Well, as a counter point to the HORRIBLE IEP meeting we had this summer, today I met Amelia’s teachers for her 1st quarter evaluation.

What more can a proud mama say? She is doing wonderfully. She is doing so well with letters and words that her teachers would like to put more advanced goals on her IEP. She really needs one-on-one for academic stuff, she doesn’t do very well with workbook programs or group academics. (Hm, charter school, here we come??) She, as I’ve already noticed, doesn’t understand 1-to-1 counting and has a lot of difficulty with inference questions. Even so, she has pleased her teacher and speech therapist with her vocabulary and letter drawing skills. Hey, math is hard for everyone, even a little more so for kids with Down syndrome. Still, we are working on it at home.

More good news is that the homeroom teacher has noticed that she is doing much better in the classroom. She is obedient with the teacher and every now and then, yells out of turn, but that’s not a big deal. I am so glad that both teachers had positive things to say.

Over my Christmas break, I will again make a potty schedule and the teachers are working on putting something together for the number of special needs kids who aren’t trained yet in the new year. I’m really eager about this.

That’s all I have to say. Mrs. C was pleased with her articulation. Sometimes you need to step back and look at the big picture, I guess. Last night we were singing songs in bed and I was TREMENDOUSLY worried about that. Perhaps it’s rote songs that trip her up (Itsy Bitsy Spider, Wheels on the Bus). And, as my and my husband’s daughter, I wouldn’t at all be surprised to learn that she is tone deaf. I don’t know, but last night I felt like I had a kid was was MARKED with MR, while today I feel like I have a kid who is succeeding in school.

The ups and downs of being a special needs parent