Assessments update (I'm long-winded!)

Nate's assessments at the school district went very well yesterday, and some other interesting things occurred too! First, he had the speech/psych eval with the school psychologist and a speech/language pathologist (SLP). Then, he had an occupational therapy eval, followed by a break when I took him to In-n-Out. Then we went back for his adaptive physical education eval. The interesting stuff happened in the speech/psych assessment, so I'll write about that since he did well in the OT and very well in the APE assessments (followed direction very well, could do all of the physical activities the APE evaluator wanted him to).

During most of the speech/psychology assessment, I sat outside of the cubicle where Nate was with the assessors, but I could see them through a window and hear them too. (I was filling out a comprehensive behavioral inventory of Nate.) He did so well, and it was so fun to watch/listen to him when he didn't know I could. He was compliant and so smart, showing he knows all of his letters and numbers and can do many of the cognitive exercises they had him do (e.g., look at four pictures, like a pair of pants, a shirt, a pair of shoes, and a lamp, and decide which object doesn't belong). He repeated 40 or 50 words after the SLP as she checked his pronunciation, and he did some very basic pretend play with toy animals. He also performed consistent with his normal capabilities, meaning he misused pronouns like he normally does, he showed a lack of imaginary/creative play skills, and he exhibited his slight echolalia.

Toward the end of their assessment, I finished with my paperwork and went into the cubicle with them. They had some good things to say about Nate (isn't it so nice when others think your child is cute?), and the psych asked me what some goals I have for Nate are. I wasn't expecting the question, so I wasn't completely prepared, but I mentioned a few (and then I e-mailed her later in the day with the ones I had written down at home; see * at end of post for that list) and said that they are mostly social in nature (like interaction and conversation with peers), since he is doing well in most other areas.

Then, and this is getting to the interesting part, the psychologist told me that they will probably offer a placement where he is in their "Special Day Class" half the day and then in a small group Intensive Behavioral Intervention (IBI) setting (2 to 4 kids with a therapist; this is just like ABA) the other half. This is interesting because, according to all the special ed law I've been learning, no program is supposed to be put together for Nate until the IEP meeting (next month), and they aren't supposed to try to fit him into their current programs but tailor one to him. So, essentially, this woman had already decided how to fit Nate into what they "usually" do by just spending a hour with him, not even reading the parent's behavioral inventory or considering what was most appropriate for him. At this point, I did not make any mention of my knowledge, as I consider it an advantage to know what they are planning to "offer," so I can decide how to prepare for the IEP to ask for what we want for Nate.

I asked what the Special Day Class (SDC) looks like. The psych said it is comprised of kids with "mild to moderate" disabilities, and not just autism. This does not sound good for Nate, seeing as he is now on the "mild" end, and how is he going to improve his social skills if he is surrounded by other children who also don't talk to each other? Anyway, thinking about this, I asked what the possibilities are of a half day in the regular preschool with a 1:1 aide (and the other half of the day in the small group IBI, which I think is a good idea for Nate). The psych pretty much said no. "We usually do that when the kids are closer to 4," she said. (Again, another violation of law, as what they "usually" do doesn't matter; it's what is appropriate for this particular child. It's also supposed to be what is the least restrictive environment for this child, meaning the most exposure to typically developing peers.) "The placement in the SDC for Nate," she said, "is at the highest end of the spectrum of where we place kids. He needs the SDC first to develop the functional skills to be able to go into the regular preschool." I disagree. How is the SDC going to give him the skills to talk to typical kids?

I scheduled a date with the school to observe the SDC and the IBI setting. I'll go to the school a week before Nate's IEP (which is April 22) and sit in on both settings. However, I saw the kids in the SDC while we were doing Nate's APE assessment outside during their recess, and I already don't think he would thrive in there. All of these kids were walking around on their own, not talking to each other, some exhibiting moderate behaviors/stims.

I asked Nate's ABA supervisor at Cornerstone today what she thought. She said she agreed with me that the SDC isn't a good idea for Nate, so I asked her to come to the IEP meeting with us, and she said yes. It will be nice to have her there as a professional who knows the terminology and can back me up on what I want for Nate, especially since she has known him for over a year, and these evaluators have known him for less than a day.

So, overall, I was pleased with the assessments and am actually glad the psychologist "tipped her hand" to me. Now I'm motivated to come to the IEP with documentation and support for placing Nate where I think he should go, whereas if I didn't know what the district was thinking, I would assume they wouldn't place him in the SDC. It's a bummer that some of the bad things I heard about school districts in the seminars I've attended are turning out to be true.

*Here is the list of goals I sent the psychologist:

• conversation turn-taking
• perspective taking (theory of mind)
• expressive, creative language (not just labeling items or expressing wants)
• imaginary play skills
• initiation of play with peers
• conversation with peers
• using words instead of screaming when frustrated
• self-monitoring with his special diet--that he will ask a parent or adult before he eats any food, and that he will know not to eat some of the obvious "no" foods like pizza
• appropriate initiation and interaction with peers during recess
• no resistance to holding hands with adult for safety purposes
• decrease in his desire to watch things spin (this may be an OT/vision therapy area)
• hand washing on own
• getting undressed on own and getting dressed with minimal assistance
• appropriate response to social comments/questions ("How are you?" "I like your shirt" etc.)
• ability to answer all types of "Wh" questions