We got the IEP and it’s good!

I read through it carefully last night and there was not a single unexpected item in the entire document!  So very exciting! 

The bestest thing?  In every location where it was appropriate, it was marked that Monkey be in a regular education program with special education supports.  He’ll be pulled out of class no more than 20% of the time for ST, OT, AT and PT.  By making one of his OT sessions a push-in session instead of a pull-out he moved from the 40-79% tier to the 80% tier. 

This is important only because the district has poor record of including special needs students in the regular education classrooms.  There is a disproportionately high number of students placed in out of district settings and in substantially separate classrooms given the district’s size.  They are trying to make changes but not everyone is on the same page and as we move from IEP team to IEP team we’re going to need to be able to prove that he’s progressing in these settings. 

We’re going to get resistance from the administration and from teachers at times because we aren’t interested in taking the “easy” route.  I am sympathetic to the fact that teachers don’t always get the supports they need to be successful but we also know that there are ways to make this work.  I believe that our doing whatever we can to get the teachers the information and support they need is a vital part of our fight to keep Monkey in an inclusive setting.  I don’t think its fair of us to sit at the table and make demands of the district if we’re not willing to work just as hard as we are asking them to work to make this all happen.

I am so glad we’ve fought as hard as we have to keep him in an integrated setting, clearly he is making progress (and lots of it.)  He has a lot to learn from and to share with his peers.  I don’t want any of them to miss out on the opportunity by putting up any unnecessary barriers between them.

Does this pattern sound familiar?

I finished charting all of the data that Monkey’s teacher tracks for us on our daily sheets (See HERE if you want a visual) and I’m seeing an interesting pattern.

His “regulation” and “participation” generally rise and fall together throughout the day, as you would expect.  When he’s not self-regulated he can’t fully participate in the learning activities, totally makes sense. 

What isn’t making sense to me is the bigger pattern.  When you look at the data between September 2009 through March 2010 you see 4 or 5 days where he’s on an upswing and then 4 of 5 days when he tanks.  It’s up and down, up and down…and it doesn’t line up with school breaks or anything that I can identify.

So, out of curiosity, do you see this with your children?  It’s remarkably consistent, there must be something behind it.