Going Forward

I had a successful meeting with Larissa's team. Even though her IEP has expired they offered her the same services that she had when I pulled her out of school except that she will be going all day. She will be pulled out of class at math time to do math with another group and she will also get assistance with writing and spelling.  The school has 30 days to do all the testing that they want and we will meet again to make definite plans for services. I have to get another note from her doctor about how her seizures impact her in a school setting.

To recap her last year at public school, the first semester had her so stressed she was coming home, falling asleep and having seizures. Then she was starting to have some seizures while awake, something she never did. She was pulled out for math but sometimes she missed other lessons as well. She came back to class and had a difficult time catching up. The second semester she went to school half days. She received all of her core subjects (some in her regular classroom and some in special services). It was crazy, no related arts and she didn't feel like she was a part of her school. Her anxiety, stress levels did go down and her seizures came more under control.

This year she is back to full time (I am hoping that a little more maturity and coping skills help) but will only miss math when pulled out for math and spelling and some of writing when pulled for those subjects. She will not miss any instruction in any other subjects when pulled.

I am happy with her teacher. She has the same teacher that Joselin and Anthony had. We have a long history and communicate well. She is very nice and patient, something that Larissa thrives with. I have a feeling that she gets these special cases.

Larissa was upset and worried about being in a regular classroom.  However, we had meet the teacher night and she is feeling better about her teacher. Anthony talked to her and told her that she was really nice. I was surprised that he was helping to alleviate her fears, he has been a surly kid lately.

So we will see in a month where this leads. They want to retest her IQ to see if her seizures have had any impact. I will be curious to see those results. When at open house we went and saw some of her old teachers and I was surprised by some of her memory issues. All of them asked her what she did this summer and she struggled to remember trip to NC and TX. I prompted her each time and she forgot from one teacher to the next. I wonder if anxiety had something to do with it.

School starts on Monday here, say a prayer for her!