Feisty And Non Compliant - Can I Get A Behavior Plan Over Here???

Ah yes, t'is the season for IEP meetings.  Quick pop quiz...  What's an IEP meeting?  Come on, you can do it!  That's right, it's the individual education plan meeting.  All parents with special needs children get to have those twice a year.

Did you know there is a sales market geared at IEP's?  I'm serious.  Here's a couple of links for you to check out:
http://www.zazzle.ca/no_crying_in_iep_meetings_aprons-154740917622695277

This one is a little scary, but here you go:  http://www.beautifulmindsinc.com/video-right

http://hooverlaw.com/wordpress/?p=74

http://expertbeacon.com/successful-iep-meeting-requires-effective-parent-participation/#.UpltJMSkpRo

Love this picture I recently found about IEP's

If you've checked these out, you can understand why most parents come to these meetings prepared for battle.  We know what's waiting for us:  a cold, impersonal boardroom kind of place, with the school team on one side of the table, usually consisting of the educational assistant, teacher, principal, guidance counsellor and sometimes, if you're really lucky, the speech and language pathologist, physiotherapist and the special needs coordinator from the school division.  All these people are sitting at a table, together, right across from you and whomever you're lucky enough to have talked into coming to the meeting with you.  If you go alone, you sit alone.  It kind of feels like you're sitting rather than standing in front of a firing squad...   The feeling of judgement day is all around you.  The people across the table from you look down at you.  Uncomfortable?  Nooo...  A root canal is uncomfortable; this is a whole new level of discomfort my friend.  While the whole table agrees that there are delays in speech, language & communication, play and learning, no one seems to know how to help the child mainstream into the classroom in a way where he or she can learn and be a contributing member of the class.  So, since the self proclaimed professionals don't know how to help your child, they assure you that they are doing everything they humanly can and that you, as a parent... well... you  suck.  It is a discipline issue, that needs to be addressed at home, even though the behaviour generally only takes place at school.  So, the professionals now need to draft a behaviour plan, which in a nut shell, tells the parent 1) how to parent and 2) typically says that you will come and pick up your child early from school when there's a meltdown.

In the past, rather than go to these meetings alone, I called my CSS worker to come with me as well as Dayton's behavioural specialist.  Finally, I had asked a CFS worker to come join me in my fight for Dayton's rights at his school, as the three of us alone could not seem to get the school to understand that Dayton had a pervasive developmental disorder, along with ADHD, GDD and ODD, all contributing to how he relates with others, learns and understands the world in general to be.

This year is different.

We're in a new school division, and I am free to name it for you.  Seven Oaks School Division.

I prepared for the IEP meeting dressed to the hilt, red nails and all, ready to fight for my children and their rights.  Dayton's IEP came first.

There was no boardroom.  There was a small desk, three chairs, Dayton's guidance counsellor and his educational assistant, Mike and myself.  Even numbers...

"Dayton's had an amazing start to the new school year.  We're so impressed with how he's adjusted and how he's wanting to learn.  In fact, I've filed the negative notes from his past school in a different filing system, away from others, for my eyes only, as they do not describe the boy we have the pleasure of working with today..." said Dayton's guidance counsellor.  "We're actually shocked at how well he is reading, we weren't expecting him to read..."

Wow...  I sat on my hands, shamefully hiding my red nails.

I got to sit and listen to Dayton's educational assistant tell us how well Dayton works with her, and how yes, he does need constant guidance and supervision, as without her present, he figures he doesn't have to work, but still...  My baby is learning!!!  He's working hard!!!  No meltdowns as the staff nip it in the butt and are proactive!!!  They've gotten to know him and see trouble coming before it happens, stop it, and move on!  I left the meeting SMILING!

Next stop:  Amber's IEP meeting.

Friends, I was stunned.  As I walked into the room, we had a few more people on the other side of the table then we had at Dayton's IEP meeting:  Amber's teacher, her educational assistant, the speech & language pathologist, and someone from the school division.  On the table in front of us, they had Tim Horton's coffee and Timbits waiting for us!!!  Seriously!  No joke, this is a true story!  I've never been served anything during an IEP meeting other than "your son is feisty and non compliant, here's his IEP and behaviour plan, fix him, yourself and his father, you're wrong, we're right, you suck, now get out."  In fact, his old principal three years ago tried to tell me my son was a psychopath, etc...

I was in for another surprise.  The school staff sitting in front of Mike and myself were genuinely concerned about Amber and our took our fears of Amber's regression seriously.  They too noticed that she has been regressing, and had questions for us about how things were going at home, and what they could do to (wait for it, you're not going to believe it because I nearly fell off my chair when I heard them...) HELP!  The women sitting in front of us wanted to know how to help Amber!  They didn't criticize our parenting, they didn't blame us for her disability or accuse us of not disciplining our daughter.  They wanted to support us and praised us for everything we do for our children!

I quietly and as discreetly as I could, began to chip away at my nail polish under the table.

There is a reason the rear view mirror is very small in comparison to the huge windshield in front of me.  Where my children are headed is far more important than what we've left behind.  This school gets it.  And I am humbly grateful.

I left the school smiling so hard, my face hurt.  I've never left an IEP smiling before.  It always ended in tears and self loathing.



Consider yourselves hugged, especially those of you waiting for your turn in the dreaded IEP seat,

Lou

Our IEP (Individual Education Plan) Meeting

It's nice to be able to write this with a smile on my face.  How proud am I?!  Super proud of my boy and his accomplishments this year.  Super proud of all his hard work.  Super grateful to his educational assistant and teacher.

The resource teacher was surprised I had decided to go alone to this IEP meeting.  I've always gone in with an enormous team to back me up, mostly for the school's benefit then my own, so that when parenting questions arose, I could have a CFS worker there telling them that my parenting was just fine, and that they needed to focus on Dayton's schooling instead of my parenting.  Remember in my last post I mentioned that until recently I didn't like hurting people's feelings or being rude or standing up for myself?  Yeah, since that's changed, I'm good to go to school by myself...

It seems the staff received the message from my team last year, as this year's IEP meeting was more than pleasant.  We were all smiling, all proud of Dayton and all talking about Dayton rather than what's happening at home.  What a refreshing change!

I loved sitting beside Dayton's new teacher, a woman I've only met once before.  This woman is an angel in my eyes.  She clearly gets my babe!  I'm just amazed at how this is possible, when he's never had a teacher 'get him' before.  She spoke clearly, and was very knowledgeable of Dayton's strengths and weaknesses and had clear cut ideas on how to reach his IEP goals.  She kept talking about Dayton as though she's spent time with him, something that's never happened before with any other teacher!  Holly cow, this woman spends time with my baby!!!  I couldn't stop staring at her, like she was a new, sparkly, shiny toy...  and I'm sure by the end of the meeting, she must have thought Dayton clearly got his autism from his 'weirdo mother.'  I've never had a teacher speak about Dayton in this way before.  I mean, she 'gets him!'  I'm still a little stunned!

Pretty sure this was the look on my face, it was something like this still when I got home

Sitting across from Dayton's Educational Assistant was fantastic.  Even though I've already told her that I think she's awesome, I still wanted to thank her in front of the principal that she is fantastic and that I'm grateful for all the work she's done with Dayton.

I'm a firm believer that without the right people in place, our kids will learn NOTHING.  I'm certain these two women have had a huge impact on Dayton's education this year, and he's made huge gains this year thanks to the work of these fantastic women.

The guidance counsellor, a woman who's doubted my parenting (my opinion) in the past, was pleasant, respectful and helpful!  She even made time for me after our IEP meeting to show me how she teaches 1st graders reading recovery and spelling.  This was very much appreciated as I'm struggling how to explain to Dayton why there's an 'e' at the end of words that is not pronounced, like 'lake, snake, make,' etc.

I think the thing that struck me the most about our separate meeting was that we were actually able to communicate.  We've never been able to do that civilly in the past.  It always ended up with one of us blowing up or me getting emotional and feeling wounded because of her judgemental comments.  I'm not sure what's happened, if I've changed or if she's changed, but I like it.  I like to be able to talk to her as she is involved in my babe's education, and we need to be able to work together.  I think we finally can.

I've been so jilted by the education system until this year, I'm afraid to let my guard down and simply trust.  Once trust is gone, it is so hard to get back.  Do I dare let my guard down?  Should I inch it down just a smidgen?

Baby steps.  How do you take those again?


Consider yourselves hugged,

Lou

Roses And Thorns

There's a column in a Campbell River local newspaper called Roses and Thorns.  I love the title!  And some of the gripping and loving stories are interesting, but what I found most interesting is that the 'thorns' stories were much, much longer than the 'rose' stories.  This made me think of me...  I hate it when that happens.

Why is it that we seem to do more gripping and complaining than we do telling 'rose' stories?  Possibly human nature, a sort of 'misery loves company kind of thing.'  Maybe we all pretend to be positive, but deep inside we're just negative Nelley's...

When it boils right down to it, my major 'thorn' is ignorance.  And not just ignorance when it comes to autism or ADHD, but any kind of ignorance.  I have no patience for stupid, or unsolicited advice.  All of my 'thorns' stem from people that have an intelligence deficiency, this includes members of my family (remember, I have a small 'blood related' family here in Canada, consisting of my dad, then Dayton and I.  Seeing how I think Dayton is the best thing since sliced bread, it's not him, leaving two of us left.  Another clue - it ain't me.  That leaves one person standing).

Now my 'roses...'
I don't speak of my 'roses' nearly enough as I should.  So I'd like to take this opportunity to do so...

- Dayton's grade four teacher...  Thank God for her.  I love her.  My son loves her, and tells me she 'gets' him.  Grade 4 has become the best year Dayton's had since kindergarten.  No phone calls home to complain about Dayton's behavior.  No 'novellas' like last year.

- Dayton's educational assistant.  Looks like she doesn't put up with his bossiness.  He doesn't control her or have her for lunch, and yet she's so tiny!  I am so grateful to have an educational assistant vs. an 'aid.'  I'm certain that between her and Dayton's teacher's efforts, they've managed to actually have my son learn how to read AND write!  Hooray!!!

- Dayton's guidance counselor.  I know...  Her and I have NEVER gotten along, and I always felt as though she was judging everything about me, right down to my face.  While this year the two of us have had limited contact, the contact we have had has been much more positive then in the past, and she's done a fantastic job researching air travel, preparing an interactive social story for Dayton to be more at ease to fly (remember, he was afraid of going on a plane because it may crash, but thanks to her hard work, he was quite at ease when the time came to travel).

- Dayton's resource teacher...  You know, even though the last two years have felt like I've lived in a literal hell, she was the only person that never had anything negative to say to me about Dayton.  She smiled whenever she saw us, especially at Dayton, and every time she saw me, she made sure to tell me how much she loves my babe.   I wish I knew her better.

- Grandpa Paul and Grandma Kathleen...  I don't even know where to begin with these two...  I love them and respect them as my own parents, calling them mom and dad.  Not only did dad cut short his business trip to come and be with us for grandpa Jerry's funeral, but the two of them sent us money to help us out financially knowing how difficult it was to financially not only make the trip to BC, but how difficult it was going to be for the next couple of weeks getting caught up on bills and meals.  Needless to say, we're not having much of a Christmas this year.  We won't have the cash to buy presents...  But, we will still have each other, and that's what makes Christmas, not the 'gifts.'  We are blessed to have grandpa Paul and grandma Kathleen in our lives, and blessed to be allowed to call them mom and dad, and blessed to have their love.  Dad spent a week consoling us about grandpa Jerry's death, helping with the family as a counselor, and gave grandma Margaret a book his own mother wrote after the death of his father.   And...  he babysat my bio dad...  The biggest Rose in God's creation to my daddy Paul.

- Cousin Evan and his wife Kim.  Whenever we come to Regina, they open their doors to us and give us a place to not only stay, but feel included in their family.  They've just received a blessed addition to their family, little Stensen, a bouncing baby boy, and I'm just absolutely dying to meet this little guy.  My next trip to Regina will be spent mostly with him, as I intend to give the mom and dad a night away from home to do whatever they want.  I can hardly wait!!!  I've seen pictures of little Stensen, and he's a real charmer, just like his daddy.

- My friends S and J who willingly accept Dayton for who he is, and love him as their own.  Their children are Dayton's best friends after school.

- Dayton's grandma Karen.  She just has this knack for knowing exactly what my boy is thinking.  She knows the difference between his autistic moments and his moments of being a little monkey.  She understands how he thinks, and works within his parameters to get the best out of him.  I'm totally missing her as she's not coming back from Colorado, and I don't have it in my heart to break the news to Dayton...

- My CSS worker Diana Sanders...  I no longer live in her catchment area, and haven't for a couple of years, yet she's still here with me, helping me get the diagnosis for Dayton and constantly offering a helping hand.

- My CFSSuderman.  She's given me back my self worth as a parent, and assurance that no matter how many times Dayton's school has called CFS, I AM more than just a good parent, and I love my child, and I will do whatever it takes to get Dayton whatever he needs.  She's been my backbone when I couldn't handle the school's ridicule of my parenting and Dayton's behavior.  Brenda has given me back my self respect, and that is a huge thing.  As a parent, having your child's school call CFS is a huge slap in the face, and it shows just what they think of you.  Brenda was there for me, assuring me that I am not what they've made me out to be, and that I am a fantastic parent. 



Consider yourselves hugged,


Lou

This Is It!!!

Our last day home before we head out to BC.  We're flying from Winnipeg to Edmonton, then to Vancouver, then finally to Nanaimo.  Flight with layover time will take 7 hours and 35 minutes.  But it ain't over yet.  We have to drive another two hours from Nanaimo to get to Campbell River.  This gives us 9 and 1/2 hours of travel for the day.

The more I think about it, the more freaked out I'm getting.  How will a kid on the autism spectrum make out on this long trip?  But then I think of his aunties and their husbands traveling from Australia to be there with their father, one of the couples with an infant.  27 hours of travel with a baby can't be an easy thing either, so I really gotta pull up my big girl panties here and chill out.  If they can do it, I can do it with Dayton.  I just hope he gets tired and passes out, at least during our two hour car ride.  I can't have Dayton be too cranky when he sees his grandpa, otherwise I'm going to have to wait an extra day to see him.

So...  my plan to keep Dayton preoccupied?  Let's see...  thank God for the guidance counselor's interactive social story!!!  I'm so going to be all over that!!!  We're definitely using the books she gave us on air travel.  Dayton's teacher also gave us some work to do, so I'm packing Dayton's school backpack with all of the work given to us by the school, this way he can not be bored.  I'm going to bring some Uno cards to pass the time during layovers.  Naturally, the iPod touch is coming with us too, as is the Nintendo DSi.  I've gotta find his little MP3 player, it's around here somewhere...  And I cannot forget to buy some gum, and a little wee bit of sedatives for your's truly...

Today will be spent finishing up on laundry, cleaning my home, and packing...  Yey!  You know I'm going to forget to pack something.  There is every reason to believe I'll forget something personal, like my underwear...  What did mamma say about accidents and clean underwear again?

I've got to get Dayton and I for a haircut, pick up our medication and some time tonight make time for Dayton to say goodbye to his buddies. 

We're told Jerry needs help with the simplest of things, to sit up, to stretch his arms and legs, and he's lying in a hospital bed in the living room.  He's surrounded by his favorite music, friends and family.  Communicating has become difficult for him and exhausting.  He's described by one of his daughters as kind, gentle and loving, much more so in the last few days.  While he may not be able to have a long winded conversation, and may only say two to three word sentences, his sense of humor is still in tact, and his witty personality still shines through.  

I do not know how much time I will have to write while in BC, but I will do my best to try. 


In the mean time, consider yourselves hugged,

Lou

Difficult Times Acknowledged By Guidance Counselor

I've been stressed with the latest developments in Dayton's grandpa's health.  It seems things have turned for the worst, and rather than having months or weeks left, he now has days left...  I pray we make it there in time for him to see Dayton one last time.

Trying to figure out social stories and picture schedule for Dayton and prepare him for the trip has been exhausting.  I've chewed of my gel nails, have no idea how I managed that, those things are tough, and my fingers are hurting from traumatizing them. 

Fortunately for me, Dayton's guidance counselor came through with her promise and has emailed me stuff she's sending home with Dayton today, cutting back on my stress level...  Maybe I will have the time to go see my doctor after all!  God bless her!

She's sending home a social story titled an Airplane Trip, a booklet I can use on the plane with Dayton that has three sections in it:  This is me, I felt, I did..., and two story books:  First Flight and Vehicles In The Air.  Thank God...  Dayton was worried about getting on the plane, so this should definitely be a huge help!!! 


Consider yourselves hugged, and pray for us to make it there on time...

Lou

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Aretha Franklin, you so had it right.  All I want is a little respect.  Don't we all?

I can hardly believe I'm dealing with the same school as I had last year.  Dayton is so much happier this year, which naturally means so am I.  He's doing so much more work, and I'm not sure why this year is so much smoother than the past two years of struggle and heart ache.  Don't get me wrong...  we still have a very long way to go to get caught up to his peers, but we've made such wonderful progress on all fronts:  behavior, compliance to work, work production, and making friends by being nice and SHARING.  Holly crap.  I never thought I'd see a report come home telling me how Dayton is sharing at school with others!!!  Wow!  I'm so pleased. 

I've dreaded walking into Dayton's school in the past.  We missed the bus this morning, because it's picture day, and we broke his regular routine by having me put gel in Dayton's hair, brushing it and styling it.  As my neighbor says:  "Oh Mylanta."  Breaking Dayton's routine is like having a freaking root canal.  Needless to say, there was some screaming, some "I hate you mom(s)," and some "argh's" flying about.  Missing the bus meant I had to drop him off at his school...  argh... 

Things have changed.  I tried to walk into the school unnoticed, but the principal and the guidance counselor were standing right there, in the office where I had to drop Dayton off...  and they were NICE.  Even the guidance counselor was nice, and this is definitely new as the two of us clash like Pepsi and Coke.  We're so similar, yet so different.  Both of us are stubborn and believe we know best what Dayton needs, and neither one of us cooperates with each other.  But today was different.

We both smiled, both agreed on how much Dayton has improved this year and she offered her condolences for our family's tough times ahead.  She then proceeded to tell me about this wonderful social story series she's found on traveling by air, and how she's purchased a computer strictly for Dayton's use.  She briefly described her plans for Dayton, and how I would take pictures of our trip and she would help to teach Dayton to put all the pictures into a power point presentation to show his class his travels and his stay in BC.  How awesome is this?!  I am absolutely thrilled!!!

Respect.  That's it in a nut shell.  For the first time in two years, I felt respected by the guidance counselor, and I finally felt she had respect for my son.  In turn, she has earned respect back from me.  I now see her as a 'guidance' counselor, and see her guiding not only Dayton, but also me.  And the time I'm going to save having her do the social stories...  Priceless!

R-E-S-P-E-C-T



Consider yourselves hugged,


Lou

Are You Ready For The New School Year?

Holly cow...  Two more weeks, and the new school year begins...  I'm soooooo not ready!!!  I'm starting to have panic attacks already.  They started off when I went to Walmart and saw the school supply list for grade four at Dayton's school...  There are two teachers teaching grade four, and one of them is Dayton's grade three teacher...  I didn't know which was going to be Dayton's teacher, and so I could not get school supplies as each teacher had her own school supply list!!!  Oh nnnnnoooooooooooo!!!  And so came panic attack number one.  Number two took place when I got an email from the school requesting me to set up an appointment with Dayton's teacher, but which one is his teacher?  Ugh!  Where's my bubble?!  I demand my bubble!  Or at least a paper bag to breath into or puke in. 

Anyways...  I'm not ready.  I'm losing sleep over it, and it's really rather silly.  I mean I've still got two weeks to go, and yes, there will be problems, and I've dealt with them before...  but I don't want to deal with them anymore.  Is that selfish on my part?  I mean, Dayton's my life, the air I breathe, my fruit to my loop and the peanut to my butter.  But I'm tired of dealing with issues at his school.  I really am.

Part of the issue is the school staff not understanding autism and Dayton's needs, and the other part is Dayton  exhibits typical nine year old behavior, but because Dayton has the label of autism (PDD-NOS), ADHD and global delays, I get a phone call every time he's "naughty."  It makes me wonder how often a parent with a neurotypical child gets calls to let them know every time their child gets into a dispute with a peer, or every time they got into an argument, or every time they used an inappropriate word.  I say this because one of Dayton's buddies who attends this same school has no label, but is just as hyper, just as inappropriate and just as loud as Dayton, yet his parents have received one phone call in the last two years.  I've lost track after twenty-five phone calls.  Oh boy...  here comes another panic attack...

But there is a silver lining to my worries.  This year, the school has a new principal, who comes from one of the "cluster" schools in our division that has experience with children on the autism spectrum.  Perhaps he can teach the guidance counselor how to guide?  Maybe he can set a new tone for the school?  Or maybe his predecessor has come to her senses and will come back as Dayton's aid?  I suppose time will tell...

I've called the school, and Dayton has a new teacher this year.  While I have mixed feelings on this "change," I suppose it's better for Dayton to have a new teacher than it is to force last year's teacher to actually care about him or his education.  And now I know what to buy for his school supplies.  Woooo hooooo!!!

I've also seen Dayton mature this summer.  He's made a lot of progress due to my being ill in social skills and using his words rather than his little fists.  He hasn't had any melt downs this past month.  We've had a great time together this summer.  

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to run and hug the porcelain God...  The anti-anxiety medications have not kicked in yet...




Consider yourselves hugged,

Lou

Dayton's Principal Retires

I am so confused.  As much as I've disagreed with most of the Principal's views, she is the only person that Dayton actually respects at his school.  Respect and "like" are two different things, and while Dayton rejoices at the prospect of having this principal retire, I'm not so sure I care for this tid bit of news.

This principal is tough.  She doesn't take Dayton's crap or anyone else's for that matter.  She knows everything that's happening in the school, I swear, this woman is the mother you hear about with eyes in the back of her head.  She sees it and knows it all.  No student is able to get away with anything without her knowing about it.  Sure, she's sliped here and there, but all she has to do is give Dayton "the look."  You know the look.  The one that makes you shake in fear, the one that makes you stop, think, then do what you're told to do. 

Like I've said, her and I don't really see eye to eye on very much, but when it comes to Dayton...  I don't know...  But lately, it seems that out of all the staff, she's the one most interested in learning about autism.  I just think Dayton could learn a lot from her.  I think she's the type of person Dayton needs to have as an aid.

Dayton's had good aids, that are kind, generous and have been able to connect with Dayton on a personal level.  He's had some bad ones too.  But even with the good ones, he seems to control them, rather than the aid controlling him and his behavior.  Perhaps the word control is not a good choice of wording...  But do you know what I mean?  At home, Dayton knows I'm the parent, and he will do as I say.  At school, he seems to be under the impression that he is an 'equal' with the staff, and doesn't seem to view the staff as 'authority figures,' with the exception of his principal that is...

Dayton's resource teacher is wonderful with Dayton, and he seems to work well with her, probably because she takes him out of the classroom to the resource room, where it's just the two of them, knee to knee, working 'together.'  I have never had an issue with the resource teacher, even though Dayton has stolen her pop and her apple...  The little rascal.  I wish I could talk to her more often.

The guidance counselor...  well, let's just say her and I do not get along.  Unfortunately, Dayton knows exactly what Glen and I think of her.  She's one of those hoity toity women who thinks she's above us all.  She's made me so uncomfortable that I have Dayton bussed to and from school.  I don't like meeting her in the school, as she just seems to judge me.  Whenever I see her, I hear all the negative things Dayton is doing.  Rarely ever do I hear a positive remark from her regarding Dayton.  Fortunately, I'm not the only one that's seen her hostility.  The CFS worker advocating for Dayton in the school has met her hostility head on, on numerous occasions, as well as my CSS worker and Dayton's behavior therapist.  The three of us have discussed her hostility, chawking it up as just her 'personality.'  Unfortunately for us, the principal is not taking this woman with her in her retirement. 

So, upon learning of the Principal's retirement, I first congratulated her, and told her how much I respect her.  Again, differing views and respect are two different things...  I then asked her if she would consider coming back as Dayton's aid...  I think she thought I was being sarcastic or perhaps joking, but I'm not.  She has the right personality for the job.  She's strong minded, just like Dayton.  She knows how to get him to cooperate.  Dayton knows that she is in charge, making it less likely for him to disobey or be defiant.  There are times when the principal was actually able to discern the difference in Dayton's autistic behavior and him just being a nine year old boy, trying to push buttons and see how far he can go...  Not always, not the majority of the time, but non the less, she's made some great progress with Dayton, and I fear her retirement will make a huge impact on Dayton's learning.  Maybe, just maybe, she'll get bored and come back...  as Dayton's aid.  Maybe...

In the mean time, I will pray for the new principal to have some knowledge on autism, to train the staff and give them some autism programming. 

Just my crazy thought for the day...


Consider yourselves hugged,


Lou

Accusations And Hate E-mail

Awwwww, shucks.

It appears I've ruffled a few feathers out there.  I seemed to have raised some controversy, and made a couple of people a little "uncomfortable."  Believe me, I don't take this lightly, as I am a people pleaser, constantly bending over to make people comfortable and desperately wanting to be liked by everyone involved in Dayton's care.  So, hearing that there are people out there that don't like what I have to say does hurt, but I have to keep my focus on what's most important at heart.  This really, really sucks!

Being accused of not having respect for people, their positions in organizations, their work, etc. is disturbing to me.  I have a lot of respect for Dayton's teachers, his principal and especially his resource teacher.  Dayton's guidance counselor and I have a major personality clash, but in saying this, I respect her position with the school.  Do I agree with every view these women have?  ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!  But there is a major difference between 'disagreement' and 'disrespect.'

I have never spit in any one's face, kicked them in their shins, publicly humiliated or threatened them in a personal or professional way.  Dayton does this on his own when he's treated with little respect.  In saying this, I do not appreciate or respect people or organizations that are working for their own gratification, for recognition or helping our children only if it helps their political ambitions.  What do politics have to do with our children's disabilities?  Your own political agendas and your ambition for recognition does nothing for our children, or for me, so please spare me your hate E-mail.  I have bigger and better things to worry about.  When those of you worried about lining your own pockets make our children's education a priority, I will show you respect.  Look at my son's face.  Does this look like you have our children's education and safety in mind? 

This happened during school recess, with a full time aid, two weeks ago.  The school staff told me Dayton "fell off the swing," while Dayton tells me he was "pushed off" the swing.  Somewhere in the middle lies the truth.  Either way, I'm not impressed.  When I picked Dayton up from school, blood was coming out of his mouth and face.  The white of his right eye was an angry red, and I feared for his eye.  Driving like a maniac to the nearest hospital, my son was speechless.  I was told by the nurse that Dayton was in pain and in shock, which is why he wasn't speaking, something common among children on the spectrum.  Dayton didn't speak for two days. 

For those of you thinking I have no respect for you, look at my baby's face one more time.  Ask yourself "if this was my child, what would I think?"  Then put yourself in my shoes.  Do I blame the principal?  No.  Do I blame the resource teacher?  No.  Do I blame the guidance counselor?  No.  Who then do I blame?  The Manitoba government for not educating our educators and aids.  That's who I blame. 

When Dayton is playing in our back yard, I'm right there with him.  When he plays on the play ground, I'm outside on my camping chair with him.  When he goes swimming, I'm in the swimming pool with him.  I don't do this because I can't bear the thought of not seeing him 24/7.  I do this because when Dayton gets an idea, he follows through with that idea, without thought of the danger it poses to him or others.  It's called AUTISM.  I know my son looks good, he gets his good looks from me.  But even though he's the handsomest little man I've met in my life, he has AUTISM.  This means I can not leave him unattended.  He needs care every single second of the day.  Our schools do their best with the funding they receive and within the parameters they've been given, parameters and funding given by the Manitoba government.  So, my problem is with the government, not you personally.  Just because I don't agree with your views of removing God from our classrooms, does not mean I don't respect you.  The minute you're more concerned with your own agenda and acknowledgement than our children's education, is the instant I lose respect for you.

I hope I've made my stand clear.  This is Canada.  We have freedom of speech here, do we not?  You don't like my blog, don't read it.  No one is forcing you to.  Be assured, you will not silence me, no matter how many hate E-mails you send me.  I will continue to fight for our children's education, they are OUR future!



Consider yourselves hugged,

Lou

Am I Smarter Than A Third Grader?

In my last conversation with the principal where she threw a 5 page "Threat Incident Report" at me, she also informed me that Dayton had not produced much work in the past three weeks.  I offered to come to his classroom and show the aid what I do at home to help Dayton get his work done.  Surprisingly enough, the principal took me up on my offer.  And so yesterday, I went to grade 3.  Just for two hours, but still.  I went to grade 3!

I entered Dayton's school totally nervous, experiencing the same heebie jeebies I would on the first day of a new job.  With thoughts of "what if the kids make fun of me, or worse, what if they make fun of Dayton because his mom is here?" running through my head, I quickly come to a sense of calm seeing my baby waiting with his teacher's assistant for me in the hallway.  I'm thinking "thank you Lord!  You've heard my prayers!"  Dayton had a big grin on his face, obviously pleased to see me.  Seeing his smile melt my heart.

We started working in the resource room.  It was just the three of us:  Dayton, his aid and myself.  The aid whipped out a list of 31 topics, and asked Dayton to pick one.  I'm like "whoa there Nelly, let's narrow that list down a little, shall we?  Let's see what I know will interest Dayton.  31 choices is like 28 choices too many.  Let's narrow it down to three, shall we?"

One of the choices was to look at a picture of yourself with your mom (yes, every kid in grade 3 carries a picture of himself with his mom in his wallet, cause they like to get beat up), and write out what's happening in the picture.  It just so happens I had my blackberry with me (never, ever leave home without it), and I have many pictures on it.  Dayton stopped me at a picture of him and his friend with "daddy" in front of a big, huge "man toy" of a crane.  This crane was so huge, just the tires alone were double the height of Dayton.  Very impressive.  So I asked the aid if we can substitute "dad" for "mom," and he agreed we could.

I helped Dayton tell his story, and the aid wrote it out on a piece of paper.  Then Dayton had to type the story out on the computer.

I didn't want Dayton to cheat.  I wanted him to show his aid that we've been working on writing at home, and to show him how I helped Dayton write.  At this time, I again thanked the Lord that we were sitting alone in private, and not in the classroom with twenty-nine other students. 

I'm sounding out every letter of each word, sounding like a complete fool or a mental patient.  I covered the piece of paper the aid had written Dayton's story on so Dayton couldn't cheat off it.  I made him spell it, having him hear me sound out the words slowly and dragging each letter.  I sounded, well...  awkward.  But, it's how I help my son write.  As long as it gets the job done, who cares how moronic I look.  I don't mind him laughing at me, especially if it makes it interesting for him to learn.  The sacrifices us mothers make! 

The principal and guidance counselor kept spying on us in the hallway.  I may have sounded like a moron, but that doesn't mean I am one.  These women are like vultures.  I'm thinking they figured there was no way in hell I'd be able to get Dayton to do a stitch of work.  Wrong ladies (I have a much more interesting names to call them, but this is a family blog ;)!  My boy works for me, cause I make it INTERESTING, and don't mind making a fool of myself to get the job done.  Take that!

Recess!

I can do recess!  Or so I thought.  Did you know that small children refer to adults in the third person and never directly?  Yup, they do!

So the kids are crawling on a structure I want to call monkey bars, but I'm not quite sure what it really is.  It looks like a globe, with tons of multi-colored bars running in all different direction.  Looking at it directly made me vomit, just a little in my mouth.  It hurt my eyes.

Then I hear one of the kids say "I'm nine years old."
Another says "I'm eight,"
The first one says "How old you think she is (and I know he's referring to me)?"
"I'm eight years old" I yelled back impulsively.
"Do you think she's really eight years old?" asks the first kid.
"Yeah, I'm really big for my age..." I added.
"My mom's that big, and she's twenty-eight."  Says the second kid.  I'm thinking, jeesh, I wish.
"Big people act weird."  Says the first kid.  And I'm thinking 'who you calling big, kid?  So I'm a couple lbs. over weight, check yourself out first, you with the pants on the ground, pants on the ground, lookin' like a fool with your pants on the ground...'

Dayton and a buddy decide to go play on the swings.  Still nauseated, I follow weakly behind them.  The boys twisted and flipped the seats and handles over and over and over again, giving me motion sickness.  They did this until they shortened the swings to where the seats were just above their heads!  I wondered how on earth they were going to climb in the swings and use them...  I had no idea my little darling angel was an acrobat!!!  You should have seen these boys twisting, turning and bending their bodies to slide into these seats!  It was freaking amazing!!!

But then...  they started to swing...  Up, up, up super high, and then...
"Look Dayton's mom!  No hands!  5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and JUMP!"
"Nooooooooooooooooooo!!!" But the boys ignore me, Dayton's aid is laughing hysterically at me, and I'm standing there freaking out, that little bit of vomit turning into a lump in my mouth.  Then both boys jump out and roll on the gravel.  They're fine, I'm not.  I'm dry heaving and doing my best not to puke.  The boys did this act over and over and over and over again.  I couldn't watch.  Dayton's aid thought I was quite entertaining.  I didn't think so, but I could see how one would think I was being a drama queen.  You see, I'm a wee bit over protective of my babe...  No really, I really am.  I know, hard to believe, but I'm afraid it's true.  Thank goodness I was saved by the bell.  Recess is over, time to go back inside.

Time for art.  A big glob of blue paint and white paint is put on Dayton's art paper.  He's given a straw and told to blow at the glob of paint...  The poor kid got light headed, I had to take him out to get some water.  But, we finished it!  Of course, my black pretty shirt is covered in blue and white paint, but hey, we got the job done.  Mental note:  do not sit across to Dayton when he's blowing air through a straw...

Next art project was for Social Studies.  Dayton was to find pictures from magazines that reminded him of home, country and family.  He was to cut them out and paste them on a piece of art paper.  OK!  Easy!

As Dayton and I flip through magazines, he finds a picture of lit Halloween Jacko lanterns and lit cut out pumpkin faces.  He decides to cut the picture out to represent "country." 
Next, he finds a picture of a blackberry...  He cuts this out because it remind him of home, both Glen and I have a blackberry, and as I've said, I never, ever leave home without it.
Well...  then he finds a picture of a car that has run into a huge boulder.  On the boulder is a yellow hard hat...  The smashed up car apparently reminds Dayton of me and the yellow hard hat reminded him of Glen.  Fantastic!  I'd just like to add here that I'm a good driver and only been in three car accidets.  Only one of those was my fault.  He cuts the darn picture and pastes it to the piece of paper.
The cutest and funniest picture he finds is a cat standing on his hind legs, with his legs crossed as it needs to go to the bathroom.  Dayton cuts this picture out as he finds it funny and wants it to represent his cat "Jack."

I feel a sense of accomplishment.  My son is grinning from ear to ear.  He's worked hard for me today.  Dayton has managed to do work that the teacher and aid have tried to get him to do for the past two days with no success.  I'll admit, I feel as little smug as I've proven to them all that Dayton is fully capable, and willing to do the work, providing you make it INTERESTING.  My boy's no robot.  He's a kid with a sense of humor, and being funny is important to him.  Not only does he enjoy making others laugh, he enjoys to laugh himself.  I'm so glad I had the opportunity to give him a giggle at school.  I'm glad I was able to be there for him in his moment of success, how many parents of "normal" children are able to say the same?

Hug your children, give them praise and kisses and love them.  They're worth the hard work.  Thank the Lord He's chosen us to take care of his angels.  I wouldn't change my babe for the world.


Consider yourselves hugged,

Lou

The IEP Meeting

I had blogged about Autism Winnipeg a couple of weeks ago, and how the creator of the Autism Winnipeg Facebook page met up with me to talk about Autism Winnipeg.  Instead of discussing it, she insisted on talking to me about Dayton, and wanted to prepare me for Dayton's upcoming IEP meeting which would be taking place a few days after our talk.  Her pep talk helped immensely, and I took her advice literally:  "I am Teflon!"  Acknowledge the school's remarks and deflect right back at them.  Teflon.

Armed with Marni's pep talk and her image of Teflon, off I went to the Dayton's IEP meeting along with our CFS social worker, Brenda, who has been involved in our family strictly to advocate for Dayton's rights and education in the St. James School Division.  Brenda's like a fire cracker, and I felt confident walking in with her along with Diana, Dayton's social worker for Children With Special Needs And Disabilities.

When we enter the board room, we are met by the school division's special needs co-ordinator.  This will be the first time she'd sit it on any of Dayton's IEP meetings, thanks to to fire cracker social worker from CFS.  Somehow, her word carries more weight than mine.  There's also the school division's child psychologist, again, her first time involved in Dayton's IEP meeting as well.  The Occupational Therapist and Speech Therapist are not available for the meeting.  Surprise, surprise!  The Occupational Therapist has only observed Dayton's classroom once, and the Speech Therapist has not yet seen Dayton, as far as I know.  The principal, guidance counselor, Dayton's classroom teacher, his aid, and the resource teacher were also present.

The guidance counselor, a real piece of work, sits there with a fake smile on her face.  Her and I do not get along.  She seems to think I'm some how beneath her, and she thinks the same of my husband.  She's the one who's called CFS on myself and my husband claiming that Dayton has access to Glen's hunting rifle, and that Dayton was going to come to school and shoot them all on the first call (the principal had also called the police), and the second time she called CFS because Dayton had cut a picture of a man bent over and another man with a paddle tapping his tushy.  Apparently Dayton told them that "daddy paddles my butt" and they took him literally (who's autistic now?!).  This guidance counselor is also the one that sent me the email I had posted on the blog asking me whether or not I feed Dayton breakfast...  She thinks that Glen and I have created (and I quote) "a hostile environment" for Dayton at home by allowing him to play with water guns in the summer, Nerf guns all through the year and of course because Glen has played the "Call of Duty" video game with Dayton.  While I am not a big fan of guns, and may not agree with Dayton playing "Call of Duty" with his dad, it doesn't seem to matter where we go:  the play ground, the swimming pool, or his 6 year old buddy's house, we run into the same problem.  The boys and girls at the swimming pool are playing with water guns, the boys on the playground have brought out their toy guns and his 6 year old buddy plays "Call of Duty" all the time. 

Anyways, back to the IEP meeting...
That woman (the guidance counselor)!!!  Unbelievable!!!  Grrrrrrrr...  I guess there's just no pleasing me I suppose, but that woman!!!  Pardon the expression, but I hate it when people try to blow smoke up my butt!!!

Remember the email I had posted on the blog titled "Email to Ms. Cruella Deville, aka Dayton's Principal?"  The one where I said "I walked away from the meeting feeling as though no matter what I say, there will always be that unspoken insinuation that at the core of of Dayton's behavior problem is my parenting.  It has become exhausting to prove to your staff that I am a loving and caring parent, who is trying to instill values and morals in my child."  Well, I think the principal had a little talk with her staff perhaps, because the guidance counselor started the meeting by telling me that she wanted me to know that the entire staff of the school had the utmost respect for me as a parent.  That they were impressed with how I am always advocating for Dayton and that I refuse to give up on him.  I sat there stunned, first at her claim of respect, second at the thought of giving up on my son?!  How dare she voice that out loud? I'm not going to get into the profanities that had run through my head.  This woman sat across the table from me, with this big fake smile on her face, putting on a show for whom?  Certainly not me, she's made it abundantly clear that I am the scum at the bottom of her shoe by her past actions...  Actions speak louder than words she was uttering now.  I'm thinking she wanted to impress Brenda or the her boss from the school division?  Or had the principal forced her to complement me?  Either way, it was not genuine, and definitely not appreciated.  If you respect me, then you will treat me and my child with respect at all times, not just in front of your employers!!!  It took every ounce of strength not to reach across the table and wipe the smug grin off her face.

The show continued on with the guidance counselor telling us all how she thought about Dayton and I during her holidays...  While cleaning out her basement, she had come across a book she used to read to her children, and this children's book reminded her of Dayton and I, then proceeded to read it to us all.  Yes...  she read us all a children's book during the IEP meeting.  Every other IEP meeting we've had took half an hour, this IEP meeting took well over an hour and a half because the first half hour was spent on telling me how much the school staff respects me and reading a children's story...  I had to leave an hour into the meeting to meet Dayton's bus.  None of my questions about his IEP had been answered and the meeting turned into a non meeting as usual.  Again, nothing is accomplished.

Turns out after I left the meeting to pick up Dayton, the guidance counselor showed her true colors to everyone present when Diana had asked for a meeting of all professionals involved in Dayton's education.  The woman LOST it!  Brenda had called me later to let me know that she refused to attend this meeting, and that her face turned red and her lips turned white in anger.  Had it not been for the school child psychologist agreeing with Diana that this meeting is a good idea, the school would never had agreed to it.  Their meeting is next Thursday, and I'm a little stressed over it.  It's a meeting for professionals only, which means I am not to attend the meeting.  If I could be a fly on the wall for this meeting...  Brenda promised to put the guidance counselor in her place during this meeting if she is to exhibit the same type of behavior she had during the IEP meeting...

The guidance counselor also practically "sneered" at Brenda, telling her she knows I've been looking at other schools for Dayton.  Brenda  calmly gave the group an analogy of going to the same grocery store wanting to buy apples, but the store never carried apples.  The store than should not be upset with you for visiting the grocery store next door to purchase your apples, should it?  The St. James School Division only has one Occupational Therapist, and this therapist works for the whole division and works only part time, which is why Dayton has not received any therapy.  Same goes for the speech and the physical therapist.  If the school can not meet Dayton's needs, then we need to explore other schools, right?

Please consider a prayer for us. 
Consider yourselves hugged!!!

Lou

Soooo... Tell Me What'cha Want, What'cha Really, Really Want....

Idioms
Abstract Language
Sayings
Slang
Rhetorical questions

Most kids on the spectrum don't understand these, as they typically think in literal terms.  Glen, Dayton's father, makes up his own "slang language," as he's the group's clown and likes to joke around and pull pranks on his friends and co-workers.  This tends to be counter productive to Dayton's very concrete and literal understanding of what is discussed.  Fortunately, we're aware of Dayton's language deficit, and can help him through it.

Think for a moment what this means for Dayton and others on the autism spectrum in the school setting.  Teachers, principals and guidance counselors are famous for using rhetorical questions meant as a directive to the child.  Let's look at a couple of examples, shall we...

Example 1)  Did you forget something?
Dayton simply answers with a short "no," which to the teachers shows defiance or lack of respect.  This of course results in a trip to the Principal's office, which Dayton will protest to, because in his mind, he's answered the teacher's question.  If he had known he had forgotten something, he would have got it.  In his mind, he doesn't understand why he's being sent to the Principal's office because he's done nothing wrong.

Example 2)  What part of paying attention do you not understand?
Dayton:  "all of it."
Obviously, Dayton is asked to go to the office again.  In his mind, again, he simply answered the question honestly.  He really doesn't understand the implied meaning of "do what you're told." 

Language...  we take it for granted so often that we are able to "read between the lines."  for the kids like Dayton who fit on the higher functioning side of the autism spectrum, it is difficult to believe that they don't understand the intended meaning behind idioms when they are capable of having a conversation.  These kids look so good, with no visible disability, so the teachers forget that they are neurologically different from the rest of the student body. 

Unfortunately, because of their language deficits and misunderstandings, these kids are labelled as bad, manipulative or defiant.  Naturally, this results in negative consequences for these kids, by being punished with no understanding as to what they have done wrong.  And now they're mad...  Wouldn't you be?  What happens when you get mad, or feel you have been wrongfully accused of something you didn't do?  Oh yes...  do you sense the suspension just around the corner?

Now does this mean these kids can't learn abstract language?  Of course not.  Teachers just need to take a short minute or less to ensure that the child understood what they had meant.  I do it all the time at home.  Here's a quick example of something that happened just last weekend.

We had grandma and grandpa over for supper Sunday night, which even though it may have interrupted Dayton's routine, he very much looked forward to.  Dayton loves his grandparents dearly, and looks up to grandpa.  After supper, grandma and I helped Dayton plant some peas, as his school project of planting beans didn't workout too well.  Once we finished, he wanted to play with his Nerf gun my friend had given him as a birthday present.

At 7 pm, I asked Dayton to start his bed time routine.  I normally have him in bed at 7:30pm, with the lights turned off and the TV ready to watch Sponge Bob Square Pants until 8pm, when he turns the TV off and goes to sleep with his cat Jack.  This night he tells me that instead of watching Sponge Bob, he wants to visit with grandma and grandpa.  I agree and go to the laundry room to finish the heap of laundry.

Well...  All I heard was Dayton's Nerf gun shooting foamy bullets at my walls.  I come back out and ask Dayton why he isn't spending time with his grandparents.  I'm frustrated, tired, and feeling ill.  All I want to do is get this laundry done, sit down with mom and visit with her a little longer.  I slip and make a mistake...

"Stop pushing my buttons!!!  Get ready for bed, NOW!"
"What buttons?"
"Oh no..."
"Where are these buttons?!"
"Honey, it's a figure of speech."
"Figure?!"
"Dayton, sometimes when we get upset, we will say something like "stop pushing my buttons."  It doesn't mean that we actually have buttons to press."
"What about our belly buttons?"
"We don't press our  belly buttons, and if we did, nothing would happen."
"Sooooooo, there's no buttons for me to press...  then why did you say I pressed your buttons?"
Let's try this again...  "Sometimes, people get upset, just like mommy got upset with you, see my face?"  I make it a point to frown, and ensure he understands that my face means I'm frustrated.  Dayton struggles with recognizing facial expressions.  "When you won't stop and listen to me and obey, it makes me upset, and when you won't stop what you're doing..."
"Pressing buttons."
"Right."
"So you don't have buttons."
"Right, mommy doesn't have buttons."
"Other than your belly button."
"Right babe, other than my belly button."

It takes some time, and it can be a little frustrating, but it's something that needs to be done.  Dayton has now learned an expression, one I hope he can remember for next time someone uses the idiom.  Things that other children (I hate using the word "normal," it drives me crazy) are able to decipher, kids on the autism spectrum need to learn, and discuss in order to understand.  How wonderful it would be if Dayton's teachers accepted this!

As my dad always says instead of saying good bye, "Consider yourselves hugged!"


Lou

CFS, Friend or Foe?

Many of us think of CFS (Child and Family Services) as the devil who comes and takes our children away, but did you know they offer other services?

Turns out they can be used to advocate for your children in their school!  I had no clue!

Do to Dayton's behavior, his current school has called CFS twice in the last year.  It's super embarrassing, and as I cried and threw a temper tantrum only a parent who's been in this horrifying position can appreciate, the worker sitting across from me sympathized with my situation.  Upon hearing what the school had to say, then listen to my incoherent babble and interviewing Dayton, the file was closed immediately.  Before leaving their offices, the worker asked me how she could be of help to Dayton and I, and of course my first answer was to find us a new school, a school that specialized in helping children with autism.  Of course, her answer to me is an all too familiar answer most of us hear when we ask our selves where to find a school that can appreciate our little ones pattern of thought.  "I'm afraid there just isn't any such school in Winnipeg...  But, I do have another idea..."
"I'm all ears!!!"
"How about we find a worker who will advocate for Dayton within the school system?"
"Seriously?!  You do that?"
"Yes."
"Sign me up!!!"
And she did.

In less then two weeks I got a phone call from a worker who was a temp, but offered his services right away.  He came to my home, and I asked Dayton's social worker, Diana from children with special needs and disabilities to come join us for our first appointment.  I mean, CFS was coming to my house, and they're the devil, right?  I needed someone at the door to stop Satan if he tried to take my baby away, and Diana is afraid of no one.  At least I think...

Anyways, the appointment went super well!  A little uncomfortable at first, and I was totally, brutally honest with the guy, I told him it's strange working with someone who could potentially come in my home, not like my smile and take my baby, but he assured me CFS wants to work with families to keep families together.  Another thought he had offered me was that having CFS come to Dayton's IEP meetings at the school shows I have a relationship with CFS and the school can not use CFS as threat when I'm bringing CFS to them!  I liked this guy.

He hooked me up with some counseling, which I thought I didn't really need, but you know what?  I think most of us with kids on the spectrum need someone to talk to, someone who will listen to us without judgement, and someone we can vent at.  We all love our kids, no doubt about that, I would give my life for Dayton's in a blink of an eye, but there are days where my patients runs on empty, and I just need a break from having to explain every single thing...  Just a little, tiny break... 

It was during this counseling that I learned that someone from the school division that has an understanding of autism should be involved in the IEP process, and furthermore, should be included in the IEP meetings!  I've never had anyone from the school division included in the IEP meetings, and the only people present were the principal, school guidance counselor, the resource teacher and then of course Dayton's team:  his behavioral specialist I work with at home and of course Diana, Dayton's social worker from children with special needs and disabilities, and let's not forget me, his mama.  I don't go to a school meeting without these two ladies, as I need their support to make it through a meeting with this school.

One more thing...  they have family support workers!  Depending on your income, they may charge you for this service, but since I'm on sick leave from work, our worker isn't charging us.  The family support worker comes to our home once a week for an hour and a half.  She provides us with information and is a sound board for me.

By having a relationship with CFS, I'm walking away with an advocate for Dayton in the school system, a counselor for myself, a proper IEP meeting where the school is accountable for what happens at school, and a family service worker.  None of these things would have come about without my CFS worker.


Another plus, every email I get from the school and respond to, I forward to Brenda, my CFS worker.  Everything is documented by her, so if there are any issues, she will take care of them.  She's so strong!  And if I have a concern with the school and email then, I make sure they see Brenda's being emailed as well.  I get a response from the school immediately.  Brenda's email address carries a lot of weight behind it. 

Friend or Foe?

For more information on what services they offer, follow this link: /index.html http://www.gov.mb.ca/fs/pwd/index.html.
To contact the Family Support Coordinator, call 204-944-4369.



Consider yourselves hugged!

Lou