March Madness...IEP Style

March was a busy month of evaluations and meetings!  I felt bad for taking so many days off of work but my kids come first!  We started off the month with Quinn's Pre-School evaluation and wow was that exhausting!!  Quinn had a two hour evaluation done by the team at our Early Childhood Center.  They were testing her in all areas and a plethora of teachers and therapist came in and out of the room to assess and observe Quinn.  I mad the sad mistake of taking Quinn by myself to this evaluation. I should have had reinforcement because I was not mentally prepared.  All-in-all the evaluation was not terrible but I felt like they were only getting a "snap-shot" of Quinn and they were making some pretty hefty assumptions about her.  By the end of the two hours I walked out very upset and frustrated with the evaluation.  They did not see any motor planning concerns (verbal apraxia) but they felt she was showing quite a few characteristics of Spectrum.  
After that I needed to vent and re-group, I also needed to make some phone calls and prepare for her IEP meeting with reinforcement.  I immediately called the psychologist over at Little Friends (who by the way has assessed Quinn twice!  Once at 18 months and again at 2 1/2) to discuss what our next steps should be.  I also made sure that Quinn's EI Speech and DT Therapist would be available to be at her IEP meeting.  Once I talked to everyone we were all on the same page about Quinn and were ready to take on the IEP Meeting!!
Luckily I was able to plan Landon's Kindergarten transition meeting on the same day as Quinn's IEP Meeting.  Needless to say that was a long day of meetings and mentally exhausting.  
I also attended two of the classrooms that Landon was recommended for next year.  One classroom is a self-contained Autistic Room and a full day program while the other option was a attending General Ed Kindergarten for only 2 1/2 hours a day and being pulled out for academics in a small group setting.  Even though the team had already made their decision it was up to Ben and I to decide where Landon would go.  The all-day program was at a farther away Elementary School in hopes that he would eventually return to our "home" Elementary School for 1st or 2nd grade.  As much as I want Landon to learn and be in a general education classroom Ben and I felt that his needs and services would be better met at the all-day program.  He will have the opportunity to be in a Kindergarten classroom during the day as well as attend P.E. with his kindergarten classmates.  This was not an easy decision but I sure hope we made the right one!
Quinn's meeting was the longest two hours of my life!!  THANK GOD we had our EI Therapist there because the team decided well before we walked in that they wanted to check the boxes for Autism Spectrum Disorder on her IEP.  NOW please let me make this perfectly clear we would have been TOTALLY FINE if Quinn was placed on the spectrum BUT after careful review with the psychologist at Little Friends Quinn does not have the necessary traits to qualify for Spectrum.  I am upset because the Team was making assumptions after just a short observation.  It scares me to think that this Team could be placing children on the Spectrum that do not need to be placed there.  After we all talked and discussed Quinn qualified for school 5 days a week for 2 1/2 hours with an IEP of developmental delay.  We are excited that she will attend school and really do hope that they can work with her and continue her achievements!  
So as of 04/20 we will have 2 kiddos getting on the bus together for school!  Picture overload for sure on that day!!  Quinn will be excited to ride the bus with Landon, though I cannot say the same for Landon!