Am I the only who scratches their head when they read the IEP or Report Card? I thought not. Having a child on the autism spectrum presents enough challenges without the complication of the IEP or Report Card. Sometimes I feel like I need a Ph.D to understand everything and by the time I finally catch on to all of the abbreviations and numbers, they go and change everything and I have to relearn the whole darn thing again. Don’t they know you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?
I digress. I might scratch my head but I pick up the phone and ask a million questions. I write notes and talk on the phone. I also attend each and every IEP meeting that my son has. I always know when the IEP meetings are and long before we sit down and discuss goals and progress I have already compiled a list of things that I would like to see change. I have already assessed my son on my own and I know where he excels and where he struggles. At this point in the game his teacher and therapists send me a note about two weeks before the IEP meeting to inquire about my notes before the meeting.
One of the biggest things that I have learned on this journey is that you have to advocate for your child. It’s the same thing we do with children that don’t have ASD. The difference is that we have to be even more involved, active and aware. You should know where your child is on the spectrum. You should know their strengths and weaknesses and you should be pushing them toward higher goals at home. As parents we are their source. If you don’t understand the Report Card go ask. I even check out the other students in my son’s class. He needs to be around other children who are close to his level so that he can experience peer interaction with other talkers. Last summer, I scheduled an IEP meeting because I felt like it was time to merge him into some mainstream class time. He started out with Music this year and he has done an amazing job. He loves to make noise and he learns lyrics to songs after hearing them one time. Next school year we will try a Reading class.
I said all of that to say this: if I hadn’t been on top of things like I am, my son wouldn’t be in the classes that he is in and he would most likely begin to act out. Then, we’d be dealing with behavior issues. We’ve all been there. Not fun. Teachers are not going to catch everything. They have the job of a regular teacher times a million. Getting through the day without a meltdown is sometimes a bigger achievement than teaching a lesson. Get in there and find out what’s going on. Has anyone ever gone in and found out that their child was misplaced? What did you do? How did you handle it?
Life With Autism 