Progress

Today was Beth's annual IEP meeting... and for the first time in 3 years not only was there obvious progress, but there was data (actual written data) to back it up!

It was an almost surreal meeting. This happened to be her 3 year re-eval to make sure she still qualified for services. That always makes me nervous but there really was little doubt that she still qualified. I honestly expected to have to fight for that. I was shocked when it was very aptly handled. We breezed through her evals which were pretty much exactly what was expected and then spent the following hour (yes, HOUR) going over the IEP line by line. Line by line. Literally. All of the junk I've been begging to have removed for years is gone (amid mumbles of "why was that even in there??"), things were moved and put into proper places, the team agreed that she absolutely can't be without a paraprofessional in the classroom all day so that stays. All of the accommodations currently in place were moved into the IEP and a behavior plan is going into place to handle "escape behaviors" and "neat and legible work" since the OT evals keep insisting its not an OT problem.

And the big piece...

She met the goals on her current IEP. Met them. You know, the goals she hasn't been able to meet in 3 years? She met them. I have data, accurate, honest, written data. I've seen with my own eyes outside of school that she now has those skills. So, we created some new goals.

I'm so. freaking. excited!

And if it all falls when school starts back up in the fall, then we meet again and fix it. The IEP actually looks like a real, honest, IEP.

This team really does seem dedicated to her success. Sometimes its merely a matter of getting the right people in a room together. Other times its letting a little girl work her way into people's hearts!