This week the twins started PPCD on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Tuesdays and Thursdays are still ABA.
The teacher hasn't responded to my email or phone call asking how it's going...I think she's a little overwhelmed. She's very competent-seeming and warm in person.
So all we have to go on are the two words B. kept saying after his first day..."Careful!!" and "Shick!" We understand "careful" (B. is quite the climber and acrobat), but we are wondering about shick. We think there might be another final consonant sound. The paraprofessional looked as if she might cry after escorting the two of them to the front of the school where I pick them up. They are very good at flopping to the floor and staying completely limp when you try to coax them.
By Wednesday the school had decided I should park in a handicapped spot and come get the boys at their classroom. I had had visions of PPCD finally teaching them to walk well from place to place, but so far they actually walk better for me than for the teacher or aide. It's just the first week, so I still have high hopes for the walking thing.
I'm glad we are still doing ABA, so I mostly think of PPCD as a chance to be in a group of other kids. The other kids are so sweet, and for the most part pretty social, which I'm thrilled about. The special ed director wanted to bus them to another school with a smaller class, but I'm hoping this one will work out. I do think they need another aide. Right now it's seven children with one teacher and one aide (possibly the source of our new word, "shick"). I'm in constant communication with the special ed. director due to my stubborn-ness about keeping them in ABA. And to think that in some states the school districts actually provides ABA! It's as if we were in another decade from the east coast. I send all my communications in bulleted-lists, trying to make the impression that I'm a parent who has a lawyer on retainer. At the same time I try to be diplomatic, because I might actually want to teach in this district again.
I'm being paged by J. to lie down and help him sleep. Tomorrow is his Pre-K meet=the-teacher day, and he's got a bit of the jitters.
Hopeing PPCD will turn out to be helpful. But why hasn't the teacher returned my email or phone call. Tomorrow I am dropping them off at the classroom door, and I'm going to ask her to call me. Now I'm off to snuggle with J.
2 comments:
Oh man, you have your hands full (with the SD:) Sounds like it is going to be a bit of a fight. We had a big one last year, a couple of us moms teamed up, and it wasn't pretty. In the end we got what we wanted and we are still on speaking terms. I will not lie it was tough, and there were tears (from the teachers no less)!
We are in the backwoods too, as far as services, but I would definitely push for more aides! It is good your kids are so young, if you can get the groundwork laid this year, you will not have to fight as much later. Hang on to the ABA for dear life, until they get their act together.
Good luck!!
At the risk of being a wet blanket...don't expect things to change with the way school communicates or staffs. That's not to say don't keep fighting for what your boys need (and help the school by guiding them to find the things which will motivate your guys to walk to/for that thing!).
I'm jaded from our less-than-stellar experience with Nik's school. I also had a conversation with the grandfather of one of Nik's old schoolmates; things arethe same as they ever were at school —no changes in spite of the fact they have students with completely different needs! Ugh.
Good luck. :-)
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