I found some paperwork I'd been given by the psychologist at C.J.'s MDT meeting while cleaning this week, glanced through it quickly and did a double-take. My eyes, of course, had landed on the section where they discussed how often these diagnoses are not followed through on by parents and teachers. It is easy, the piece of paper explained, to get so focused on the student's strengths that you don't take seriously enough their weaknesses.
Had Craig and I fallen into this trap? C.J. has been so happy at his new school, with no real problems that we have gotten complacent. We worry a lot about every day logistics but not the long-term decisions. The Assistant Principal who is running C.J.'s meetings has been sick and busy and I haven't been pushy about scheduling the next IEP meeting. I have even wondered if we should just wait and see if there is a problem next year and have the new school create the IEP. It would then take into account any changes that occurred as he moved into kindergarten, I tell myself, and would perhaps be less complicated if I weren't so directly involved.
All are completely logical thoughts. Deep down, however, I have to admit that the piece of paper is right and part of me still doesn't want to accept all that we have learned. He is only 4 and given that today he picked up a book and started reading it to me, it is hard to believe he's going to struggle academically. It is especially difficult, though, to accept that he's not going to "grow out of" his social issues. I have spent much of my teaching life with students who struggle to fit in socially and it can be hard to watch, much less live through.
So we need to be optimistic but also realistic. We are catching everything early, which is great. He also does have this huge Verbal IQ (shown in the early reading) to help him compensate for his weakness. I see lots of reasons to be encouraged for the future and think his road will be much easier than many others with whom I've worked. But it doesn't mean we don't have a lot of work ahead
Not all the hard decisions are behind us. We don't have to tackle them all right now, but we also can't pretend they don't exist.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I have been thrilled at the way CJ has adjusted to his new school. Yet is it possible that by not doing Phase 2 of the IEP we are shooting CJ in the foot. God was good to the family when he allowed us to catch the NVLD earlier than most. My unsolicited advice would be that we need to be proactive with the Asst. Principal who has been ill and busy or the next step simply won't happen. It should happen or we are wasting several months of Behavorial work and evaluation.
ReplyDeleteHis happiness at school may be a function of having effectively 1 teacher to a group of 4. This would provide extra structure and allow him not to be blind sided by a sudden change or not having things laid out in such a way that he is able to use his verbal intelligence to his own benefit. In short he's happy cause the class situation is playing to his strength and seldom to his weakness. I think that the IEP should happen as soon as is practical.
Father John