IEP meeting

People really seem to respond to these posts about Kael, so I thought I would take some time to write about the Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting we had Monday morning. I realize IEPs are required by law, but I can't help but feel incredibly blessed to be raising Kael in a school district with the resources to serve him so well. I also can't say enough about the educators we have been working with- I have never felt like Kael is "just a number". The IEP proves that the people who work with Kael at school really have taken the time to get to know him- not just in reference to strengths/weaknesses, but also in terms of personality. How lucky I am to know Kael is so well cared for when he's away from home. Well, I'll dig right in. For his kindergarten year, Kael had two goals. The first one is considered a speech/language goal and the main copmonent is his ability to retell a story (this displays reading comprehension). He started the year retelling a story using 8 words. Kindergarten expectations are that a child retell a story with at least 50 total words spoken. He worked with a speech/language patholigist twice a week for about twenty minutes throughout the school year. Kael's most recent story retell was over 100 words! He has maintained an above 80 word average for the last three months. Didn't I tell you he was a hard-worker?! His speech teacher actually said she wished she would have taped it to use as an example for the other kids. I am so so so proud of him. The next goal is a social one. This one is a little harder for me to paraphrase so I'll just write it exactly as it appears on the IEP: Kael is able to look at peers in social situations, share items, ask for items to be shared, ask for information, and physically approach peers to engage in activities. Kael has difficulty with non-routine tasks, listening to peers speak without interrupting, giving peers their personal space, and staying on task without being prompted. Kael was observed and a rating scale (1-5 for each behavior) was filled out daily by his classroom teacher for the following three behaviors: staying on task, listening/attention-related behaviors, and following directions. At the beginning of the year Kael's median score was 4, while typical peer's median scores were 12. So, Kael's goal was to be at a 12 for three consecutive weeks. Kael got to go to his special edcuation teacher's room twenty minutes every day to work on social skills, and I am happy to report he met this goal too! Way to go Kael! I was worried that since he is meeting his goals so well that they might not allow him to be on an IEP (in other words, no services for Kael) next year. I am really excited about what we came up with. So, here's the plan for his first-grade year. He will drop his speech goal completely. I am fine with this because I know the comprehension is there, and since we will still have an IEP in place, if this becomes an issue again we can easily write it back into his plan. We will continue a social goal and again, his general education teacher will observe and give him a rating on several behaviors: ignores distractions, asks for help, takes home and brings belongings to class, refrains from blurting/raises hand and waits turn, and expresses frustration/feelings. These may seem like small things but they are BIG things for Kael. I know he will work hard to master these skills next year and will gain so much independence! He will still be allowed time in his special education room, but we are cutting that time to just 10 minutes a day instead of 20. We receive updated reports at each conference (which will be November, then again next February) and will have another official IEP meeting next spring. Looking back, I can't believe we ever hesitated with sending Kael to school this year. He has continued to meet and exceed each challenge we present to him. We are so proud of you buddy!