I feel guilty for neglecting the blog for so long. I've had an important update that I wanted to share, but was afraid to post it in case the situation changed. We've just completed the first quarter of the school year and my big news remains unchanged. So, I guess it's safe to fill you in on what's happening.
When we set up my son's IEP for first grade, he was to spend most of his day in the special education classroom and would visit the typical classroom for social times such as lunch, PE and music class. We arranged it this way because he cannot tolerate the distractions in the regular room and would not be able to learn in that environment. Also, his behaviors would be troublesome for the other students in the class. So, we made this compromise with the hope that he would benefit from the social exposure with typical children and would be able to progress academically in a quieter environment.
On the first day of school this year, I took him to the special education room. The teacher told me that the regular first grade teacher wanted him to join her other students that morning in learning the rules of her classroom. So, I took him down to the regular class knowing he would return to the special education room after the rules and regulations had been covered.
That afternoon, I went to the special education room to pick him up. I panicked at first, because I didn't see him. I was afraid he had run away and in the chaos of the first day of school, no one noticed. The special ed teacher told me he was still in the typical classroom. He had managed so well in there, he never returned to her room!
I fought back the happy tears as I walked down the hall to get him. He had managed an entire day in the regular room. This was huge progress! I was delighted by this even though it was just one day. He'd return to his IEP schedule the next day. But, still a WHOLE DAY in a regular class...I was ecstatic.
The same thing happened the next day and the next and the next. He was functioning well in the regular classroom. After a couple of weeks, it was time to change the IEP. He is no longer in the special education room and spends the full day in the regular classroom. He is pulled out of class for speech and occupational therapies as well as small group instruction to help with academics. This is a dream come true!
He has an extraordinary teacher again this year. (We've been incredibly fortunate with regard to his teachers.) She has been willing to work with him, even though his symptoms can be a challenge to deal with. He is doing the work, but he still has significant trouble with attention and focus. He is also struggling with his small motor skills which make writing extremely difficult.
I am working on adjusting his supplements to help more with attention and focus. And, we practice writing daily. He will need to progress and mature quite a lot to be able to participate in a regular second grade classroom next year. But, for now, we are enjoying the typical setting and working hard to set him up for success in future years.
