As May quickly approaches and we prepare to write Sam's 1st IEP with the school system, my attention and reading has shifted from what Autism is and how to cope to what our rights are and how to play an active roll in my child's IEP and education. It is insane how many laws and regulations there are; and they vary from state to state. After just a few hours of research I am not sure if I am smarter and more prepared or just more confused! Thank God I have a teacher on "Team Sam" (my aunt) and her Godmother has been through many of these IEP meetings. Maybe with all of us putting our heads together we can make some sort of sense out of all the legal jargon and services.
I am still in the process of making connections with other ASD parents with kids Sam's age. I hope to find maybe a few of us that can communicate honestly and openly about what we are dealing with. I always helps to have that person to call that can truly understand what you are talking about and dealing with.
Sam is using more and more words, but her explosive behavior is still a daily battle. I am now looking into other methods of discipline. Time out and swats on the hind end are not effective and we really need to find a good method for defusing the situation before the loss of control. Again, more reading ensues!
Friday brings our in home evaluation for ABA therapy and I cannot wait to get this service in place and see how it impacts Sam's abilities. I have heard wonderful things about ABA and while trying to remain impartial, still have very high hopes.
I called today and requested the sedated MRI as the 2 attempts at an EEG were without success. I am also waiting to hear back about the blood work that was done 2 weeks ago. I sure hope it can answer some of the many questions we still have.
Well, I will tell you from personal experience that the more I know about IDEA and other laws, the more confused I get. However, knowledge is power and you just have to keep on reading and finding things out. About the discipline stuff, start talking to other parents in the same situation. That will be your best bet. Every child is different and responds differently to things but personal experiences from people surely can't hurt! If you are like me, you'll try anything once. If it fails, you just move onto something else. Also, I wish you good luck with the ABA therapy stuff. I have read and heard good things about this. I really hope that it will help and bring some positive results. Just keep on trucking! You are doing great so far.
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