Mucus Plug!
Of all the gross things associated with childbirth, that might be the grossest. (And before you go calling me a bad man-like creature, I watched Mia come out of my wife and I cut her stinkin' umbilical cord! But mucus plugs - blech.) Anyway, Krys started having contractions early Monday morning, and she freaked out a little, because she hadn't even packed a bag. She went to the doctor's later that morning, and they told her she was dilated two centimeters and if she had contractions again, she should go to the hospital. So we've been on edge for a couple of days. Today she lost her mucus plug. It's going to happen soon, and I hope she doesn't have to wait very much longer. The kid has dropped and she's been wanting to come out for two months, so now is not the time to dawdle. Get out, kid!
So blogging may be light here in the near future. Yeah, I know I was going to blog more, but if my wife is in the hospital, that may be an issue. But I wanted to talk about Mia's Special Education Evaluation!
Today we went out to the evaluation center, which is a bunch of trailers. Wha? Yes, they're very nice trailers, but still. It was weird. Anyway, we met with two special ed. specialists, and they asked a bunch of questions of me and did a bunch of tests with Mia. The woman dealing with Mia wanted to see how well she played with certain toys. She asked Mia to put a ball in a plastic container and take it out, which the Smartest Girl In The World did. She asked Mia to identify body parts and articles of clothing, which she did. She told me to stop playing, and I was actually surprised when Mia did. Mia did most of the things she is capable of, and she behaved very well. They seemed pretty impressed with her, which was nice. I didn't get the impression that they thought she had a severe disability, which we've been worried about. The other woman asked me about Mia, and while most of my answers were good, there were some things that Mia is not capable of - standing up and walking, for instance. We talked about her capabilities and some of the things she can do that they couldn't test there, and they said they had to "score her." We'll see what happens with that. I was going to meet with the school's OT and PT, but they weren't there, so she will see them on Tuesday (conditions permitting).
As I've mentioned before, we are concerned about where she will be placed. We have been talking to some of her therapists, and they don't think she should be in the severely disabled group. I want her to be in a group that is able to talk to a certain degree and can move around a little more than she can, because it appears that Mia, when challenged, does rise to the challenge. She whines about it, but she does work harder if you push her. I don't think putting her in a class with kids who can't talk because they don't communicate will help her. She's very communicative, she just doesn't talk. I think she was able to communicate pretty well with her evaluators today, and they seemed to understand her pretty well. So that's pretty neat.
After they do their "scoring," we have to have a MET/IEP meeting. MET stands for Multidisciplinary Evaluation Team, and IEP stands for Individual Education Plan. At this meeting, they will discuss parents rights and the special education eligibility. They will discuss goals and objectives, and the IEP will outline specific services Mia will receive. That's still in the future.
So the day went pretty well. I was a bit worried, but it went better than I thought it would. I'm still going to be a pain in the ass with these people, because if Krys and I don't advocate for Mia, who the hell will? However, I would rather work with them, and I was encouraged by what I saw today. This could all change, of course, at the next meeting, if they tell us that Mia will be in with kids like the one I saw at her vision and hearing screening, who was walking around but looked totally vacant. Her OT told us that some of the kids in these classes don't know how to track objects, and if they try to put Mia with them, I will get angry.
I hope to have news of the imminent newborn soon, but it might be touch and go for a while. Lousy kid. Just come on out - we'll be happy to accommodate you!
So blogging may be light here in the near future. Yeah, I know I was going to blog more, but if my wife is in the hospital, that may be an issue. But I wanted to talk about Mia's Special Education Evaluation!
Today we went out to the evaluation center, which is a bunch of trailers. Wha? Yes, they're very nice trailers, but still. It was weird. Anyway, we met with two special ed. specialists, and they asked a bunch of questions of me and did a bunch of tests with Mia. The woman dealing with Mia wanted to see how well she played with certain toys. She asked Mia to put a ball in a plastic container and take it out, which the Smartest Girl In The World did. She asked Mia to identify body parts and articles of clothing, which she did. She told me to stop playing, and I was actually surprised when Mia did. Mia did most of the things she is capable of, and she behaved very well. They seemed pretty impressed with her, which was nice. I didn't get the impression that they thought she had a severe disability, which we've been worried about. The other woman asked me about Mia, and while most of my answers were good, there were some things that Mia is not capable of - standing up and walking, for instance. We talked about her capabilities and some of the things she can do that they couldn't test there, and they said they had to "score her." We'll see what happens with that. I was going to meet with the school's OT and PT, but they weren't there, so she will see them on Tuesday (conditions permitting).
As I've mentioned before, we are concerned about where she will be placed. We have been talking to some of her therapists, and they don't think she should be in the severely disabled group. I want her to be in a group that is able to talk to a certain degree and can move around a little more than she can, because it appears that Mia, when challenged, does rise to the challenge. She whines about it, but she does work harder if you push her. I don't think putting her in a class with kids who can't talk because they don't communicate will help her. She's very communicative, she just doesn't talk. I think she was able to communicate pretty well with her evaluators today, and they seemed to understand her pretty well. So that's pretty neat.
After they do their "scoring," we have to have a MET/IEP meeting. MET stands for Multidisciplinary Evaluation Team, and IEP stands for Individual Education Plan. At this meeting, they will discuss parents rights and the special education eligibility. They will discuss goals and objectives, and the IEP will outline specific services Mia will receive. That's still in the future.
So the day went pretty well. I was a bit worried, but it went better than I thought it would. I'm still going to be a pain in the ass with these people, because if Krys and I don't advocate for Mia, who the hell will? However, I would rather work with them, and I was encouraged by what I saw today. This could all change, of course, at the next meeting, if they tell us that Mia will be in with kids like the one I saw at her vision and hearing screening, who was walking around but looked totally vacant. Her OT told us that some of the kids in these classes don't know how to track objects, and if they try to put Mia with them, I will get angry.
I hope to have news of the imminent newborn soon, but it might be touch and go for a while. Lousy kid. Just come on out - we'll be happy to accommodate you!
posted by Greg at
8:12 PM
4 Comments:
It sounds like Mia has excellent receptive language skills! That being the case, you are totally right to push for a classroom with children who communicate.
When I worked with young children w/ autism, I would attend the IEP meetings and be an advocate (along w/ parents and other service providers). Any children who could communicate, could understand communication, and did not have severe behavioral problems would be recommended to an integrated classroom. From the families I have heard from, that was the best choice. Good luck!
By
Anonymous, at 16/6/05 5:24 AM
That's good to know, Mike. Thanks.
By
Greg, at 16/6/05 7:02 AM
Best wishes for a successful birth! And I hope Mia receives the great education she deserves.
By
erinberry, at 16/6/05 9:57 AM
Thanks, Erin!
By
Greg, at 16/6/05 1:49 PM
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