Our IEP meeting was Thursday, and I felt like we accomplished something, but I’m reserved in my enthusiasm…  More of a wait-and-see attitude about it all.

The good:

• They agreed to implement his IEP as it came from our previous state, to the best of their ability
• They agreed that training for the teachers in modifications and accommodations was necessary immediately
• The teachers seemed to support his need for an aide
• We finally fixed his schedule so that he would no longer have two math classes
• They will be adding ASD-specific life skills to his schedule to replace the math
• They will be looking for some sort of computer for him to use for assignment
• They will begin to actually implement his IEP, and the ASD specialist commented several times that this was overdue

The not-so-good, of the “shake my head” variety:

• The teachers kept bringing up common autistic traits, “He won’t talk to me,” or “He won’t do his work, even after being directed”
• The principal asked me point-blank, “He won’t verbalize it if he needs something??”
• They are going to do more testing, including a psychological and intelligence (IQ) test, even though he was thoroughly evaluated this spring in his old district, simply because the new state requires these other tests
• My concerns about organization help and communication were not addressed as specifically as I’d like them to be
• They included a note about following his IEP “to the best of their ability”

I think I was heard, I think they have a better idea of what needs to be done, I think I’m not “that woman” anymore.  I don’t know to what extent they will follow through on their promises, and they have a great deal to learn about autism in general, and my son, specifically.

I hope we accomplished something.  I hope…