Eliminating or reducing services? What a conflicting and confusing situation. This is what I am currently grappling with. My son has surpassed expectations at his school and may no longer need services. We are in the middle of his eligibility determination dates, but his school wants to re-evaluate due to his astounding progress. When we were given this information all of the sudden, we certainly were not prepared. We were confused. I was angry. We thought we were entering a normal parent teacher conference!
We are so blessed and thrilled about his progress. He has done so well and it is exciting to know that a team that agreed he required services just a year and a half ago no longer thinks he does.
However… the anxiety over potentially eliminating or reducing services is intense. Objectively, I do know that if he were to be evaluated at this point, he would not qualify. Physically, he just has some minor delays we can continue to work on at home. His expressive language has greatly improved, and in general, he is on par with his same-age peers. He never qualified for OT at school. He gets outside OT services, both for fine motor delay and sensory difficulties.
What If…
He loses services completely?
He stops progressing?
He regresses?!
Will we need to “start over” when he goes to kinder?
I’m an anxious person. It’s in my DNA. If there is something I can worry about, I’m going to worry about it. I try not to and I am better about it than I used to be, but it is just part of who I am.
The belief behind Early Intervention is that if you work on delays as early as possible, you are going to see less problems later on. You may see no issues. Early Intervention is wonderful. I want my son to do whatever he wants to do, without restriction due to delays or sensory issues. If you are reading this as a parent of a child with more significant concerns, please know that I understand each family is different and your hopes for the future may be different. I recognize our blessing in regards to E and his abilities.
Anyway.
It Will Be OK
A huge part of my anxiety over this, is that if he ends up losing services and regresses, what will that mean for the future? I have a wonderful friend, Emily, who knows me inside and out. We have been friends since the 3rd grade. She invited me to a birthday party, and each child received a Beanie Baby as our party favor. So obviously, a friendship worth keeping. She always knows what to say – and can see through my questions to what the real issue is. She told me – it is OK if it fails. If we change something and it doesn’t work out, that is OK. “He’s only 4. This is not going to be the thing that determines his entire future.” She reminded me that we need to just take everything one step at a time, re-evaluate, and go from there.
That is what I want to tell you now.
Meet with the team. If you need an advocate to help decipher what is happening, ask for assistance in finding one.
Advocate for the needs of your child
If at the end of the day, it is determined that your child no longer needs services or the level of services he or she is currently on – breathe. Celebrate the gains. Know that while it is easier to modify services than start from scratch, it IS possible.
Though some schools and districts are “better” than others, at the end of the day, everyone should be working for a common goal. To help the child. It shouldn’t be an Us vs. Them situation. If the reduction or elimination of the plan doesn’t end up working and you see dropping grades, increased maladaptive behavior, etc. request a meeting.
I pray you feel heard and respected in your team. I pray that your child thrives in a wonderful environment. Celebrate progress!
May you and your family be healthy and blessed.
Latest Blog Posts
Pingback: Sides of the IEP Table - Are My Feelings Valid? - Sense and MomAbility