IEP Update.

We finally had our first IEP meeting and are ready and set to start preschool summer school at the end of June.  It was a 3 1/2 hour meeting that basically addressed all assessment findings from PT, OT, Speech and my own personal understanding of where Lucas is developmentally.  I I searched online for some tips and another parent had a great idea of writing a letter to the IEP team with the goals I would like incorporated into his education signed by both myself and Gabriel.  I incorporated a lot of Summer McStravick's intuitive reading of Luki's flow  into the letter and had as goals the continuation of all services he currently receives through insurance.  Here is what the letter said:

Dear IEP team,

We, parents of Lucas T Ahn, would like to give a brief glimpse into who Lucas is and a snapshot into his psyche as we understand him to be.  Lucas loves to watch baby educational videos such as Baby Einstein.  He almost gets hypnotized by the varying colors in the video.  This has helped us calm him in restaurants and while eating at home.  He also loves to listen to music and has an obsession with water play.  He sometimes gets fussy perhaps due to discomfort of wet, hot and itchiness that comes from wearing diapers.  We have been giving him diaper breaks at home by using a training underwear and a sanitary pad.  He really lives in the moment and does not seem to anticipate the future -meaning he doesn’t really get excited about future events that may get typical kids excited such as a birthday cake or parties.  He is also unable to register people’s intentions which can cause some confusion and anxiety within him.  This is why sometimes new surroundings and transitions can cause anxiety and confusion.  Although Lucas does not mind touch, he is very confused as to what people’s intentions are and doesn’t really understand why he needs to change clothes or the diaper.  Lucas is still in diapers and not potty trained yet.  We still change his diapers with him in the prone position (tummy down).  He does not know when the diaper needs to be changed.  Overall, he is a happy child although he really  wouldn’t know what to be happy about since he doesn’t really display expectations.

This letter is to specify some goals and benchmarks we, Lucas parents, would like to see incorporated into the FAPE offer from the school district.

1.       Lucas is still wobbly on his feet and tends to fall and trip over objects in front of him.  We would like to request 1:1 attendance for him at all times for safety reasons.

2.       Due to his poor gait, we would like to incorporate physical therapy.

3.       Due to being nonverbal, we would like to incorporate speech therapy.

4.       To facilitate more independence in his daily activities of life such as using utensils during eating, we would like to request occupational therapy.

Thank you.

We got everything we asked for.  Feeling so lucky and blessed to have such caring and wonderful people at the school district.