To Whom It May Concern:
Enclosed please find a signed evaluation consent form giving the Middleboro Public School System permission to evaluate my daughter, Julia for admission in to the public preschool.
In addition to the referral that you have already received, I would like to take this opportunity to share with you some of the concerns I have for Julia, as well as how I feel she will benefit from admission in to an integrated preschool program.
Julia was accepted at the age of one year in to the Early Intervention program for both speech and gross motor delays. She has been with Early Intervention since that time, and, has also, at various times had outside Physical and Occupational Therapy at Health South in Plymouth, Massachusetts. While she has made remarkable progress as a result of these interventions, as well as continued work at home, there are still areas of need that I feel would be appropriately addressed in an integrated preschool setting.
Julia’s gross motor delay continues to be of great concern. As noted in her referral, she has overall hypotonia (low muscle tone) and this contributes significantly to her delay in her acquisition of age appropriate gross motor skills. Julia feels very “loose” and does not show any resistance when her extremities are moved passively. Julia is unable to climb stairs independently, and requires a hand (or a railing, or, in some cases both) in order to make her way up or down stairs. Even with a hand or railing to hold on to, it is evident by the amount of effort she exerts and the frequent “shakiness” of her legs that stair climbing is very difficult for her. Julia has an immature gait, which still looks somewhat “waddle-like”, as it sometimes does when a child first learns to walk. Julia also has a very “stiff” run and does not appear to bend her legs appropriately when running. She also has issues with balance and is unable to stand on one foot for even a few seconds. Julia is unable to jump off of a small ledge or, for example, off of a gym mat on to the floor. Julia’s ankles, when in a standing position tend to turn in and her feet are flat.
While Julia has made substantial gains in the area of speech and says many words and sentences, she does have difficulties with language. This is most obvious when she is presented with choices (both physically and mentally presented). When given a choice (“Julia do you want apple juice or milk?”) She will either say, “Yes,” repeat the choice (“apple juice or milk”) or say the last thing you said (“milk”). If you go back and switch the order (“Julia do you want milk or apple juice?”) she will still repeat the last thing said, even if she had said milk prior. She also has difficulty answering questions. If for example, you were to ask Julia what color a block was (let’s assume it’s red) and she didn’t answer you, you might prompt her by saying, “Is it green?” This would be an attempt obviously, to get her to respond with, “No, it’s red” or even just “No.” What she says instead is “Yes” even though she will be looking at the block and know it is red.
Julia sometimes seems overwhelmed in certain social situations. She is intensely shy and takes quite some time to be comfortable in new situations. Even when she is eventually beginning to feel comfortable, she still sometimes will prefer to be alone and does not always interact with the other children.
Due to her low muscle tone and gross motor delay, I feel Julia should be receiving Physical Therapy Services every week. I would also like Julia to receive some help with her language skills, so that she will be able to make choices and have appropriate conversations. Constant exposure to children in a preschool setting will help Julia overcome her shyness and develop appropriate social skills.
I feel very strongly that Julia should be accepted in to this program. Thank you very much for your consideration!
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
No, I Haven't Forgotten About This Here Blog!
I have just been extremely busy!
Here though, is a little preview of entries that will be coming at you over the next few days!
...a summary of the conference workshop I attended called, NCLB: What's In It For Families!
...a copy of the letter I wrote to accompany the permission to evaluate Julia for the public preschool.
...a discussion detailing my general thoughts on the public education system, specifically what seems to work well, what doesn't and what I think needs to be done (this entry actually may end up being a few entries).
So, check back!
Here though, is a little preview of entries that will be coming at you over the next few days!
...a summary of the conference workshop I attended called, NCLB: What's In It For Families!
...a copy of the letter I wrote to accompany the permission to evaluate Julia for the public preschool.
...a discussion detailing my general thoughts on the public education system, specifically what seems to work well, what doesn't and what I think needs to be done (this entry actually may end up being a few entries).
So, check back!
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Sensory Activity: Conrstarch and Water
Yesterday's beautiful weather provided the perfect opportunity for this fantastic (outdoor...unless you are really brave) sensory activity.
The mix is variable...I used a little bit more water than cornstarch to get that "extra gooey" feel but play with it and see what you like.
At first, Julia would only use a spoon and refused to touch it with her hand. I put my hand in, and casually dripped some of the mix on to her hand. After many times of doing this, she eventually touched it her self. At first, it was just one finger, then another and before long...
...she had her entire hand emerged. She then discovered the joy of clapping with wet, gooey stuff all over your hands!
The next two pictures demonstrate the "goo" sliding off of Julia's hand, then mine.
Finally, Julia provides a perfect picture of why this is an outdoor activity!
As per usual, click each picture to enlarge!
The mix is variable...I used a little bit more water than cornstarch to get that "extra gooey" feel but play with it and see what you like.
At first, Julia would only use a spoon and refused to touch it with her hand. I put my hand in, and casually dripped some of the mix on to her hand. After many times of doing this, she eventually touched it her self. At first, it was just one finger, then another and before long...
...she had her entire hand emerged. She then discovered the joy of clapping with wet, gooey stuff all over your hands!
The next two pictures demonstrate the "goo" sliding off of Julia's hand, then mine.
Finally, Julia provides a perfect picture of why this is an outdoor activity!
As per usual, click each picture to enlarge!
Pictures For Emily
Below are two pictures that I have taken for Emily to be used in her "visual aid" book described in the post below titled, "Conference: Executive Functioning." There will be many more pictures to add to this of course, but this is a good start.
Ready for school!
AN example of homework materials needed!
Ready for school!
AN example of homework materials needed!
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Technical Stuff
Just an FYI: I have made my comments open to all (with word verification of course) and have also made it so you can link to specific entries in this blog, without having to link the entire blog.
That is all.
That is all.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Conference: Executive Functioning.
As mentioned, I recently attended the Annual Visions Of Community Conference sponsored by the Federation For Children With Special Needs. One of the three workshops I attended was called, "Executive Function Skills" and, it was, by far my favorite.
For those who may be unfamiliar, executive functioning is a term that refers to an array of cognitive functions associated with being able to generate and executive a strategy for managing unfamiliar or open ended tasks. Executive functioning skills include self regulation( or arousal, attention, and emotion) and task management skills such as organization, planning and self monitoring. Executive functioning also encompasses problems with cognitive organization.
The presenter, besides being obviously familiar with what exactly executive functioning is, was probably one of the best public speakers I have ever seen. She kept my attention throughout, was humorous, and very well informed in her area of expertise. She gave an excellent description of the different parts of the brain, which part was responsible for what, and how it all came in to play regarding executive functioning. She gave "real life" examples (some of which I could completely relate to and understand) and overall, presented a very engaging, informative and useful workshop.
Perhaps the most interesting and beneficial part for me was the "what to do and how to help" part of the workshop. I had researched on my own exactly what EFD was and how the different parts of the brain affected it (although the refresher was nice and I did learn a number of things I did not already know in this regard), but had not had a lot of success looking at the different things that I could employ in my everyday life with Emily.
Before I get any further in to the "what to do and how to help" part of this, there were three very critical things I learned. The first thing was in regard to the connection between attention and executive function. At any one time, the human brain can only hold on to 7 (+ or - 2)pieces of information at a time. In a child, the capacity to hold information is less, as their attentional systems are still developing. In a child with EFD, who has trouble with cognitive organization, the ability of the mind to hold information is diminished even further. Another key piece that I really felt was important was this: There is an unfortunate tendency for some parents and teachers to assume that their role as "helper" requires that they assume responsibility for executive dimensions of tasks. This means doing such things as settings goals for the child, planning and organizing all of their activities, and solving their problems. Doing for them is not teaching them how to use their executive functioning skills themselves. The predictable outcome is learned helplessness and oppositional behavior. This leads to the last critical thing: Don't cue to do, cue to know what to do. Again, if you do it from the, they will never learn how to do it themselves. Ask questions like, How long do you think it will take? How did you manage or know how to do it? Have you done anything like this before? How did that work out? How are you going to know what is most important? What do you want it to look like? How much time did it take you the last time you did this? This will teach them to reassess and evaluate on their own what has worked best, how to estimate time, and feel a sense of accomplishment when they have completed a task.
The main concepts taught in regard to how to help a child with EFD were; teaching forethought, teaching self directed talk, making visual aids, reading the room and minimizing multitasking. In the interest of organization, I have broken each one down in to a list form, with a description of what each concept is, and how to "make it work" for your child.
1. teaching forethought
-Ask questions like, "What will it look like if...?", "How do you see yourself?", If everything goes your way, what will it look like?" Example: American Idol is on at 8. You have told your daughter that if she wants to watch it, she needs to finish her homework first. You go in, help her set up to get it going, go put a load of laundry and come back to check on her, only to find out she hasn't even started. Initiation is a HUGE problem for people with EFD. Generally, prioritizing and goal setting is difficult. So, you ask her, "Where do you see yourself at 8 tonight? On the couch with me watching AI or doing your homework?" This helps present a "mental image" and involves your daughter by asking her where she sees herself. The steps for teaching this skill are as follows: Set a goal. Ask, "what will it look like if your achieve your goal? Look ahead. Ask, "What time will it be? Look back. Ask, "Have you been in this situation before?" "What would you do differently next time?" "What would you repeat?" Plan. Gather everything needed to accomplish your goal. Do. Do it. Stay on the timeline. Set up time checks. Are you on track? Review. "How did you do?" "Does it look like what you pictured?"
2. Teaching Internal Self Directed Talk
This was the one I found most interesting. Basically, this is teaching your child to use the "voice in their head. "You know the one that says, "Don't worry. Relax. Does this feel right? Does this make sense?" The teaching of self directed talk facilitates the development of working memory and speed of processing, and serves the cognitive functions of organization, and structuring behavior, all areas that Emily specifically needs help with. One method of teaching this was by doing it for them, literally. For example, if I walked in and saw Emily doing something she wasn't supposed to rather than speaking to her and giving her the chance to react with a "But Mom..." or a "Why can't I________?" which could lead to a potential fight and more stress for all, I would simply walk up behind her and say, "I bet Mom would be really upset with me if she saw me going this." Eventually, after a number of times doing this, the hope is that Emily would catch on and start using the "voice in her head" herself. Emily is right at the age where this method might not work well (younger kids are more impressionable etc.) but, I think I might try it anyway. In some respects, she is a "young 10" and she is right on the borderline as far as the age group that the presenter talked about.
3. Using Visual Aids
I became aware of just how visual Emily is when I read the results of her neuro-psych testing. She is definitely a visual learner which will make this next idea easy to employ (I hope)! Basically, the concept here is to get your child to "match the picture." So, for example, you would take a picture of what your child looks like when they are ready for school...coat, backpack, hat etc. Take a picture of what it looks like to do homework...complete with all materials needed and your child actually sitting and doing the work. Take a picture of the bedtime and morning routines. Then, put them in a small album or binder and when it comes time to complete one of the tasks, show your child the picture and say "match the picture." This makes it more of a game to them and perhaps, will make it easier to follow.
4. Reading The Room
Many children with EFD have difficulties with the concept of time, reading people, and assessing the situation. This is where S.T.O.P comes in to play.
S=Space and Situation: Assess the space you are in and the situation you are presented with.
T=Time: Ask, is this a good time? When do you need to be done? What other things do you have scheduled(look ahead)? Is the pace fast or slow?
O=Objects: Do you have everything you will need(make a list)? Are you using something that does not belong to you(ask first)?
P=people: Are you giving them your attention? Can you ear and understand them? Are they busy? Are they interested in what you are saying? Read their body language (facial expressions, body language).
This is something that most of us do the minute we enter a room, in the space of a few seconds. For someone with EFD, this kind of organized thought is not usually present and is a learned behavior. Teaching the concept of S.T.O.P. will help!
5. Multi tasking in most cases of EFD is an unheard of skill. Multi tasking requires organization and planning, skills that are generally not present in someone with EFD. So, things must be broken down in to manageable chunks, and worked on individually.
See it.
Say it.
Do it.
Shift it.
I have used this concept with Emily already with a writing assignment she had to do. We sat down, separate each topic she needed to write about it and she completed one at a time, until she was done. Looking at it in smaller pieces helps keep her from getting overwhelmed.
One pretty significant thing I learned about EFD was that it is greatly influenced by experience, teaching, and expectations in the environment. For people with EFD, skills that may seem implicit, are not and need to be taught in order to achieve success.
For those who may be unfamiliar, executive functioning is a term that refers to an array of cognitive functions associated with being able to generate and executive a strategy for managing unfamiliar or open ended tasks. Executive functioning skills include self regulation( or arousal, attention, and emotion) and task management skills such as organization, planning and self monitoring. Executive functioning also encompasses problems with cognitive organization.
The presenter, besides being obviously familiar with what exactly executive functioning is, was probably one of the best public speakers I have ever seen. She kept my attention throughout, was humorous, and very well informed in her area of expertise. She gave an excellent description of the different parts of the brain, which part was responsible for what, and how it all came in to play regarding executive functioning. She gave "real life" examples (some of which I could completely relate to and understand) and overall, presented a very engaging, informative and useful workshop.
Perhaps the most interesting and beneficial part for me was the "what to do and how to help" part of the workshop. I had researched on my own exactly what EFD was and how the different parts of the brain affected it (although the refresher was nice and I did learn a number of things I did not already know in this regard), but had not had a lot of success looking at the different things that I could employ in my everyday life with Emily.
Before I get any further in to the "what to do and how to help" part of this, there were three very critical things I learned. The first thing was in regard to the connection between attention and executive function. At any one time, the human brain can only hold on to 7 (+ or - 2)pieces of information at a time. In a child, the capacity to hold information is less, as their attentional systems are still developing. In a child with EFD, who has trouble with cognitive organization, the ability of the mind to hold information is diminished even further. Another key piece that I really felt was important was this: There is an unfortunate tendency for some parents and teachers to assume that their role as "helper" requires that they assume responsibility for executive dimensions of tasks. This means doing such things as settings goals for the child, planning and organizing all of their activities, and solving their problems. Doing for them is not teaching them how to use their executive functioning skills themselves. The predictable outcome is learned helplessness and oppositional behavior. This leads to the last critical thing: Don't cue to do, cue to know what to do. Again, if you do it from the, they will never learn how to do it themselves. Ask questions like, How long do you think it will take? How did you manage or know how to do it? Have you done anything like this before? How did that work out? How are you going to know what is most important? What do you want it to look like? How much time did it take you the last time you did this? This will teach them to reassess and evaluate on their own what has worked best, how to estimate time, and feel a sense of accomplishment when they have completed a task.
The main concepts taught in regard to how to help a child with EFD were; teaching forethought, teaching self directed talk, making visual aids, reading the room and minimizing multitasking. In the interest of organization, I have broken each one down in to a list form, with a description of what each concept is, and how to "make it work" for your child.
1. teaching forethought
-Ask questions like, "What will it look like if...?", "How do you see yourself?", If everything goes your way, what will it look like?" Example: American Idol is on at 8. You have told your daughter that if she wants to watch it, she needs to finish her homework first. You go in, help her set up to get it going, go put a load of laundry and come back to check on her, only to find out she hasn't even started. Initiation is a HUGE problem for people with EFD. Generally, prioritizing and goal setting is difficult. So, you ask her, "Where do you see yourself at 8 tonight? On the couch with me watching AI or doing your homework?" This helps present a "mental image" and involves your daughter by asking her where she sees herself. The steps for teaching this skill are as follows: Set a goal. Ask, "what will it look like if your achieve your goal? Look ahead. Ask, "What time will it be? Look back. Ask, "Have you been in this situation before?" "What would you do differently next time?" "What would you repeat?" Plan. Gather everything needed to accomplish your goal. Do. Do it. Stay on the timeline. Set up time checks. Are you on track? Review. "How did you do?" "Does it look like what you pictured?"
2. Teaching Internal Self Directed Talk
This was the one I found most interesting. Basically, this is teaching your child to use the "voice in their head. "You know the one that says, "Don't worry. Relax. Does this feel right? Does this make sense?" The teaching of self directed talk facilitates the development of working memory and speed of processing, and serves the cognitive functions of organization, and structuring behavior, all areas that Emily specifically needs help with. One method of teaching this was by doing it for them, literally. For example, if I walked in and saw Emily doing something she wasn't supposed to rather than speaking to her and giving her the chance to react with a "But Mom..." or a "Why can't I________?" which could lead to a potential fight and more stress for all, I would simply walk up behind her and say, "I bet Mom would be really upset with me if she saw me going this." Eventually, after a number of times doing this, the hope is that Emily would catch on and start using the "voice in her head" herself. Emily is right at the age where this method might not work well (younger kids are more impressionable etc.) but, I think I might try it anyway. In some respects, she is a "young 10" and she is right on the borderline as far as the age group that the presenter talked about.
3. Using Visual Aids
I became aware of just how visual Emily is when I read the results of her neuro-psych testing. She is definitely a visual learner which will make this next idea easy to employ (I hope)! Basically, the concept here is to get your child to "match the picture." So, for example, you would take a picture of what your child looks like when they are ready for school...coat, backpack, hat etc. Take a picture of what it looks like to do homework...complete with all materials needed and your child actually sitting and doing the work. Take a picture of the bedtime and morning routines. Then, put them in a small album or binder and when it comes time to complete one of the tasks, show your child the picture and say "match the picture." This makes it more of a game to them and perhaps, will make it easier to follow.
4. Reading The Room
Many children with EFD have difficulties with the concept of time, reading people, and assessing the situation. This is where S.T.O.P comes in to play.
S=Space and Situation: Assess the space you are in and the situation you are presented with.
T=Time: Ask, is this a good time? When do you need to be done? What other things do you have scheduled(look ahead)? Is the pace fast or slow?
O=Objects: Do you have everything you will need(make a list)? Are you using something that does not belong to you(ask first)?
P=people: Are you giving them your attention? Can you ear and understand them? Are they busy? Are they interested in what you are saying? Read their body language (facial expressions, body language).
This is something that most of us do the minute we enter a room, in the space of a few seconds. For someone with EFD, this kind of organized thought is not usually present and is a learned behavior. Teaching the concept of S.T.O.P. will help!
5. Multi tasking in most cases of EFD is an unheard of skill. Multi tasking requires organization and planning, skills that are generally not present in someone with EFD. So, things must be broken down in to manageable chunks, and worked on individually.
See it.
Say it.
Do it.
Shift it.
I have used this concept with Emily already with a writing assignment she had to do. We sat down, separate each topic she needed to write about it and she completed one at a time, until she was done. Looking at it in smaller pieces helps keep her from getting overwhelmed.
One pretty significant thing I learned about EFD was that it is greatly influenced by experience, teaching, and expectations in the environment. For people with EFD, skills that may seem implicit, are not and need to be taught in order to achieve success.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Conference
Over the weekend, I attended the Federation For Children With Special Needs Visions of Community Conference.
This is my second consecutive year attending and both times, I have found it to be extremely beneficial and informative. This year I attended a workshop on executive functioning, one on differentiated education and one on NCLB. All three were amazing. I will be updating in the near future more specifically about the executive functioning and NCLB workshops as I found them to be most interesting.
I am certainly planning on attending this conference for many years to come, and would highly recommend it to anyone with "special" children, professionals, or anyone with aninterest in learning more about special needs in general.
This is my second consecutive year attending and both times, I have found it to be extremely beneficial and informative. This year I attended a workshop on executive functioning, one on differentiated education and one on NCLB. All three were amazing. I will be updating in the near future more specifically about the executive functioning and NCLB workshops as I found them to be most interesting.
I am certainly planning on attending this conference for many years to come, and would highly recommend it to anyone with "special" children, professionals, or anyone with aninterest in learning more about special needs in general.
Pursuing The Degree
In looking at my transcript from Merrimack, I have come up with the following classes which I have taken, passed and should count toward, well, something:
6 Sociology classes (Principles of Sociology, Social Inequalities, Sociology of Law, Sociology of the Family, Confrontation, Protest and Social Movement, and Sociology of Health).
3 English classes (Introduction to College Writing, Major American Authors, and Contemporary American Literature).
2 Religion classes (Introduction to Religious Studies and Islam).
2 Philosophy classes (Perspectives on Human Nature and Values In Technology).
2 Political Science classes (Comparative Government and American National Government)
1 History class (History of American Civilization 1877-1988).
1 Psychology class (General Psychology).
1 Marketing class (Introduction to Marketing).
My next step will be to call Merrimack and find out how many classes I would need to take to get an associates degree in, well, anything. I am assuming it would be in liberal arts, with sociology, and perhaps, English as my concentrations. I had called about this quite some time ago and I think I remember being told that I would need to take 7 more classes, one of which would need to be at Merrimack for my associates degree to actually come from Merrimack. Merrimack is in North Andover, which is about an hour and a half drive from home, but, for just one class and an actual degree from Merrimack, it could be worth it. I am also going to plan looking at taking the class (or perhaps classes) online. Otherwise, I could transfer my credits to a more local school and finish it there.
Either way, I feel like this is one step in the right direction. It would certainly give me a feeling of accomplishment, especially knowing that the time and effort I did put in way back was worth it.
6 Sociology classes (Principles of Sociology, Social Inequalities, Sociology of Law, Sociology of the Family, Confrontation, Protest and Social Movement, and Sociology of Health).
3 English classes (Introduction to College Writing, Major American Authors, and Contemporary American Literature).
2 Religion classes (Introduction to Religious Studies and Islam).
2 Philosophy classes (Perspectives on Human Nature and Values In Technology).
2 Political Science classes (Comparative Government and American National Government)
1 History class (History of American Civilization 1877-1988).
1 Psychology class (General Psychology).
1 Marketing class (Introduction to Marketing).
My next step will be to call Merrimack and find out how many classes I would need to take to get an associates degree in, well, anything. I am assuming it would be in liberal arts, with sociology, and perhaps, English as my concentrations. I had called about this quite some time ago and I think I remember being told that I would need to take 7 more classes, one of which would need to be at Merrimack for my associates degree to actually come from Merrimack. Merrimack is in North Andover, which is about an hour and a half drive from home, but, for just one class and an actual degree from Merrimack, it could be worth it. I am also going to plan looking at taking the class (or perhaps classes) online. Otherwise, I could transfer my credits to a more local school and finish it there.
Either way, I feel like this is one step in the right direction. It would certainly give me a feeling of accomplishment, especially knowing that the time and effort I did put in way back was worth it.
The Kids: Emily, Katherine, and Julia
Because most of you, at this point anyway, are probably being referred from my personal journal and may already have a good background in regard to my kids, I am going to keep this short and sweet!
Emily: Emily is my oldest daughter, and she will be 10 in June. Emily is in 4th grade. She was diagnosed in 2004 with Epilepsy and a "Tuberous Sclerosis-like" condition, in 2005 with ADHD: Inattentive Type, and most recently (just about a month ago), with Executive Function Disorder. She was recently evaluated for Special Education services but, because she is making academic progress in all areas, we ended up just adding accommodations to her existing 504 plan. She needs a lot of help organizational (both physical and emotional), time management, emotional control, and maintaining appropriate levels of attention. She is currently taking Lamictal for seizure control and as a mood stabilizer. Emily also has pretty severe environmental allergies (all kinds of grass,trees, cats, dogs, dust mites). She is also allergic to the antibiotic, Rocephin.
Katherine: Katherine is my middle child, and she is 7 years old. She is in 1st grade. Katherine is currently receiving Title 1 reading help, and is being evaluated for special education services for Speech and Language. Her diction and pronunciation of many letter sounds is off. Katherine has made remarkable progress in reading and is really coming along! She also has mild asthma, moderate allergies and ketotic hypoglycemia.
Julia: Julia is my baby (that is going to be 3 in July!). Julia is currently enrolled in Early Intervention for a gross motor delay, sensory sensitivities, and some language and social concerns. She has been involved with the EI program since she was just year old. Julia's physical therapist comes out once a week to work with Julia, and we also attend a weekly EI playgroup. At various points during this time period, Julia has also received outside supplemental services for both Physical and Occupational Therapy. We are currently in the process of having Julia evaluated for admission in to the integrated preschool run by the public school in our town. Julia's only present diagnosis is overall hypotonia (low muscle tone throughout her body).
Emily: Emily is my oldest daughter, and she will be 10 in June. Emily is in 4th grade. She was diagnosed in 2004 with Epilepsy and a "Tuberous Sclerosis-like" condition, in 2005 with ADHD: Inattentive Type, and most recently (just about a month ago), with Executive Function Disorder. She was recently evaluated for Special Education services but, because she is making academic progress in all areas, we ended up just adding accommodations to her existing 504 plan. She needs a lot of help organizational (both physical and emotional), time management, emotional control, and maintaining appropriate levels of attention. She is currently taking Lamictal for seizure control and as a mood stabilizer. Emily also has pretty severe environmental allergies (all kinds of grass,trees, cats, dogs, dust mites). She is also allergic to the antibiotic, Rocephin.
Katherine: Katherine is my middle child, and she is 7 years old. She is in 1st grade. Katherine is currently receiving Title 1 reading help, and is being evaluated for special education services for Speech and Language. Her diction and pronunciation of many letter sounds is off. Katherine has made remarkable progress in reading and is really coming along! She also has mild asthma, moderate allergies and ketotic hypoglycemia.
Julia: Julia is my baby (that is going to be 3 in July!). Julia is currently enrolled in Early Intervention for a gross motor delay, sensory sensitivities, and some language and social concerns. She has been involved with the EI program since she was just year old. Julia's physical therapist comes out once a week to work with Julia, and we also attend a weekly EI playgroup. At various points during this time period, Julia has also received outside supplemental services for both Physical and Occupational Therapy. We are currently in the process of having Julia evaluated for admission in to the integrated preschool run by the public school in our town. Julia's only present diagnosis is overall hypotonia (low muscle tone throughout her body).
Welcome!
Welcome to my new "adventure!"
As the mother of three children, all of whom have some degree of special needs, I feel I have gained a whole new "education" around such areas as special needs, the public school system, and other areas of educational or health related concerns. With my youngest daughter coming closer and closer to school age, I have been giving serious consideration to going back to school to obtain a degree in either Early Childhood Education, Special Needs, or Psychology. I feel rather passionately about some things, specifically cuts in educational funding, but, it is my hope that this blog will touch on a variety of different areas in and around education.
I will be updating frequently over the next few days, with more information on each of my children, more about myself, and more about what I am hoping to achieve with this new blog.
As the mother of three children, all of whom have some degree of special needs, I feel I have gained a whole new "education" around such areas as special needs, the public school system, and other areas of educational or health related concerns. With my youngest daughter coming closer and closer to school age, I have been giving serious consideration to going back to school to obtain a degree in either Early Childhood Education, Special Needs, or Psychology. I feel rather passionately about some things, specifically cuts in educational funding, but, it is my hope that this blog will touch on a variety of different areas in and around education.
I will be updating frequently over the next few days, with more information on each of my children, more about myself, and more about what I am hoping to achieve with this new blog.
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