I was waiting to update until after the IEP meeting today. The IEP meeting went as expected, meaning that the school offered Jake PT, OT, and SP services in school but reduced all of his related services outside of school.
The school officials claim this is not a budget cut related decision, but the truth of the matter is that it is. Given the current state of economy, I am sure the Board of Eduction is giving guild lines to schools in terms the amount the therapies they are authorized to recommend.
Nonetheless, we are very appreciative to everyone who attended the meeting, which included a person who is in charge of therapies and related services for the school, the unit coordinator of the school, as well as all of Jake's school therapists, his teacher, my husband and I. The meeting lasted about 2 1/2 hours, and we discussed all of Jake's IEP goals, PT, SP, OT, and classroom. In the end, we agreed with the goals, and we agreed to disagree about removing his related services outside of school.
The school's position is Jake's new goals can be met with only getting services in school, our position is we wouldn't be talking about these goals as they are today had he not receive related services outside of school in the past year. This is particularly true with his SP. One of the speech therapists Jake sees outside of school is an expert in using augumentative communication device, she has guild me to build a communication platform using Jake's mini-merc that has completely opened Jake's world of communication. Without her services in the past year, we are still scratching our heads and asking ourselves what is the best way for Jake's to communicate. To say that Jake's IEP goals can be met by only seeing therapists inside of school is like stepping on the 3rd steps and not recognizing someone helped him to come up from step one and step 2. Furthermore, if Jake can continue to receive services both in and outside of school, he can go from step 3 to may be step 5, without related services outside of school, he will remain on step 3, or worst he will go back down to step 1.
I feel very passionate on this subject, to the extent that my husband advised that I let him do some of the talking, fearing that I would get too emotional at the meeting. I wasn't emotional, my decision to fight for Jake's service is not emotionally based, it is factual based. The fact is Jake needs the therapies, the fact is he has proven that he can improve given the amount of therapies he was receiving, the fact is I am willing to do whatever it takes to take him to therapy everyday, rain or shine, the fact is I am willing to keep open relationships with each of his therapists, and follow their suggestions, and carry over their suggested activities.
Anyways, so now we have to go for a resolution meeting, I think that is what's called, if at the end of that meeting, we still agree to disagree, we have to go for an impartial hearing. Whatever it takes that is what we will do.
