John's Services Updated

I have lots of news today and it may take more than one topic to cover all the news on John. I'll start with the IEP.

Today, we had John's IEP (Individualized Educational Plan) with the school district. It was a bittersweet moment as we learned that John no longer will qualify for services. This is a very good thing because it means that the progress John has made since May has been so overwhelming that he does not need Special Education. The school district determined through their assessments that, although John has showed developmental delays in the past, his scores in all areas of development fall within the average range. He doesn't show a need for continued service, whether it be special ed pre-school, speech, or occupational therapy.

Hopefully, the early intervention will serve as a deep enough foundation for John to integrate into regular pre-school and naturally develop alongside other children/peers. I am disappointed that occupational therapy and speech could not be continued. I learned today that to qualify for occupational therapy, he would have had to meet the requirement for special education. Then, it would be determined if it was necessary for OT. However, speech is a little bit different. It is a standalone service, meaning that if he meets certain criteria, he could qualify for speech, even if he did not for special education preschool.

Hopefully, John will continue to develop his attention so he can engage in a classroom setting without too much re-direction. As far as skill levels, he has caught up in every catergory, which I will get into in the next blog topic with regards to his latest Casa Colina evaluation. His largest problem area that his current educators see is his willingness to participate, along with his attention and engagement with little re-direction.

Understanding Development

I think one of the most important things parents of developmentally delayed kids need to remember is that the brain, along with the child, still needs to go through each stage of development. A child will not "skip" a stage through early childhood development as new skills emerge. The child, as well as the brain, needs to learn through the "normal" phases of development, so as your child grows in his development, you'll see new behaviors emerge that he/she may have never shown. This isn't a regression and yet, that may be how it feels. It is something you should rejoice in because he/she has hit a new developmental milestone. I will stress that it oftentimes doesn't feel that way, and does make life a bit harder, but there are certain behaviors that are normal in early childhood development.

I have recently discovered what a "terrible two" really is. John may have just turned 3, but the terrible two's are here in full force. I may have thought they were here earlier, but they were only a glimpse of what was to come! These new tantrums include protesting when Bill or I do not oblige in the wants and needs that John communicates to us. These are different than the days of transitional tantrums or the even older days of inconsolable crying. These are tantrums that are a direct result of John not getting his way. They include yelling, running, throwing, kicking, and pulling hair. Discipline ends the tantrums. Discipline makes him mad, but discipline works with these tantrums.

As I said before, we as parents should rejoice in the fact that this normal developmental phase is here. Instead of pulling our own hair out, we should jump up and down that are child is developing. My prayer is that the phase doesn't last long and that God gives me the strength to keep my cool because sometimes I would like to run around the house, scream, throw myself on the floor, pull someone's hair, or even "ring their neck". There are times when I feel like I can't take it anymore, but the day ends and the next day begins. God won't give us what we can't handle. Our reaction to what we are given is what will make us strong or weak in our handling. But, we can handle it. But, we may have to constantly remind ourselves that we CAN handle it.

The Development of a Pre-Schooler

I was given a handout on the development of a pre-schooler from Casa Colina today that I thought was helpful and thought I'd share. It is written by Beth Witt, M.A.

The Two-Year Old

SOCIAL SELF-HELP
needs consistent discipline
allowed a degree of independence
moving from parallel to cooperative play
Curious and Anxious to explore
toilet trained or scheduled
partially undress self
feeds self with spoon

GROSS MOTOR
Can walk, run, and jump smoothly
likes to roll, bounce, and catch a ball
Balance improving
likes to pull and ride toy vehicles

FINE MOTOR
Likes to stack blocks
manipulate and makes noises with toy cars, animals, and dolls
Fits things together (cups, pots and lids, puzzles)

CONCEPTUAL DEVELOPMENT
Knows 4-8 body parts
Matches objects
Nests things by size
answers what, who, where questions by pointing or other actions

The Three Year-OLD

SOCIAL SELF HELP
more responsive to authority
learning please, thank you, my turn
Cooperative play/Fantasy play
cares about approval of others
asks lots of questions
responsible for dressing including some fastenings
help with washing and clean up tasks

GROSS MOTOR
stand on either foot briefly
begins to hop
can catch and throw ball
pedals a tricycle

FINE MOTOR
imitates a circle and a cross with a pencil
likes to color
can hold paper and scissors and cut forward on line
can work simple inset puzzles

CONCEPTUAL
knows 8-15 body parts
names actions, identify objects by function, and answers situational questions
responds to 3-6 positions words (on, in, out, up, down, over, under)
match by color
knows big and little

The Four-Year Old

SOCIAL SELF HELP
wants to help and be recognized for it
seeks adult and peer approval
may share toys to a small degree
can express basic feelings about self
can dress except for difficult fastenings
learns table manners

GROSS MOTOR
likes to climb, hop, skip, and dance
responds to a sequence of motor directions
can play simple ball games

FINE MOTOR
can imitate a square and rectangle
beginning to color within lines
traces lines
can cut out simple shapes with scissors
imitates block patterns

CONCEPTUAL DEVELOPMENT
can answer some why and how questions
aware of time and weather
sort by shape
learning position, quantity, and sensory concepts
more aware of community people and places


The Five Year Old

SOCIAL SELF HELP
respects authority
more independent
interest in group activities
loves games
independent dresser
semi-independent at grooming tasks
beginning to use a knife

GROSS MOTOR
can move in many ways
quickly follows directions
strong and confident
may ride a bicycle with training wheels

FINE MOTOR
trace name and print several letters
draws simple person with 3-4 body parts
can copy 2 shapes
colors neatly within lines
works part-to-whole puzzles

CONCEPTUAL
learning time and weather concepts
same and different
categorizing
sort by size
beginning to order and sequence events
answer questions about past, present and future
answer questions about community
compare by degree