happy Birthday A-man. I love you.

Report cards are in

Cuz - just read your comment on the last post. You ask a very good question - one that I will have to ask the doctor myself, actually. Will keep you posted.

Nothing to report on the homework front - two snow days this week, and the final day before March Break - there will be little to no work done in the schools today.

I am very upset about the snow day yesterday because S was supposed to receive another two and a half hours training on the laptop, and I have no idea when (or if) they will reschedule that. When I took the results of the fMRI in to the school, the SERT gave me all of the training dates for the remainder of the year, and I am hoping I will be able to make a couple of them.

My time at the school on Tuesday was pretty effective, I will admit. I received a new copy of S's IEP for term three, we established a date for an IPRC review meeting - based on the newest findings - and I was told all the training dates. The IEP...well, let's just say I am glad that it is a 'working document' because I don't think this one is a clear nor concise as last term's was. It's is still are far cry better than the first one I ever received, but there are some older things being carried forward that really are not applicable anymore. March break homework for me, I suppose.

S got his report card the other day. His marks are pretty good actually.

• English - Reading 74%, Writing 74%, Oral 77%
• French - all components 60%
• Math - varies from 65% in measurement to 70% in Algebra, and 75% in the two math components
• Science - 70%
• Geography - 65%
• History - 75%
• Phys-ed - 75%

Of course, the "Learning Skills" within his report card are really the pieces of information I have always said are the most important anyway, and the areas that he has always had "Needs improvement" remain the same - Cooperation with others, Conflict Resolution and Problem Solving. The comments (again) say things like "S needs reminders to follow behaviour expectations..." I wonder when the teachers are going to realize this is why he has an IEP that is behaviour based?!!? Whatever.

Trust me - there are days that I really wish I could tell some of these teachers what I really think, and feel, about these bogus marks, comments and report cards...

Interesting

On Saturday, both boys were acting a little more crazy that what we have been experiencing for the last few years. I found myself giving reminder after reminder, and the A-man was the biggest offender. He was doing things to intentionally irritate his brother. After about 9 hours of it, Hubby lost his temper. Hubby doesn't often loose his temper - takes a LOT to make that happen. As a result, all electronics (computer, TV, video games, etc.) were banned for Sunday.

As I was going to bed (for the final time) on Saturday, the A-man apologized for acting so silly, and then told me that he had not taken his medication that day. I told him that I accepted his apology, but I also told him that medicated or not, he needs to realize when he is being annoying, or silly, or rude, and HE has the power to cease. I told him that the medication is meant to be an item of assistance - to help with concentration - not to be 'blamed' or 'praised' for good or bad behaviour. He knows how he should be acting, and he was not behaving as an almost 15 year old should.

Anyway, Sunday was very nice here, I must admit. There were chess games, and monopoly. There was a romp out in the snow, and there was helping me with cleaning up the house! Everyone was just so much nicer to each other, and I don't think either of them missed the electronics. Around dinner time - as Hubby and I were visiting with my Dad - the boys were allowed to watch TV because you could tell they weren't enjoying the adult conversation. At supper time, I pointed out how much more civilized our household seemed, and all agreed. We are now going to make sure to have pre-determined "non-electronic" time on a regular basis.

Last night, after dinner, I went to a horticultural society meeting. I haven't been to one in well over a year, since the meeting nights always conflicted with S's karate nights. But, since he isn't in karate anymore, that option is now open to me again. Last nights topic - plants for shade, and drought resistance. The speaker wasn't all that good, but it sure was nice to be able to just sit around and talk about plants.

When I got home, both boys had finished all of their homework, and S was heading off to bed. The A-man and I hung out for a bit, then it was off to bed for us. Hubby was in bed when I got home, but I think he had just gone there. He came home from work today - sick again. This is not like him.

On the school front for S: got an email from the SERT yesterday telling me that I would be getting a term-three revised IEP, and she also wanted to know how S liked his training session and the new programs that are on the laptop. I told her how this past weekend was the first time I have ever seen S happy about doing his homework. The stress level seemed to be gone - simply because he doesn't have to struggle with reading AND comprehending what he is reading. She asked me what my thoughts were on him having a novel study assignment, and I told her that I want to see him doing GRADE LEVEL work, and I only want accommodations as needed. I guess we are on the same page, because she seemed happy with my response.

S is a bright boy. He has an average, to above average IQ. He simply does not learn in the conventional way, and now that he finally has all of the devices in place to enable him to learn, I think he SHOULD be doing the work the rest of the class is doing. We shall see how Term 3 goes. He seems so much happier now, and he is much better about going to school. Have we crossed that bridge? I hope so.

On the road again...

This morning went by in a total blur. I had to finish my packing for my business trip, make sure both of the boys had the things they needed for their two nights at the grandma's house's (the A-man is at my mom's - S is at Hubby's...), and make sure all the other things that we do in a morning were done. Add in things like cleaning out litter boxes, making sure laundry loads were completed...yeah, I didn't really have a chance to blog.

I am here in London, now. The entire show office is packed in the back of boss' vehicle. We had a nice dinner at a local steakhouse, and now I am just taking the chance to catch up on emails, Facebook updates, and I'm avoiding working on the Powerpoint presentation I need to finish.

On the school front - I sent a follow up email to the principal today regarding the letter I had sent prior to Christmas. I told him that I would be out of town a fair bit in the next little while, but asked if we would be able to arrange for a follow up meeting. S had a fill-in EA last week, and what a difference. His agenda was filled in daily. He brought home way more homework than normal...and I could see where she had actually taken the time to assist him in getting started on certain parts of work. She even took the time to send a note home at the end of the week with a bit of a progress report about how S's week back to school went. Yeah - never seen a note from the full-time EA before. I will have to see how the meeting with the principal goes, I guess. I have saved the hand-written note, and will take the agenda for back-up support.

I did also contact the SERT the other day about the lack of assistance S is receiving with respect to organizing things. She couldn't remember off the top of her head what the IEP says, but she was going to check on that and get back to me. She also told me that if it didn't say something about that (which I know it does) she would ensure that it was addressed.

The A-man has his exams in a couple of weeks, but he has actually already written two of them! His drama and his learning strategies - he will be presenting a play in drama for his final 'practical' part of the exam. Which means when it comes down to actual 'exam time', he only has two test days...then a full week off school. He is really looking forward to that. I told him he can use that week to clean his room - he will need it.

On Wednesday, the lady from the humane society dropped off the cat box that was used when they picked up the strays. There were only three left - did I mention in an earlier post that one was hit by a car on New Year's Eve? Yes, that is what spurred me to finally call the shelter for the poor wee things. Anyway, a week after they were picked up, two of the three remaining kittens had been adopted. We were all very happy to hear that. The momma cat hasn't returned - I think she decided our backyard was too full when she had her new litter. If she shows up again, I will be calling the shelter sooner.

Oh - and remember the other day how I commented that our cats have taken to sleeping with the R-man? Well, last night his girlfriend stayed over, and they closed the door on my cats. Boy - were their noses every out of joint over THAT particular slight! (I can't wait to bug him about that one.) Both Abby and Lily slept with me last night, but it just wasn't the same knowing I was 'second fiddle' ... (lol...) Now I will be away for 4 nights - let them see how it feels!

Okay - time to sit in the bed and read for a bit. Tomorrow will be a 7am - 10pm day...just the start of the show season.... bring it on!

Crazy Days

I was a terrible, horrible, bad, bad mother last night.

I didn't get home until just after six, and then I was back out the door for 6:30 and didn't return back home until almost 10. Poor neglected children of mine. Of course, I had made chicken stew in the morning - S just popped it in the oven when he got home from school, and we ate when I got home, so at least I fed them. The R-man was here for the evening, and therefore they weren't alone. Huh - I guess I'm not that terrible after all... but S didn't do his homework. I suppose there are worse things in life.

Okay - let me back track a wee bit to Tuesday evening. S had both History and Geography homework - quite a bit, actually. When I read his agenda, I discovered that some of the geography had been assigned prior to the holidays, but S didn't know where his finished work ended up. I started to look through his binder, and discovered more and more mess and disorganization. I asked him about the work maybe being in his desk. "You have never seen my desk, Mom. Trust me - you can't find anything in there," is what I was told. Perfect. I am going to discuss this with the SERT - S is supposed to receive additional support with respect to organization. Obviously this has not been happening. We plowed through the homework, and he was actually pretty good about getting it all done, and about the amount of time it took to ensure it was all finished.

The A-man has a science project due on Friday. Monday night he didn't bring home his Science binder. Tuesday night, he actually brought up the project over dinner, and asked for suggestions on how he might approach it. Everyone around the table - including the R-man - offered suggestions. The A-man had been working on Geography when I got home from work, and after dinner, I'm pretty sure he was getting down to business with respect to Science. He told me yesterday at dinner that he isn't as stressed about the Science since he has actually started working on it. When I got home from work yesterday, he had been working on it as well.

Oh - quick, funny story. I think the A-man 'grew' over the holidays. He school uniform pants are fitting much more tightly around the waist than they were pre-Christmas. He wore his khakis on Monday, and they were really tight. He has worn the dress pants for the remainder of the week - I told him I thought the waist was a bit bigger on them. I guess I will have to order some new ones. Poor kid - he's got both Mom and Dad's quick ability to gain weight.

Had a board meeting last night. Actually, was a co-operative board meeting between the ADHD board, and the LD board. We are looking to see if we can possibly pool some resources to assist in developing and growing both organizations. It was a good meeting, but after so many long hours, my mind wasn't really all there. Soon, the craziness will be done at work.

And finally, some good news. Hubby has booked a trip for he and I to Manzanillo, Mexico for February 8! One week, all inclusive resort, right on the Pacific Ocean. Sun and sand... it will be heaven. I am really looking forward to that.
Hubby doesn't know it yet, but Boss informed me yesterday that my presence may be required at this year's Governor's Conference in Mississippi - which would mean I will be getting home from Mexico on the Friday, then leaving for Biloxi on the Sunday! Nothing has been confirmed yet, so I won't be saying anything about that until I know one way or the other. Shhh - it's our secret.

Truly back to normal

When I got home from work last night, both boys were downstairs watching TV, or playing video games. One of the two. The R-man was putting his grocceries away. Hubby is on afternoons for the next two weeks.

I got dinner ready, and we all discussed the days events over dinner. Of course, after clearning the table, both boys tried to take off back downstairs, but I hauled them back up to work on homework. The A-man has a Science project due on Friday. He has known about it since the beginning of the school year. We even discussed it over the course of the two week holiday. Yeah, he didn't bring his Science stuff home last night. I was ever so impressed.

Monday - as in just under a week from now - will bring his Drama written exam. He did sit down last night and complete his study sheet, which was fairly detailed. I guess they do the written exam, then have a full week and a half of rehersals for the performance exam. But, that is completed before exam week, so when it actually comes down to the week of exams, he gets a day off. Meaning, at the end of January, he will have one exam on the Monday, then the rest of the week off. I will be totally swamped with our second show, as it is the first weekend in February, so I won't even be able to do anything fun with him that week.

When I first got home, I realized S hadn't brought his laptop home. He told me that he didn't need it for his Science homework, because he just "had to draw lines." I was confused, but more hungry, so I figured I would review after we had dinner. In a way, he was correct - he simply had to draw a line from the scientific term to the proper definition of the term.

While he was doing this, I took that time to go through his binder, and his agenda. As I was doing this, I realized that he is going to need a LOT more hands-on assistance with organizing his notes, etc. He has papers all over the place - most of them not in the proper subject sections. My thoughts are that this could be part of the EA's job - you know, "assisting with organization" as is written in his IEP - but I could be wrong. I will be asking for clarification from either the principal or the SERT.

When I went through his agenda, I noticed that he also had religion homework. I asked him about that, and that is when he started to hit himself in the head because he forgot the laptop. Apparently he had started that homework on the computer. I'm thinking he thought he was going to get out of that homework, but since he was just required to paraphrase verses 1-12 of Matthew 2, I was able to pull out the bible, read the verse to him, then he sat down and typed up the paragraph. Of course, it took him quite a bit longer than it would have if he'd had his school computer, but maybe he will realize that NOT having the computer isn't going to get him out of doing the work.

I am such a mean mother.

Passing Time - and the IPRC

How is it that I have been writing this blog for nearly 4 months? How has the time gone by so quickly? I was having this conversation with a friend on mine last night, and after we got off the phone, it really started to hit me.
I have a dinner tonight with the people I sat on the jury with - two years ago! It doesn't seem like two years since we all met for the first time. We were only on the jury for two weeks, and that time seemed just as long as the two years that have passed since.


Anyway, enough "deep thoughts" for so early in the morning.


I went to the IPRC meeting yesterday. As we were heading in to the meeting, the principal informed me that the "inappropriate comments" made by the EA had been addressed. Of course he wouldn't (and couldn't) share the outcome with me. Geesh - I wish I knew how that all went down.
The meeting itself was simply a formality. His IEP has been written and prepared based on S having "multiple exceptionalities" so we just needed to get the proverbial 'ducks in a row.' For those that aren't aware - the outcome of an IPRC meeting is very significant for the school board. Basically, the IPRC - more so the results of an IPRC meeting - put a legal obligation upon the school, and therefore the school board, to ensure that all educational requirements and accomodations must be made for the child's exceptionality.
Once a board recognizes that a child has a 'different' educational need through the formal IPRC process, they are then legally obligated to do all that they can to ensure that this child receives the necessary educational supports. If they try this, and it doesn't work, then they move on to the next step, and so on and so on, until the child finally achieves success. (This is why so many boards are trying to avoid the entire IPRC process - it can cost them too much in many, many ways.)
As a result of S's parent knowing how this entire legal-entity process works, and working the system in a well-thought and designed plan, S now has his special bussing, his laptop, and his EA. The bussing was an issue - there were problems there. The school tried a), then b), then c), and when none of that worked....special bussing was the only option that had not been attempted. And so it went with all of the other accomodations he is currently receiving.
The problem with all of this uptopia-like plan, however, is that the schools will not just move to the next step willingly. Sometimes, I am sure there is a principal and/or SERT that will move to that next step without proding, but in every single step of the way for S, I have had to read, and research, and consult with higher-ups to find out what else could be done. It has literally taken years to finally get to a stage that hubby and I feel could even remotely be successful for S. Like, 5 years.
How many parents are willing to continue to write letters, read, research...write more letters, make countless phone calls, send tons of emails, and on and on, for the better part of 5 years? Sad to say it - but not that many. Most either change schools with the hope that this school will be better, or end up doing homeschooling, or send their child to a private school. I will admit, all of these have been options we have considered.
We have (twice) even gone so far as to looking at our budgeting to see what we could do about one particular school. One we looked at - which I'm sure would have been great - was $25,000 per year. Another one - which we did seriously consider - was more resonable at $3,000/year. But, we are fortunate that we could consider that one - there are so many families out there that could never fathom that much money for education for their 8 year old.
Something I thought of, as I am writing this - please note that I am speaking only for the current Ontario legislation with respect to the IPRC. I don't know how it works in other provinces within Canada. And, I say current because I think the Ministry of Education is looking at melding the two steps (ie. IPRC and IEP), but I don't know where that has moved to within the legislative houses.

(whew, that was a tangent I hadn't planned...)


So, we had the IPRC meeting then discussed how S is doing over-all. It appears that he is doing well for the most part. The teacher said she had noticed that he is starting to come to her with things a little more often now, which means he is feeling comfortable with her. We are still waiting to get that 'voice to text' option fixed, and that was brought up twice at the meeting. I guess they know that I won't back down until all is moving smoothly!! And, the second term IEP has been developed. I have been given a copy to consider and sign off on. This is the first time I have ever been given a term-by-term IEP. She is really on the ball this year!

I didn't have much time yesterday morning to blog, and then last night we had some heavy snow, so the satellite was covered - therefore no internet. When I switched on the laptop this morning, it was working. Must have warmed up or something.

Between last night and the night before, S finished his History report. I think we have seen the reason why he needs another software program (called Keirzwell) installed on his laptop. Reading the text book was quite a struggle for him. But, with my help, he was able to finish the assignment. Some of the reading was done by him completely - with some assistance - and other parts I just read to him.
Of course, the voice-to-text still isn't working, so he had to type out the passages. There were times when he got frustrated with that, so I would type what he was saying. I didn't think that was cheating because that is what the voice to text would have done, had it been working. I was very careful to type exactly as he spoke - even only putting in punctuation when he said to!
I did notice that he can become frustrated quickly, but at least I was able to steer him away from that. I can see, however, how he tends to get away with minimal effort in school. I'm sure neither the EA nor the teacher will insist on the extra effort that Mom insists upon. But, he needs to be pushed as any 'normal' child would be. He has the IQ - it's been proven - he just needs some extra assistance to make it a level playing ground.
In S's IEP, it has been stated that he will be given extra time for assignments, or reduced work load. The teacher and/or EA (I'm not sure which) took the time to highlight the sections of the project that S was to do - maybe about half of the other students - and I took that to mean that for this assignment, he was being given a reduced work load. Yet S claimed the teacher said he had another 5 days to do the project. No way. I told him that if the class had to hand it in today, he handed it in today. If he wanted to wait until Monday, I told him that I felt he should be required to do all of the questions. He is handing it in today.
We have a team meeting tomorrow to review S's IPRC. I know that I won't really have the opportunity to discuss this with the teacher, but the second term IEP will be worked on soon, and I will be sure to address it then. It needs to be one or the other - not both. He can DO the work, but he will take the easy way out any way he can. That is typical for any kid, isn't it? Then you add in the ADHD...yeah, he'll be as lazy as he can be when it comes to school work.

The A-man had a Science lab to work on last night. It took him a fair bit of time, but he was very good to sit and make sure he completed the entire lab. The template he is using was revised to better reflect what the teacher was expecting in a lab, and he used it. Of course, there were a couple of things he noticed after he had printed it out, but he was quick to change them and reprint.
He had a drama assignment yesterday - he had to sing. Poor class. On the upside, when the A-man sings, (if that is what you would call it...) the lovely Tourette stutter goes away! He thinks he should be living his life like a musical where everyone just breaks in to song and dance whenever they want to talk. (I laughed so hard when he said that last night at the dinner table.) At least he isn't going to allow the TS to stop him from doing the things he wants to do, and he is able to put the humour in to it. He wasn't quite there last year when it was all so new to him, but I guess he really has matured in more than just his height. I really am so proud of him. He has come a very long way. Trust me.

I have added a new feature to my blog - a weather pixie! So, if you are reading this blog and don't live in the 'great white north' we call Canada, don't forget to take a look at the right hand side, around the middle of the blog, to see what great types of Ontario weather you are missing out on!!

Briefly

Another PD day for S today. He is going to come to the office with me. Boss has left for his conference in Cancun this morning, so it will be fine to have S there. Not that it wouldn't have been fine with Boss there, it's just easier to not have to worry about it.
S will bring his History project to work on, but I'm sure he will just watch TV and play on the computer for most of the time. Have a meeting at the school to review report card - which is why I want him with me. He needs to hear what the teachers say. Will spend a fair bit of time with the French teacher, I'm sure. There is no way he should be getting a 55% if she is making the accommodations that are listed in the IEP. If he is, then the IEP needs to be modified.

Have to call Cuz tonight - her hubby has been admitted to the hospital. Heart issues. This bites.

Grouch

I'm in a bit of a grouch this morning. Not sure if it's because of the weather, the overwhelming mess of my house, the towering piles of paperwork on my desk at work, or the pile of laundry taking over the basement... whatever it is, I am just not feeling myself.

The A-man did well at the office yesterday. He claims the job I gave him was 'totally boring' - and he's sort of right (lol) - which explains why I've been delaying in doing it myself!

S brought home his revised IEP - must say the SERT has been working very hard at ensuring she gets all of the finer points covered. I have signed off on it with no revision requests. I'm thinking that will surprise her.

Got a call from the mom I was helping - regarding her daughter's IPRC, etc. The school board has actually set a date for a full psycho-ed assessment for her. This girl has been on the 'waiting list' for over 4 years - it's about time. Personally, I think they realized this woman had started to get a little help, and realized they had better do what is within their legal obligations. She told me yesterday that whenever they discussed stuff at the school, the principal would say "...and I know you will want to go over this with your contact." The lady figures they thought I was a professional advocate. No matter - she is finally going to get a bit of understanding with respect to her daughter's learning challenges.

umm... English please??

Here is a copy of an email I received from S's specialist today. It is a forward from the new doctor S will be seeing for the fMRI...

Dr R
I'm planning to set up S's fMRI. As I see it on your requisition, he is a 12 year old with Aspergers syndrome, with anxiety. I'm thinking of doing covert Verb generation, Sentence Completion and Naming paradigms. Do you think he will be able to lay in the magnet for an hour without moving? Do you think he could follow instructions to do these tests? If yes, maybe doing a Diffusion Tensor Imaging to visualize white matter fibers and comparing the Arcuate fasciculus to normals would be of interest as well. If you think he could not handle it please let me know.
Thanks
Dr's name & hospital

Okay, this email has me puzzled for a couple of reasons. Uh...aspergers syndrome? We have never been told he has this disorder. And what the HECK are all these other tests all about??!! I can tell I will be spending a bit of time on the google search engine tonight...

I forwarded this to S's special ed teacher, and she replied very quickly. Her email indicated that if S has Aspergers, we will have to have his IPRC placement adjusted, and she is very upset that the original psycho-ed assessment didn't catch this along with his learning disorders. (This is one disorder she understands well as her eldest child has been undergoing testing for it.)

In the past, S's doctor has indicated that he feels S has a "nonverbal learning disorder." When I sent him a WTF? email about the Asperger's dx, our current specialist's reply email to me indicated that this NVLD would fall within the Aspergers Syndrome spectrum of disorders, and he assured me that S doesn't have Aspergers and the other doctor must have assumed this because of the testing that has been requested. I am not 100% convinced. That is a pretty big assumption for a doctor to make when setting up a very specific, very specialized type of test. Part of me is wondering if Dr R. is wanting to rule out Aspergers with this testing. I am so confused...

Aspergers would definitely explain the lack of social skill's development. I guess we will just have to play the waiting game - again. In the meantime, I have all kinds of new information to research...