Wednesday, December 16, 2015

He Leads the Way

 
Chris and I walked out of an IEP meeting today feeling something we haven't felt at a meeting in a very long time, happiness. It is refreshing to walk out of a meeting when everything that is discussed is done positively.


Today's meeting was part of the settlement in which we were to discuss the independent evaluations that have been conducted over the past few months, particularly the Functional Behavior Assessment and the BIP (Behavior Improvement Plan) that was going to be incorporated into his new IEP. This year has been going really well from our perspective and the feedback we have received from the staff working with him has always been positive. In addition, Colin has grown and matured a lot since last year which we feel has really contributed to his progress. The discussion that ensued today was extremely positive and encouraging with conversations about how well he is doing academically (he is on grade level!) and socially, how he is funny and charming and making progress in many areas. He has come so far behaviorally and the challenges that are still remaining (mostly task avoidance) are now being addressed with specific methods that the staff is being trained on. I was so proud of my little boy but also so thankful to sit there and listen to his teachers who have worked so hard to make sure he is a valuable and integral member of their classroom. This is what I knew was possible when we made this decision for Colin.

 
No matter how happy I felt today, it is just as important as ever for Chris and I to continue to take one day at a time. This educational journey we are on with Colin will be long and there will be lots of ups and downs along the way but we can go to sleep tonight knowing that we are doing the best we can for what we believe in our hearts is the right place for Colin right now. He is proving that he CAN do what we always KNEW he was capable of. It takes a lot of hard work from many people and open minds to see his potential. I am feeling thankful tonight for this day and for this little man who is leading the way...
 

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