PPTs (planning and placement team meetings) for IEPs (individualized education plans) are always so emotional and full of anxiety. I got the results of Sweet Girl’s triennial yesterday, and while it’s pretty much what I was expecting it was still like a kick in the gut. I mean… she’s going to be nine years old at the end of the month. She’s had multiple confirming diagnoses for Autism Spectrum Disorder. It’s not something else being mistaken for ASD. I’ve done enough research and therapies in the past four years and been through enough PPT meetings and met with enough doctors and specialists to know. Not just to know, but To Know.
I should have handled this better, you know?
Seeing the results from the triennial in numbers and graph form from the combined efforts of questions and answers off of bubble sheets and observations from her teachers and another one from myself just gave it another 123 punch. My scoring was, naturally (so I’m told) higher than their scoring because kids typically behave differently at school than at home due to several factors. School is much more rigid in scheduling, and she gets to be more relaxed here at home. She can be more comfortable releasing her anxiety. It’s also the early part of the school year still, so she’s feeling much better than she will in January or February.
Anyway, the scores weren’t so very different, and the scoring really sucks anyway because even though it’s scaling your answers you don’t really get to qualify them based on circumstances or how frequently certain behaviors actually occur. And if she’s not testing for them during a time of anxiety, especially with a teacher who doesn’t know her yet and some of the members on the team haven’t been on her team previously, it doesn’t feel entirely accurate.
Of course that’s why there are multiple PPT meetings throughout the school year so that the IEP can be adjusted as needed. But the results… yeah, seeing it as a digitized test result that “Autism is a likely/probably diagnosis based on these results” that are passed through a computer removes lingering “suppose we’re wrong and it’s something masquerading as ASD?” Even the computer knows it.
I think that’s the problem : seeing it quantified like that. It’s so impersonal and sterile. My Sweet Girl is so much more than a test and series of numbers that may or may not fluctuate every three years.
We did talk about how the schools are redistributing next year by grade levels and at some point we’re going to start counseling her to ease the transition. Basically, third through fifth graders will be moving to one of the other schools next year while my first grader will be staying put so that the kindergarteners can come from the Early Learning Center and merge into their respective elementary schools and the schools can be K-2 depending on your district, then move to 3-5 in another school, then to 6-8 in the middle school, and then the high school. I think. It’s confusing. Luckily many of the teachers she’s already familiar with will also be moving over including the principal.
Anyway, she’s keeping her current services with an adjustment to her OT being merged into her classes. She’ll have an adjustment with her behavior chart for some issues we’re having across the board with her (meaning I’m having these issues at home as well as they’re having them at school such as voice volume and tone), but what we have in place is not gong to change.
I’m also feeling much better about her social worker this year. I think we really did get off to a bad start but we had a great talk yesterday and are more on the same page now. That’s been a great relief. There’s still caution on my part, of course, because any time you have a child receiving services and is special needs and there are social workers involved, you have to tread lightly with the information you share. I’ve heard too many horror stories bearing that truth, unfortunately. I feel very lucky to have the school system and PPT team that we have in place, so any changes for next year make me nervous.
But I’m the mom. I can’t let her see that I’m nervous. This is going to be Lots Of Fun and it’s going to be a rite of passage. That’s how I have to choose to approach it with her. This change has to be fun and exciting although it’s scary for her.
That all said, I’m very proud of her. She’s been advocating for herself at school this year and although she doesn’t talk a lot she’s been trying to participate and speak up for herself. She’s trying to ask questions and answer questions. She’s gaining some really valuable skills and I’m so happy to see that what we’re doing at home and the services she’s getting at school are working. Especially since I’m still arguing with our insurance over them covering OT and ABA outside of school. But let’s not get started with that. For now, let me bask.
Related articles
- Diagnoses of autism spectrum disorders vary widely across clinics (sciencedaily.com)
- Study finds wide variation in best-estimate clinical diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders (esciencenews.com)
- Not MY Special Snowflakes (littlefallofrain.wordpress.com)
- Autism Always Seems Bound To Guilt (littlefallofrain.wordpress.com)
- Exciting Times in Early Diagnosis and Treatment (autismspeaks.org)
Aw, this was a very nice post. In idea I wish to put in writing like this moreover ? taking time and actual effort to make a very good article? but what can I say? I procrastinate alot and in no way seem to get one thing done.
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