Our Autism Journey... Evans Story Part #8 After the transition from Early Intervention to the school system I realized how good we had it with EI. They took care of everything, told us what we needed, who to call, where to go and what the next steps should be. I was told by my friend Ann Brock Smith to never assume that the school district would give you anything. (Disclaimer: I in no way want to offend anyone who works with the school district now or then. I am only speaking from my perspective as a Mom with a child with special needs. I love you all!!) She said when you go in that IEP (meeting), ask for everything! They will not volunteer anything! Its all about money and they dont want to spend it! Educate yourself!!!! I didnt even know what an IEP was. Later I learned it is an Individualized Education Plan that was written up by a team. The team would consist of the parents, a regular ed teacher, the ESE teacher, the occupational therapist, the speech therapist, the ESE director, the guidance counselor, the lady from CARD and I dont remember who else. All I remember was... it was a room full of folks and I was sick to my stomach! I grew up in Chipley and knew almost everyone sitting around that table but I felt so intimidated.... which for me, isnt easy. My mind kept telling me this was my baby and this is BIG BOY school. How could I send my baby to BIG BOY school?? I kept thinking about what Ann had said and wondered, What am I supposed to ask for? What do they offer? What services do kids like Evan need? What what what??? He started BIG Boy school and I was terrified. His class was across the street and I was supposed to drop him off in the cafeteria. I was determined not to leave him until he got across the street and was safe in his room. I think it irritated the teacher but I knew he was a runner. I knew if she was in the front of the line and he was in the back that he might decide he wanted to go in a different direction. I knew a lot more about him than she did and I wanted him safe!! This was my baby who had NO speech and I was a protective Mama! So everyday, I took him to school and waited patiently in the lunchroom to walk across the street with him. I discovered the Clearing House in Tallahassee. They offered all sorts of books and pamphlets like what is an IEP? How to prepare for an IEP?. They had a plethora of information about all different state agencies and what they did and I was determined to get as much of it as I could. The majority of was FREE and I took advantage of it. Remember, internet was hard to come by in those days and Kevin and I dint even have a home computer. So I read and read and read. By our next IEP, I was going to have some knowledge and understanding.
Posted on: Sun, 13 Apr 2014 18:27:07 +0000