Hurray for an IEP

Well, I have not written on this blog for so long. Many things have changed. Ricci's father and I separated as I found out there was another woman, and I found out on the date of my last blog. Ricci and I lived with family for awhile and now we live together, so needless to say, Ricci's world changed a great deal.

Thanks to some wonderful friends, and my super amazing family, we are doing well. Ricci's assessment slowed considerably at the end of the year and picked up recently. A Child Psychologist came to observe him at school about a month ago, and then we had a meeting, she thought he seemed like a "normal kiddo," and was greatly surprised when his father and I shared our concerns about his sensory seeking behavior. At that time, they decided to re-evaluate him and have him meet with an OT.

He is just plain fearless, and it is scary!

Well, vindication came, in the form of an IEP (Individualized Educational Plan), last Wednesday April 1st. Ricci was fortunate enough to meet with the Occupational Therapist the week before. I advocated for a meeting with an OT, from the beginning of the school district assessment, and ta da!!!!... they found him to be inattentive and highly sensory seeking, and his "disability" will fall under Health and Safety, and the large concern is that it impedes his learning. It sounds interesting that a mother would want a "label" for her child, but let me say that all that means is that he now qualifies for services through the school district. It is imperative as a parent to frame a learning disability as a primarily a different means of evaluating and processing the world, and for Ricci that means that he constantly seeks stimulus. It may be physical by jumping or pushing into the wall like a cat, or bouncing on furniture, sometimes he climbs, and he also wants to put things in his mouth a lot even though he is four and a half years old.

In my first blog, I mentioned a book called, "The Out of Sync Child," it discusses many versions of sensory processing disorders. There are children which are very sensory avoiding and hate loud sounds, touch, and bright lights. My son is underresponsive and likes touch, and seeks it by barrelling full force into family and friends, and will chew on any toy, and when he hugs someone, he will pinch and squeeze their neck and face. It is all very exhausting for new adults, but for Ricci's dad, me, and his suntie Danielle, we all know and accept that he is perhap the next Johnny Knoxville, or future Xtreme Sport Athlete. No, all kidding aside, it has been a frustrating path, but now we have a new route, and I am both excited and nervous for what the future has to offer my little boy!

He is bright, but at the same time, it is always difficult for anyone to access what he knows. So at the IEP meeting, they set goals for him, arranged for him to meet with the OT to work out strategies for self regulation and calming so that he can eventually remain focused in a classroom setting.

So, we have come full circle, yet it is just the beginning. Ricci is an amazing little soul, he is bright, cheerful, strong- willed, and adventurous, and now, he can begin a journey to help him understand how he processes his version of the world we live in! Hurray IEP!