Another Piece Of The Puzzle
I didn’t know if we would ever get here. The road has not been easy and there were some very dark times along the way. Sterling is pushing through his fears and tackling things we didn’t know he was capable of. I, on the other hand, have been having mini meltdowns for the past two weeks. Crying because I wasn’t sure what was to come. You want the best for your children and want to see them succeed no matter what. I can’t even count the number of meetings we’ve had over the years where I was left feeling emotionally exhausted from having to fight to get Sterling the services and accommodations he needed. I will never understand why there is so much resistance in giving a child what they need to be educated. Where does it say all children learn the same?
Let’s get to the good part.
The chairperson from the district started the meeting by having everyone introduce themselves. Sterling’s teacher, counselor, and speech pathologist said their hellos. Kai and I said ours as well. The tears began to fall listening to everyone speak so highly of Sterling. How he has matured so much and is truly an asset to his peers. When his teacher stated he is on track to reach all of his educational goals, I wanted to get up and shout. I knew my child was articulate and capable. He just needed the right formula to thrive. I say formula because there’s so many components that we had to dissect and reconfigure to get here. **I will definitely circle back to this.**
Both the counselor and speech pathologist echoed what his teacher said. We collectively made the decision to discontinue individual speech sessions as Sterling has become quite articulate. Group sessions will remain as he is still learning to decipher the context or reading in between the lines of others. Sterling has counseling in and out of school. A couple of posts back I talked about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and how Sterling has really done the work to get where he is today. In school counseling is really a place where he can dissect and problem solve moments of anxiety or interactions he may have with his peers or teachers.
This meeting also started the conversation of bringing Sterling back into an in district school. Currently he is in a 8:1:1 classroom which means there is one teacher and one assistant for eight children. Next year he will be in a 15:1:1. Sterling will keep his individual counseling sessions to help with this transition. His accommodations will remain the same regarding testing, which include extended time and directions being read and simplified as needed during test taking. The use of staff manipulatives, graphic organizers, and sensory supports will remain as well. I appreciated the chairperson acknowledging the additional supports that are in the building and recommending a behavioral consult so his quirks and nuances in the classroom would be understood. We have to wait until the end of the school year to know what school Sterling will be assigned to and then a more detailed plan will be devised and executed.
A combination of medication, therapy, prayer, and support from Sterling’s amazing village has gotten us to where we are today. Words won’t express the gratitude I have for every person that has contributed in some way, fashion, or form. This journey is far from over, but we’re going to sit back and enjoy this moment for a few.
Until next time. Love and Light!
