IEP ETR OMG BBQ!

   I attended Tim's re-evaluation for his IEP on Monday. It's a program designed to tailor Tim's schooling to fit exactly what he needs to meet the goals we've set for his education.  Which is a really long bunch of forms and paperwork that are filled out by basically anyone who interacts with Timmy in his school setting.

   I'm always really nervous at these, because I'm secretly very insecure about being a parent of a special needs child. I always feel like I have to defend Tim's actions. Which is completely unnecessary since the teachers and staff know perfectly well what Tim is like.  But hey, who said insecurities have to be logical?  Aaaaaand, not very secret, since I'm sharing it on the blog. So there's that.  ◔_◔;

   Actually, the meeting was very reassuring in several ways. I got a better idea of how he's doing learning-wise.  He was able to complete an actual IQ type test, and we were really happy to hear he scored very well. He still has issues with abstract reasoning, determining facial expressions and inferring emotional responses. Also, he's darn loud, even though he does try to keep it down when reminded.
   I found it very comforting that the teachers and staff all thought Tim was a special and wonderful kid, who can be a lot of fun to have in class. I got to hear about how well he interacts with non-special needs students that he hangs out with in lunch, and his inclusion classes. I learned that some phrases and ideas he seemed to have picked up out of the blue were due to some in class discussions.  I really liked hearing what he was working on, because all he ever tells me he does at school is "Stuff," or "I like to sleep at school."  (Which is not true, actually, he likes to pretend to sleep whenever he doesn't want to do work he finds "too hard.")

   The best part as witnessing the back-and-forth between the teachers themselves, the school psychologist and the Vice Principal. They all had great insight into Tim's needs, and shared bits and pieces with each other  as well as myself while going over the goals for the new year.  I felt they really understood and cared about Tim.

Just for fun, here's Tim crashing some cars. And this is the kid who wants to drive at age fourteen.