Monday, May 05, 2008

The review meeting

On Friday, I had the final meeting with KayTar's evaluation committee. When I arrived, the SLP said, "Oh, this is going to be a totally different experience for us! You already know everything we are about to tell you, but most parents don't have a clue." I suspect the meeting can be quite an upsetting affair for those parents, the ones who are referred to the special education program but feel it is a mere formality stemming from undue concerns, and are sure their children will be turned away. I'm not one of those parents, because my biggest concern has been KayTar NOT getting services we already know she needs. As wonderfully as this experience has gone (minus the timing snafus) I have been a little nervous that KayTar just won't be getting what she needs, and because of the insurance situation, school therapies are currently her only option. Thankfully, my concerns seem to be unfounded.

The team is recommending the 4 day per week/3 hour per day community-based (inclusion) preschool class. She will be with a group of 6 typically developing children and 5 other not-so-typically developing children. She will have a normal preschool teacher and a special education teacher. She will receive OT in the classroom. Her special education teacher will have speech goals to work on with her through the year. They are recommending two adaptive technologies for her, a wagon/stroller for when the class has to walk places, because KayTar fatigues easily and cannot keep up, and a picture system to help ease transitions. These are only the recommendations, they still have to be approved by the ARD committee, but I feel pleased with the recommendations. We will have her ARD in a month, and she will start school in the fall. I'm a little diappointed that she will be without services all this time, but I think the summer will give her some good time for growth and hopefully it will ease her transition, as everyone has concerns about her ability to transition easily. The psychologist said it will likely be difficult for her, but in the long run it will be a very good thing. I think so, too. We might start going to church to help her get used to being with non-familial caregivers and groups of peers in the meantime.

The evaluation team also gave me a LARGE packet of testing results, which I will sift through and post highlights from later in the week for your perusal (and my record keeping), so stay tuned if you are into that sort of thing. Sneak peek, she did test WELL within the autism range on one tests (GARS-2), and she did NOT test in the autism range on another test (ADOS). They are not diagnosing autism at this time, because well think that her autistic quirks are caused by the larger neurological picture, rather than a specific ASD, but it is something that will continue to be evaluated as she grows, and her tendencies are well documented. All in all, it was an excellent meeting.

(excuse the rashy arms, we just can't seem to shake it! it has started to spread to her cheeks, too. bummer.)

26 comments:

S said...

sounds like excellent news all around!

(well, except for the rash, i guess.)

Becca said...

That sounds so positive! You must be so relieved.

AJsMom said...

That's great news, Kyla. I'm happy to hear that there is progress being made.

Anonymous said...

Look at that cutie pie in her red suit! I'm so glad this is all going well for you guys and that Kaytar will once again be getting her therapy needs met. As for taking a break, sometimes when we break for awhile we see the most growth, just like you said.

InTheFastLane said...

I can't wait to see how the pre-school goes. That sounds great that she will get those services and be around kids too. Once she gets through the transition, I think she will do great.

Anonymous said...

Very interesting. Thank you for posting this. And she is just a doll. So glad all is going well and she is getting what she needs :) Jen

cinnamon gurl said...

That sounds like great news! Hurrah! And what lucky kids to be placed in a diverse group.

Ben and Bennie said...

This is great news, Kyla! I remember when we were beginning to put Ben in the school system. All our fears were alleviated during that initial planning meeting.

BTW, great job last week at becoming famous!

Katie said...

Awesome Kyla! Kaytar's got a great system in place and I adore the inclusive classroom setting ;)

Aliki2006 said...

Sounds like everything is falling into place! I'm glad progress is being made. I bet she'll make some tremendous advances this summer...

flutter said...

this sounds wonderful and positive Kylagirl!

Mimi said...

Good news!

Um, and also, this is the first picture of KayTar where I looked at her and thought "Hey! She looks like Kyla!"

Just in case you're keeping track ...

Christine said...

That sounds like really good news! Go KayTar! Go!

amanda said...

She really sounds very similiar to my god daughter except different cause. Sof had a stage IV bleed at birth and has persistant developmental delays. She places on the spectrum but does not carry a diagnosis of autism. She is in a preschool like what is recommended for Kay Tar and has done extremely well. Here's hoping Kay Tar responds as well...

Woman in a Window said...

What a really pretty little girl! And a little good news is always refreshing, isn't it?

kittenpie said...

Fantastic! That sounds like a neat programme that might help her get some of what she needs, at least, and additional support if you work out the rest of your insurance situation. Terrific.

Julie Pippert said...

So these are the city programs? Funded?

What I like is how thorough and well-considered it seems, and that it contained useful information.

Here's to more good care of KayTar.

Hmm the rash---environmental or ingestion do you think?

Janet said...

I love progress.

Great news, Kyla.

PJ said...

Alright! Sounds like progress. And she is sooooo cute!!! Such a sweet little face....

~aj~ said...

I know it's going to be wonderful for KayTar. So excited!

Unknown said...

What a cute picture!

Best of luck moving forward. Sounds as though she'll be in a good place.

Karianna said...

Um, "PBN" was me.

Anyway -- good luck!

Christine said...

sounds like there are some good, productive plans in the works, kyla. i hope the fall brings her those much needed services and a great pre-school experience.

painted maypole said...

so gald it went week, and looks like K-tar will be getting the help she needs!

moplans said...

the preschool sounds wonderful!

Family Adventure said...

It must've been so nice to meet an informed parent for once. I am glad they made good suggestions/recommendations for KayTar. Let's hope she surprises everyone when it comes to transitioning into preschool.

Heidi