Updates from 2011
January 8, 2012
Get comfy everyone, this is gonna be a wordy post:
First off, happy new year! Whew! I feel like it’s been a whirlwind last several months and so far 2012 is looking quite crazy too. Sorry for the lack of blogging-little sis is going through the “you CANNOT put me down or I will scream until my lungs give out” phase. (And no, the moby, sling, bjorn don’t help. She wants to be held held). It’s been next to impossible to do ANYTHING until Josh gets home at night and by then, I’m too tired to do anything but sit and stare at the tv.
Anyway……I’ve had several people tell me I left them hanging after my IEP blog and I wanted to fill you in. Turns out, Gav’s teacher JUST DOESN’T UNDERSTAND autism. Our meeting went WAY better than expected and she asked a lot of questions. She WANTS to know, she’s just never been educated. (I have several teacher friends and they’ve chosen to get more training in the areas of special needs-apparently it’s not required. A sad fact in this day and age when autism and behavior issues are so prevalent). A huge thanks to my friends who DO care about their students as individuals-you guys are awesome!
But let’s rewind a bit. Remember when Gav got left on the playground? That incident and several other less catastrophic issues left me feeling SO dissatisfied with Gavin’s school, teacher…..the whole public school system really. I happened to have lunch with my bestie not too long after that and she was telling me the troubles she’d been having homeschooling her oldest son and a resource center they had found here in town that had been helping him immensely with his school issues. (Some of his struggles are the same things Gav struggles with). And it sounded like just what Gav needed- a quiet environment with a one-on-one tutor who builds the curriculum around his specific strengths and weaknesses.
After talking to her, I had such a sense of urgency that we needed to give this place a shot. I felt like we’ve already exhausted all our other resources. I couldn’t believe in all my research and therapies, I had never even heard of it before. I called the next day and Gav had his 4 hour (!) evaluation three days later. We met with the director to go over his test results and one of the first things she said to us is, “This kid’s not autistic.” To her, Gavin was presenting as someone who has language processing issues, but definitely not autism. She felt like once his processing issues were dealt with, he would absolutely have no trouble keeping up in school. Everything would start to flow out of him and what’s trapped inside would finally be able to come out.
HOPE. She had given us hope. Not that we didn’t have it before, but some of these day to day struggles can really muddy the water.
Gavin starts there tomorrow. 2012 is looking to be bright and promising for this young man.
Praying for you EXTRA today, my Gavie! You are going to SOAR!!!
Em, this is awesome. I am crying – HOPE is amazing! A few months ago one of those amazing hope-givers told us Jeremiah “should never have been called dyslexic.” The changes we were able to make have now shaped his education and his confidence. God has a plan – you have an awesome story to tell.
I agree – teary at the idea of hope and so happy you found this place – can I ask what the name of it is? The school district doesn’t want to recognize sensory processing disorders anymore – an OT told me a while ago they would refer to a behavioral therapist. But Gav’s teachers the last two years have agreed that he is extra fidgety (not ADHD, just requires lots of input) and I’m at a loss as to where to go to get a recommendation on what to do about it. My ped was useless (suggested ADHD meds – no thank you). I’m wondering if this place would be able to help.
Bridie: It’s Educational Resources in WDM. We met with the owner and she’s amazing. I’m sure they can help your Gavin too. I hate how everyone is so quick to just prescribe stuff now. Yuck. No one’s willing to get to the heart of the issue anymore it seems.
Oh Em. I love hope. I am loving this place. I see that my Eliot will always struggle some in certain areas but they have worked with him TREMENDOUSLY to help him organize his thoughts and get work done. I know Eliot would probably have been labeled (probably ADHD or a learning disability of some kind) and I am so grateful to have this experience. I pray that you will find so much love and support and help for Gavin. I believe you will.