Andrew's PPT meeting finally happened...no cancellations for bad weather and no power outage or other disaster at the school. The meeting went really well and I am loving Andrew's team at the Regional District #17 school system (Haddam/Killingworth, CT).
Andrew will still be going to school 2 mornings a week, but we will now be going on Mondays and Thursdays so the OT can see him on Mondays while she is observing his classroom. After her initial observations, she will determine if a formal evaluation needs to be done. I am guessing that due to the results of the findings his preschool teacher had, that a formal evaluation will be done and he will receive OT services. He also will get to attend gym class on Mondays, rather than the music class he was going to on Tuesdays....he HATED music class. Too many directions to follow for him. Plus, he is also qualified for ESY, the summer program. He will receive the same classroom time and services that he received during the year, based on what his schedule is at the end of the year.
I also asked for and am receiving a PT evaluation for Andrew, to be done within the next 45 days. Andrew has a definite weakness on the left side of his body. I'm hoping that the PT can help with that.
We also discussed some of his behaviors at home and his communication issues. I have agreed to have them use more sign language with Andrew. I had been reluctant to do that because I found that he would rather use sign instead of speech, even if he was able to speak the word he needed. We have decided to use the sign and speak the word and make him do the same, rather than just rely on the sign without making him follow up with a word approximation. So, we will be going back to the daily use of signs and his 'Signing Times" DVDs so we can re-learn signs that we were using with Andrew. His teacher and speech therapist will also be providing me with a list of commonly used words in the classroom and therapy so we can also use them at home.
Andrew's speech therapist will also be sending home materials to help me get Andrew more familiar with our daily schedules at home. I have been having a terrible time getting him focused on what needs to get done in the morning...most likely because we don't have a consistent morning schedule like we do for the evenings. That makes it difficult for a routine-oriented kid like Andrew. His therapist will be putting together a board for Andrew with pictures that will reflect our daily routine. Each day I can lay out the cards in the order of what needs to get done that morning...breakfast, followed by dressing, tooth brushing and grooming, and then getting ready to leave and getting in the car. I was initially going to purchase the iPrompts app for my iPhone (a $50) investment for this purpose. His team suggested that we start with the board, which will be a more concrete reminder of what needs to be done and he can remove each picture as the task is accomplished. They weren't sure if the schedule being shown would work for him right now...it may be too abstract for him. So, for now, I'm saving the $50 and trying it out first, with the idea that we can transition later. It will eventually work better when we are not home, because I know that I am not going to carry around a board and pictures and scramble around to find the appropriate picture for the situation we're in.
So, that's where we are for now. If Andrew does end up getting the OT and PT services, then I am going to request that he attends school for another session every week to make up for time out of the classroom for the extra services. But for now, I just want him to get readjusted to school since he won't know some of the kids in Monday's class. It's just preschool and we have many, many years of school ahead of us. I also want him to just enjoy being a kid and spending time with his mother and his sister during the week. We have so much more to do now that the spring weather is starting to head our way!
Kim :)
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