Liam had his first parent/teacher conference on Wednesday. Unfortunately for me, the night before he also had his first stomach bug. The sweet boy was such a trooper about getting sick, but me and Dave were up all night with him. He was better the next day, while we were total zombies. My brain was very fuzzy when I went to his conference, but I did come away with lots of valuable information.
-Liam met all his speech goals in less than 2 months. IEPs are written to last a year, so his is going to have to be re-written to update and make new speech goals.
-Liam has accomplished ALL pre-academic skills in the preschool curriculum. His teacher said the only thing left to teach him is 6 year old material, and that isn't approrpiate, especially since he uses his strong academic skills as a social shield. Making him smarter will hardly help the poor guy blend in with other kids. At home, Liam is taking an interest in spelling and can now spell Ben and Mama, in addition to Liam. At home, we don't discourage his academic interest, and I imagine he will always be ahead of the curve on academics.
-One of Liam's IEP goels is attending to "non-preferred activities" but his school hasn't found any non-preferred activities. Somehow my high needs constantly trantruming toddler has morphed into a sweet, obedient,easy-going preschooler. I am certainly not complaining about this.
-Liam continues to struggle with socialization. He only engaged in pretend play with peers 16% of the time. He loves his friends at school and when we get together, I watch how hard his classmates work to include Liam. He just struggles with this area. We need to make him stronger here b/c I watch him interact with typically developing peers and they aren't nearly as kind or willing to try so hard with Liam. He is already being isolated and left out if playground and open play type settings, and poor Liam responds by smiling at the mean brats that are sticking their tongues out at him and making fun of him. I am so glad that school is a safe environment for him.
-Liam either doesn't exhibit his sensory seeking behavior at school or it isn't bad enough to get anyone's attention. Liam engages in lots of crashing and vestibular sensory seeking at home, and I certainly find it disruptive, but I was told he doesn't do it at school so they don't feel a need for him to engage in OT.
Liam really is a joy these days and I am amazed continually by how far he has come with therapy. He is such a happier child than he was last November when he was diagnosed.
3 comments:
This post brought tears to my eyes. Liam is so lucky to have a mama who advocates for him so tirelessly and works so hard to help him achieve to his highest potential. I'm glad that all your hard work is paying off and that you all are able to enjoy the benefits :)
The 3rd to last paragraph about socialization made me cry, Michelle. We struggle with similar things on the playground, etc. The 4 year olds have suddenly become mean to Kate and it breaks my heart. I also hear that the children in the inclusion class are accepting and understanding and I soo hope I have a similar report at the parent teacher meeting.
I look forward to reading your posts because it lets me know I'm not alone in so many of the things I feel.
I am so happy for the huge blessing of growth and change in Liams little life. I am also so happy he has a momma like you that will stop at nothing to get him what he needs! You are an amazing lady and he is one awesome guy!
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