Friday, October 13, 2006

IEPs, round two

Yesterday I received all of the documentation regarding Bug Boy's IEP. There were two big, fat envelopes in the mail from the school district and I knew exactly what they were. One is an invite (because you can't go to the IEP without an invite, apparently. Even though it is your kid.) to the IEP that should be signed and returned so they legally have proof you are going to be there. The other is an evaluation report on his present levels of performance. The district did OT, PT and speech testing in the summer and then recently did their classroom observations and psychological testing. They have been providing Speech and OT based on his IEP from Early Intervention until his school-aged IEP occurs.
I had no problems with anything until they did the psychological testing. When I asked for a Multi-Disciplinary Evaluation I didn't realize that they would also do Intelligence Testing. I could have read the fine print (and I have learned to do that in the future) because it was spelled out in black and white, plain as day. Last week the school psychologist called to give me the results. She was astounded by the results but I am not surprised. They are classifying him as "gifted."
Now, I know he is intelligent. He is quirky and has a knack for memorizing EVERYTHING. When we used to spell things when he was two so that he couldn't understand them he'd tell us the word we were spelling. And when he was about that age he'd point to street signs and tell us what they said. I am not bragging, anyone that knows him could tell you that he is a brainy and peculiar child. It doesn't surprise me that they call him gifted, Darling and I were both in gifted programs as children.
My problem is that all of the sudden they want to give me all of this information about the gifted program (that supposedly doesn't start until third grade). They have a first grade classroom that they call first/second because the children work on higher level curriculum and enrichment. It is a neat program. And in Kindergarten they will do enrichment with the children who qualify. Bug Boy loves learning and soaks up everything he hears like a sponge. I just want to make sure we foster that so that when he is a teenager he doesn't play hooky and snooze through classes due to sheer boredom.
I do not want to put extra pressure on him since it is difficult for him to function in the class anyway. According to the evaluation report he is bothered by the noises other children make, he constantly reminds them of the rules, tells other kids not to bump or touch him or tells them they are "annoying" him. Not the way to make friends, you know? And, during the test the examiner had to remind him several times to stay on task. During the timed portion he chatted so freely that he ran out of time. And didn't care. He was too busy telling the examiner that he knows, "Lots of stuff. Wanna hear some of the stuff I know?"
My biggest fear is that they are going to set him up in this program and forget his needs as a child with PDD. He will still need to be followed and work on social skills and pragmatics. He will also need to have sensory based instruction until he learns how to deal with environmental stimuli. Occupational Therapy is an absolute must. I have to make sure I am forceful and remind them that although he is "smart" he still needs support for his social and emotional delays.
Silly thing to vent over, I know. But I just want him to be normal. I don't want him to stick out for any reason. I am beginning to realize that it may not happen that way!

3 comments:

Happy said...

It's not a silly thing to vent over and from what you are describing he is normal and it doesn't sound like he sticks out. He will learn those social cues from you his loving supportive mom and mentor (maybe you are ladybug?). You are doing so great at keeping his schooling and support services on schedule. Take a moment to pat yourself on the back. (just my .02 feel free to ignore, LOL)

BlondeBrony said...

Some people are born to stand out...this isn't always a bad thing. You should also rest assured that there is no actual "normal" in life.

He will be fine. You sound so loving and caring. You understand his needs and will be there to help guide his journey.

CryssyeR said...

First, whoo-hoo- big surprise that he's "gifted". I personally would have said "genius" but that's just me. He is particularly intelligent, but I doubt he gets that from anyone but his dear Aunt ;) LOL Kidding!
Would putting him the gifted program be a good thing, though, if he has difficulty with the social aspects? Of course, many geniuses do, so at least he would be in with his true peers. Hmmmm.
Interesting dilemma.

I would say, go with your gut, and Congrats for staying on top of the therapies. Also, be grateful that you have some knowledge of what to do with him. Most parents of gifted kids don't know how to keep them occupied or growing. You totally do. Great Job!