This morning was a tough one for me, tougher than I had expected. Lina's first IEP meeting. Now before I get started, I'll let you know the title refers to me and nothing about Lina! ;) I had a bit of an ugly cry during the meeting which completely caught me off guard. I was not expecting to get emotional AT ALL.
I've sat through plenty if IEP meetings.... first for students before I had my own kids... then for Justin when he was receiving speech therapy.... and then for Evan as he transitioned from in home services to the preschool setting. I knew the routine. I had all the results of the testing. But things are a little more complicated now.
When we first had our meeting a couple weeks ago to review all of Lina's testing, I was asked what kind of educational setting I am envisioning for Lina. With Evan it was easy- he had already been receiving therapies since birth and transitioned right into the age appropriate preschool setting. We reviewed the IEP documents, all agreed on placement, signed sealed and delivered. This time, I walked out completely overwhelmed and confused, head pounding, feeling like I have the biggest weight on my shoulders for me to decide the fate of my daughter. I walked out with nothing signed but instead with even more questions, the biggest one wondering what would be the most appropriate plan for my daughter??
Lina turned six years old in September. Looking at her birth date, she should have attended Kindergarten this year. Knowing she has Down syndrome and knowing she has had no formal education or therapies whatsoever, I knew she would not be ready to enter Kindergarten at the beginning of the year. So last Spring when we first brought her home, I signed a waiver stating I wanted her held back a year. That doesn't sound too complicated, right?
So I enrolled her in a private Christian preschool and began the whole special education process this summer. At our meeting just a couple weeks ago, when I was asked what I had envisioned, we mentioned the possibility of revoking that Kindergarten waiver and perhaps placing her in a more structured learning environment, perhaps a self-contained (special education) classroom and spending smaller portions of time in the Kindergarten classroom.... We discussed special education preschool similar to the class where Evan is enrolled.
Before I continue, let me review Lina's testing results. She scored on average between a 24-36 month level in most areas with some scatters higher and some scatters lower. We had a Russian interpreter present to be sure she understood the directions to the best of her ability and had the option to answer in Russian since that is her native language. It was also understood that she has only been home 6 months and has made leaps and bounds in learning English as well as sign language. She has a GREAT amount of determination and perseverance, so goals are set a bit high for her, and I am very happy about that.
But ahhhh, where do we place her. Our county used to have a special education Kindergarten program which would have been the perfect fit for her, but due to budget cuts, it is no more.
Just an hour before my meeting was to begin, I learned that since I signed the Kindergarten waiver, that greatly reduces her options. She is considered a preschooler, and since preschool is not mandatory, her only options are being pulled out of the private class for services, or attend special education preschool. I was highly encouraged to call the Board of Ed immediately and find out if it is possible to repeal the waiver so we can discuss more options.
While sitting in the car lane at preschool, I hurriedly call the elementary school to get the number for the appropriate person at the Board of Ed. Of course that person is not available; the secretary gives me the number for another supervisor who would be in charge of this decision. I call that number and she is in a meeting but they will have her call me back as soon as she is back.
I get to the school for the meeting and just as we are all filing into the conference room I get the call from the supervisor. She says they have never had a waiver repealed and the answer would probably be no, but she will check with HER supervisor and get back to me. I enter the meeting.
We review everything from our last meeting and discuss preschool options. About a half hour or so into the meeting I get a call back from the supervisor- they approved the repeal! But it's not over yet. A couple members of the IEP team are not supportive of this decision, and I understand their case. I. Am. Torn. I don't want Lina being held back, but I don't want her overwhelmed either. I am feeling so confused and praying I can reach the right decision for Lina. I have to keep reminding myself that whatever the case may be, she's much better off now than where she was before we brought her home. She is such a smart little girl and I need to be assured she will be in the best environment to help her grow and fully blossom.
I've sat through plenty if IEP meetings.... first for students before I had my own kids... then for Justin when he was receiving speech therapy.... and then for Evan as he transitioned from in home services to the preschool setting. I knew the routine. I had all the results of the testing. But things are a little more complicated now.
When we first had our meeting a couple weeks ago to review all of Lina's testing, I was asked what kind of educational setting I am envisioning for Lina. With Evan it was easy- he had already been receiving therapies since birth and transitioned right into the age appropriate preschool setting. We reviewed the IEP documents, all agreed on placement, signed sealed and delivered. This time, I walked out completely overwhelmed and confused, head pounding, feeling like I have the biggest weight on my shoulders for me to decide the fate of my daughter. I walked out with nothing signed but instead with even more questions, the biggest one wondering what would be the most appropriate plan for my daughter??
Lina turned six years old in September. Looking at her birth date, she should have attended Kindergarten this year. Knowing she has Down syndrome and knowing she has had no formal education or therapies whatsoever, I knew she would not be ready to enter Kindergarten at the beginning of the year. So last Spring when we first brought her home, I signed a waiver stating I wanted her held back a year. That doesn't sound too complicated, right?
So I enrolled her in a private Christian preschool and began the whole special education process this summer. At our meeting just a couple weeks ago, when I was asked what I had envisioned, we mentioned the possibility of revoking that Kindergarten waiver and perhaps placing her in a more structured learning environment, perhaps a self-contained (special education) classroom and spending smaller portions of time in the Kindergarten classroom.... We discussed special education preschool similar to the class where Evan is enrolled.
Before I continue, let me review Lina's testing results. She scored on average between a 24-36 month level in most areas with some scatters higher and some scatters lower. We had a Russian interpreter present to be sure she understood the directions to the best of her ability and had the option to answer in Russian since that is her native language. It was also understood that she has only been home 6 months and has made leaps and bounds in learning English as well as sign language. She has a GREAT amount of determination and perseverance, so goals are set a bit high for her, and I am very happy about that.
But ahhhh, where do we place her. Our county used to have a special education Kindergarten program which would have been the perfect fit for her, but due to budget cuts, it is no more.
Just an hour before my meeting was to begin, I learned that since I signed the Kindergarten waiver, that greatly reduces her options. She is considered a preschooler, and since preschool is not mandatory, her only options are being pulled out of the private class for services, or attend special education preschool. I was highly encouraged to call the Board of Ed immediately and find out if it is possible to repeal the waiver so we can discuss more options.
While sitting in the car lane at preschool, I hurriedly call the elementary school to get the number for the appropriate person at the Board of Ed. Of course that person is not available; the secretary gives me the number for another supervisor who would be in charge of this decision. I call that number and she is in a meeting but they will have her call me back as soon as she is back.
I get to the school for the meeting and just as we are all filing into the conference room I get the call from the supervisor. She says they have never had a waiver repealed and the answer would probably be no, but she will check with HER supervisor and get back to me. I enter the meeting.
We review everything from our last meeting and discuss preschool options. About a half hour or so into the meeting I get a call back from the supervisor- they approved the repeal! But it's not over yet. A couple members of the IEP team are not supportive of this decision, and I understand their case. I. Am. Torn. I don't want Lina being held back, but I don't want her overwhelmed either. I am feeling so confused and praying I can reach the right decision for Lina. I have to keep reminding myself that whatever the case may be, she's much better off now than where she was before we brought her home. She is such a smart little girl and I need to be assured she will be in the best environment to help her grow and fully blossom.
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Hi Amy,
ReplyDeleteLet me preface by saying you know Lina and her abilities. I did wonder at Lina's testing. I am pretty knowledgable about international adoption (IA) of children without known developmental disabilities. Based on that experience and knowledge, verbal children Lina's age adopted Internationally tend to lose their first language within weeks to months. By 6 months home I would guess Lina's comprehension of Russian to be about nil. At the same time, these kids have only a very basic grasp of English. And these are kids without language delay to begin with. 6 months home is probably about the worst time to test. If you want to test an IA kid to get a baseline, within a couple of weeks of coming home is best. So, in making your decisions, place much more emphasis on your own sense of her development and developmental needs. For an institutionally raised child I wonder whether more exposure to kids with typical skills might be the best option. Is she a child who watches and models behaviour of other children? How much 1:1 does she need to stay on track? Can other children who are her age but developmentally solid pair with her to help her complete her work? Can she be given developmentally appropriate tasks e.g. counting, colors etc within a typical classroom? Right now, like any IA kid, language needs to be the priority. She cannot learn well if she does not understand. Based on highly verbal kids it is evident that they understand the concrete but not the abstract in their new language for many years.It can take years. My adopted at age 4, verbally talented child took 3 years to fully grasp English. He was quick. So, language rich environment with lots of verbal opportunity, labelling etc.
Also remember there is no wrong decision. Each will have advantages and disadvantages. If you chose one option you will never know how the other would have worked out so make the best decision you can for now. Capitalize on the pluses there. Revisit in 6 months and see what feels right next.
Ellen
Hi Ellen, and thank you for your input! Lina's testing was done back in August to September- she had been home 4-5 months. All her testing was first given in English, and if she was having trouble, the translator was there to give her the Russian. I was AMAZED how much Russian she still knew! She knew everything the translator was saying and spoke a little back, though she does prefer signing since her speech was quite delayed in Russian also. She was able to follow simple commands given in Russian like touch her nose, clap her hands etc. She was able to point to different pictures and a few other things- we definitely found the translator very helpful. I believe the testing was accurate, but I also know it doesn't account for the fact that Lina has never been exposed to many of these concepts in Russian nor English since she has never had any formal education before she came here. So while she tested low, the therapists made her goals high since they saw her drive and determination, and saw her potential. That is why this decision has become so difficult for me. I had a couple therapists tell me that the special ed preschool program would not be a good fit for her since she would be above that level, but I am seeing her in the regular ed preschool class and seeing that she needs a lot of supports, and she is pretty far behind the rest of the class. I am anxious to observe the special ed preschool class next week as well as what would be available to her at the kindergarten level before I make my final decision.
DeleteYes, she is definitely a child who watches and models behavior of other children. I have found that to be a bit of a challenge at times with Evan at home since he just turned 3, and she is modeling behaviors that are not appropriate for a 6 year old. She does have good peer models in the regular ed preschool class; that is my biggest concern for the special ed preschool class- looking for good peer models. She tries to count but doesn't know the numbers, and she needs lots of work on colors and shapes. She really needs a lot of one on one time. With the colors, shapes, and counting- I think for the most part we are working with a blank slate since she was never taught these things in Russian. I don't believe it's necessarily just a language barrier. She simply has never been told what they are.
I greatly appreciate all your thoughts! And yes, I do need to keep reminding myself that this school year is almost half over by the time she gets started, so really it's just a few months and then we re-evaluate for next year.
Praying for you Amy as you try to decide the best course for your daughter...And like you said, no matter what, Lina is better off now than she was before she had a loving home with you. Everything will work out :)
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