Ok guys I am back. Sorry for the long hiatus. I know this post has been eagerly anticipated. We've had a lot going on in the world outside of my computer. The Cat is currently recovering from her surgery. She is doing well, but who would have thought the biggest battle would be getting the pain meds in her. That's another story though.
We left off with how to organize all of your documentation and what you should have. I said I would pick this one up with making a plan for your meeting. This is very important. You want to be the one leading these meetings. Not a by-stander with no useful input. This is your child. You know your kid better than anyone else. You have lived with this child for however long. Do not ever EVER ever let the school or anyone else try to tell you they know what is best for your child. In order to lead the meeting you have to know what you want to discuss, and you must have the documentation.
So again I will wait while you all go grab your pens to take notes. We all know that everything I am about to say is of dire importance. Some importance. Ok probably review for most of you, but important to some newbies out there, or even vets that are going in to battle for the first time. Go on now. Don't forget I said there was a quiz at the end.
Got your pens? Waiting with baited breath to read the next words of utter wisdom spewing forth from my fingertips? ;-)
In order to make a plan you must first know what you want.
Do you want accomodations? Which ones? Why? How will they help? Are they reasonable? Are you willing to compromise on any of them? Do you want an evaluation? Re-evaluation? Based on what?
HUH?? WTH are you talking about?!? How the fuck am I supposed to know any of this? I am not expert. The schools are the experts. Right?!? WRONG!! So so wrong. You are the expert in your child. You know what works, what helps, what hurts, what is not gonna fly in a million years. Trust your gut. You know this. And if you don't because like me you were thrown in to the deep end of the pool and expected to swim, then ask. Ask your friends, ask your child's therapists, ask doctors, do some research. Don't be afraid to reach out to organizations like the Disability Law Center or Alaska Youth and Family Network. These places have great resources and can help you figure out what it is you want to accomplish with this meeting.
Once you know what you want you have to figure out what the school is going want.It really does help to be able to see both sides of an issue. If you know where the school is coming from, then you can frame your argument around that. Make them see how doing this will benefit them.
For instance, I knew that Bird Lake was keeping the Cat out of her class because there were parent complaints about her meltdowns in the class. They were concerned with the amount of time the Cat was disturbing the education of the other students. I wanted the Cat in a self contained classroom, because I knew there was too much sensory stuff going on in the general ed class. I used the knowledge to get what I wanted. I pointed out that if we moved the Cat to the SPED class that she would no longer disturb the other children. I showed them that her education was not the only one being affected, but that the entire class was being disrupted. I won!
Next you have to figure out what you are willing to compromise on. You cannot reasonably expect the school to give you everything you want. They have budgetary restrictions, and other such nonsense to be concerned with. So, be willing to move a little on somethings.
The Cat needed a BHA to be successful in the mainstream class.The intent was to allow the teacher to keep teaching while the BHA helped the Cat calm down after a meltdown, help identify triggers, and many other wonderful things. I miss her so much... (not my point) But the school could not afford to provide a 1:1 aide. So I did. I found AK Child and Family and they provided the BHA. I wanted it, the school couldn't afford it. I gave a little and I provided it.
Bird Lake had a no gum policy in the school. The Cat likes to chew gum after a meltdown, or when escalating because it helps her get some needed sensory input. I provided documentation to this effect ( a letter from her OT). The school did not want gum. I found something else that would provide the same input (jerky). Compromise be willing to give a little. It will go a long way. Trust me.
Once you know these things you can set the agenda for the meeting. Make sure you send this out to the school about 3 days before your meeting so that they can be prepared as well.
I think that's everything. If you need more info just ask. I will cover other topics as requested.
QUIZ TIME:
If you made it this far then you pass and get an A when you smack down the staff at your next IEP meeting.
GO ROCK IT OUT!!
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