It's not that he's strong willed, really...
It's just that he's persistent!
Summarizes me. Drenched in sweat and stressed out mommy. After having placed him promptly in time out at least a dozen times in a row. For the same thing. Whereupon once seated firmly on the cheeky pillow he proceeds to make the door stopper thingie ~ booooing ~ repeatedly. Without missing a beat then reaches for the the desk drawer pulls. Because they make a fun sound when they flap like that. And they're within arms reach. My time out rule is...butt on pillow. Hands...may move freely about the area. Which is probably how he ended up sockless. And lifting a leg. So that the foot was just so. Perfect for bringing the big toe into sucking position. Because evidently...that's how cheeky boys like to spend their time outs. Sucking their toes and making boing-y things boing.
I think he could do this all day. Easy.
Where'd I put those IEP papers?
I'll sign them!!!
5 minutes of OT a month, you say?
Who needs to write anyway? I'll sign.
Two and a half minutes of PT twice monthly?
That limp isn't really so bad after all. And when he walks with his right side in the shadows you'd never even notice.
And no Speech for the foreseeable future?
Oh. Well. He says mama...so we're good.
No worries. I'll sign the papers...
(imagine rasped with panic nipping at the edges of a very frazzled mommy's voice)
I neeeeeeeeeed to sign those papers!!!
**********
Okay. Okay. So it wasn't that bad. The IEP meeting...I mean. The time out thing? If a resounding scream could be heard via cyber waves...that'd be my answer!
The Speech Therapist had a family crisis and couldn't be there. So I don't have her recommendations.
The Physical Therapist feels that 30 minutes once a week is adequate.
The Occupational Therapist feels the same.
Both emphasizing that all these goals we're setting for Trevy will be transferred to the teacher too. So in theory...he'll be saturated in therapy just by virtue of being in a class with a Special Educator. And peer models. I kinda agree.
But still. I was thinking they would take a wee bit more aggressive approach. That missing half a brain factor. And the idea that the other half needs to be encouraged. And prompted. And therapied into creating new path ways.
But eh...
I guess I do think being around other kids will be therapy. And we can always reevaluate in a few months too.
And besides Dr. Development has written orders for him to be treated like a rehab patient. Writing up referrals for out-patient Speech, PT and OT. At least two times weekly. Administered from a medical model...where the neurological component will be most likely understood.
I mean realistic-ly...how much therapy can a cheeky little toe sucker take?
9 comments:
Emma gets 30-45 minutes of PT & OT a week. At the moment, we get closer to the 45 minutes because there are no other kids in the class. I was told that it probably won't change much when she transitions into the preschool class.
Currently, they don't do speech for the 0-3 group of kids. She will get speech once she transitions. The teacher works on speech at the moment.
We also have a VI teacher consultant that comes 1 to 2 times a month to see Emma and give the teacher pointers on what to work on.
Currently, we also do two 30 minute sessions of private PT & OT a week. We are talking about what would be appropriate once she is in school 5 days a week.
I am pretty happy with Emma's situation at the moment. We are supposed to have a 70 minute session that includes PT & OT and another 75 minute session. All of the other kids go into a mom & tot class. However we decided that Emma wouldn't benefit from that, so she gets that 75 minutes on her own with the teacher.
We just had her certification changed to SXI (not sure if that means anything in your state). It is one of the most severe labels that they have. She qualifies because she is more than 50% deficient in multiple areas (vision, cognition, and physical). It qualifies her to go to a center-based school for kids that need way more help than the regular school can handle. It's a school for age 3-26. She'll be there a while. I can't wait to visit the school and get her started. It's possible that she could start in July.
Oh my - time out heaven. Over the last week, every time Emma did anything bad, I said "I'm outsourcing that problem - the school can take that one!"
Bennett's cognitive skills are too primitive still to even be anywhere close to a Time-Out. Though yesterday he finally started saying Dee-Dee, Ma-Ma and Bye Bye (though the second Bye would stop though it would appear as if he was trying to say it), when prompted fairly often.
Happy boy, giggly, fun-loving, playing kid...but definitely dealing with some big time delays. I found myself wondering last night how I might feel if this was his limit as far as mental capacity? Weird huh?
Even though he'll be in a class with a special ed teacher, I think once a week is NOT enough, especially if it's a push in service (menaing in teh classroom). I'd ask for 3 of each and settle for two. That said, the classroom expereince will be vital for him. He will need the models.
I'd have pulled my hair out with the boinging!
As I said on F'book, things may have changed since Colby was a tiny thing...But he got PT, OT and Speech, 30 min. sessions, 3 times per week...I had to fight tooth and nail for the speech...
I know all about budget cuts, etc...But if you feel like he needs more and his docs & independant therapists will concur, I would certainly push it....
I mean, for gosh sakes, he DID have part of his brain removed!!!
Good luck, and let us hear what happens....I do NOT envy you!!! (We used to have to TAPE IEPs, they used to become so "brutal"!)
Cyndi
I find that school therapists are pretty stoked if they can ambulate in any way and press a switch. Once they've accomplished that, they seem less interested in some of the other things that are so important to mom and dad.
I feel sick when I read what the other posters are saying. I feel stressed thinking I might not be doing enough for Emma. Its way to stressful all this school stuff. I want professionals to be professional. To recognize what is needed and tell me. Not the other way round.
I think you should push for more PT and OT time for him. My son only has speech needs and has recieved services since 3 yrs. old. He is now 8 and is working solely on his "r" sound an eight year old sound and recieves 90 minutes of speech a week. He was just evaluate for OT and will recieve 30 minutes of that a week - his only problem - terrible handwriting, poor fine motor, but not that bad.
I am a special educator and I believe children deserve these services, I fight for my own students to recieve all the services they derserve. You need to definately fight for more time for services for him. Yes he will learn from his peers, but nothing compares to one on one demonstrations, teaching, and being worked with. You are his parent, and you push for what you think he needs never settle. Yes time can be added to the IEP, but it is easier to reduce minutes than add minutes, keep that in mind.
Oh, the timeouts! They frustrate me. One of our boys cannot sit still and always ends up upside down while in a time out...and if I send him to his room he is jumping on his bed. The other first says NO! then sits on the step, inches his little bottom off until he's caught and replaced....several times. I wonder...who's really being disciplined here? Parent or child? Sometimes I think it's my punishment, not theirs!
Allotted therapies...yikes. Push, push push as I know you'll do. Yes, peer learning exists...but to what degree? I am always asking myself this with my boys. And...then there's the issue that one boy of mine can hold it together while in class but at home it's a different story. I just wish that the powers that be which delegate the hours/funding would truly listen to the parents and open their purse strings! (Cause no other parent wishes for this right?!Ga!)
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