So this week was my son's IEP (Individual Education Program) meeting at school. He turns 3 in a few days, and this was the last required meeting before his big first day of school. Let me just start off by saying what a mixed bag of emotions this meeting can be.
One of the first things I was told was that the purpose of the meeting was to determine wether my son fit the criteria for a disabled child(determined in a percentage of developmental delay measurements~ I'll explain that in my next post). The woman was very kind and meant well when she said "Obviously, your son meets the criteria of a special needs child to enter our special needs Pre-K. So this part of the meeting is just a formality." While it was meant to reassure me that my son is accepted, you can imagine those words dropped an emotional rainstorm over my head.
Dylan is considered globally delayed. He is delayed in every area except for cognitive/expression. I think this is one of the reasons the school agreed to accept him into their program. (It is the first time in over 20 years they have accepted a child with Dylan's disabilities. Normally they send them out to a larger, neighboring school district with a large special ed program). Cognitively, Dylan is smart as a whip, has a great memory, and a huge personality. There is a good chance that over the next 2 years in Pre-K, that he will catch up enough to be accepted into their Kindergarten program. I try not to get ahead of myself, but this is our goal for Dylan. We want him to stay in the community and be able to develop and thrive in an "average" classroom.
The school has been going out of their way to make sure that this will be a positive and rewarding experience for Dylan. I have been touched and impressed by their thoughtfulness and kindness. Dylan is so excited to go to school, I just hope he still feels the same way when he realizes he has to go there for 3 hours a day, 5 days a week!
In my next post, I will be discussing some of the finer points of an IEP and what I learned. Specifically, what I have learned are the legal obligations etc. of the school in meeting a child's needs, developmental delay criteria, etc.
One of the first things I was told was that the purpose of the meeting was to determine wether my son fit the criteria for a disabled child(determined in a percentage of developmental delay measurements~ I'll explain that in my next post). The woman was very kind and meant well when she said "Obviously, your son meets the criteria of a special needs child to enter our special needs Pre-K. So this part of the meeting is just a formality." While it was meant to reassure me that my son is accepted, you can imagine those words dropped an emotional rainstorm over my head.
Dylan is considered globally delayed. He is delayed in every area except for cognitive/expression. I think this is one of the reasons the school agreed to accept him into their program. (It is the first time in over 20 years they have accepted a child with Dylan's disabilities. Normally they send them out to a larger, neighboring school district with a large special ed program). Cognitively, Dylan is smart as a whip, has a great memory, and a huge personality. There is a good chance that over the next 2 years in Pre-K, that he will catch up enough to be accepted into their Kindergarten program. I try not to get ahead of myself, but this is our goal for Dylan. We want him to stay in the community and be able to develop and thrive in an "average" classroom.
The school has been going out of their way to make sure that this will be a positive and rewarding experience for Dylan. I have been touched and impressed by their thoughtfulness and kindness. Dylan is so excited to go to school, I just hope he still feels the same way when he realizes he has to go there for 3 hours a day, 5 days a week!
In my next post, I will be discussing some of the finer points of an IEP and what I learned. Specifically, what I have learned are the legal obligations etc. of the school in meeting a child's needs, developmental delay criteria, etc.
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