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Part I: My Son Sees A Different World
Part II: My Son Sees A Different World
Part III: My Son Sees A Different World

Michael had started his various therapy sessions in July: occupational, speech, and play therapy. His coordination was improving, his attention span was increasing little by little, and his efforts at communicating were more successful. The tantrums lessened, once he was able to tell me what he wanted, instead of expecting me to read his mind. He enjoyed music, rhymes and games, and manipulated mechanical toys with interest. None of this came easily, though, and for every step forward, he took two steps back. Over the course of ten months, the therapists and I worked on his skills. His prognosis was good.

As his third birthday approached, it was time to address his transition into Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools. The Carlton-Watkins Center Infant/Toddler Program went up to age 3; after that, children entered preschool with the public school system. Michael’s case worker told me that I would be getting a call from an IEP coordinator with Char-Meck to discuss his Individual Education Plan. The IEP outlines a child’s goals for the school year, and how those goals would be met. Several weeks later, Dana called me to set up some meetings with the IEP team. Dana was very accommodating; she knew I lived in the northern part of the country (a good half-hour from the Charlotte uptown area, where the Education Center was), so we arranged to meet at a nearby elementary school, Nathanial Hawthorne. Nathanial Hawthorne also happened to have a special needs kindergarten program as well.

Dana told me I could bring any support members to the team meetings, so I asked Jennifer, our caseworker, to come with me. Jennifer and I sat in the room, while Dana introduced us to the members of the IEP team. A speech therapist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, and a classroom teacher were present, and we all discussed Michael’s goals. What did we want him to learn during the school year? How would we achieve those goals? What was practical and what was impossible? It was a lively discussion. Dana stressed that this was a team effort and that I, as Michael’s mother, was an important member of that team. I told them about my concerns about Michael’s speech and social skills, which were two of the major ones.

We disagreed on one issue, one that I believed was important. Michael had Sensory Integration Dysfunction (SID), which interfered with his learning. He craved sensory stimulation; he needed it to calm down. For example, when he was starting a tantrum, I would put him in my office chair and spin him around. Most children would be wound up by the movement, but Michael needed it to focus. His various therapists used brushing, joint compression and other stimulation during his therapy sessions. Unfortunately, the team didn’t want to acknowledge that problem. The classrooms were not equipped for sensory issues (Michael enjoys bouncing up and down, but how can you fit a trampoline in the classroom?). I understood that concern, but I wanted it to be at least mentioned in his goals. After some wrangling (and some back-up from Jennifer), Dana agreed to put in a sentence acknowledging his SID.

Jennifer had stressed to me earlier that an IEP is a legally binding document. Once I had signed it, the school system was obligated to provide services as outlined in the IEP. I could ask to hold another IEP meeting if I felt that we needed changes. Otherwise, at the end of the school year, we would assess Michael’s progress and plan for the new school year.

In August 2006, Michael started preschool for the first time in a self-contained classroom. After a week of rough transition, he grew to love school. He loved the routine, the varied activities, and the new challenges he faced. One of Michael’s IEP goals was to increase his attention span; just last week, Miss Cheryl told me he sat in circle time for a full 10 minutes! He discovered that books were for more than chewing, and eagerly paged through them. Gradually, the head-butting sessions faded and the crying jags stopped. There were good days and there were off days, but Michael thrived on school.

It is now March of 2007, and we are already talking about transition to the 4-year-old preschool classroom. This will be an inclusion classroom, meaning Michael will be one of three special needs students (with an IEP) in a class of 18 students. There will be two teachers and an aide. On the one hand, Michael needs to socialize with “normal” children his age, but I worry about whether or not he will get the attention he needs. This will be another step on Michael’s journey, one that is still ongoing.

It’s been an interesting ride.

Links:

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Brushing: http://members.tripod.com/~ajumble/autism/sensory.html

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Sensory Techniques: This webpage outlines activities for sensory issues, including brushing techniques.

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Sensory Integration Dysfunction: What is SID?

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Individual Educational Plan (IEP): http://www.ldonline.org/indepth/iep
This is the link page from LD Online, with information about IEPs and the process

[tags]autism, pre-school, speech therapy, occupational therapy, play therapy, Sensory Integration Dysfunction[/tags]
Thanks to Miguel Gomez for the use of his Creative Commons photo, some rights reserved