Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Score one for Daddy!!!

I talked with Mike yesterday after school and we were discussing the aide situation. Check out my awesome hubby: He went down to the school and put up a fight with the administration there. He took Nick's progress report; you know, the one that says he has made no progress? And went to battle to get Nick his aide! It worked! So, now they have to arrange another IEP meeting, and the aide has to come to that-then they will be able to have the aide come in the school with him!! YAY!! It is only for two days a week right now, but it is better than nothing. They are still thinking he will be back at his old school next year, as the class isn't for him. I mean, there are special needs children there, but they are all higher functioning than Nick. It just frustrates me that we were forced to move our kids from a good school to this one-only to have him move back next year.

Now, we also got on the subject of what his teachers say that he cannot do. They say he cannot identify his letters. This astounds us as he HAS identified them in the past in front of one of his teachers, and can identify any letter at home. He can also name colors, and shapes. Now, he has also been at school for three years. I wonder if they ever think that he is getting somewhat bored?? I mean, he was naming letters when he was four years old. He was also counting before three. I have seen him get bored with material before; he gets a look of "OMG REALLY??" and stares out the window. I remember that because I was reading to him a little kiddie book at the time. He just glazed over. I went and got one of Michael's big books of science facts and showed pictures of the solar system. You know that kid turned right around and became interested in all the new pictures and words. Hmmm, maybe Nick likes science...but they don't teach that in pre-school.

I always love to hear about what people don't think Nick knows. He shows us every day that he gets it. Why did Nick look right at me when one of his evaluators was commenting about Mental Retardation?? He honestly looked at me as if to say "I am not MR." Why does he remember tunes that he has not heard for months? How can he remember where exactly he put something earlier in the day, and go right to that spot hours later to retrieve it? Why does he look at me with a mischievious grin and twinkles in his eyes when he knows he is doing something naughty? What is it like for him to be thinking all these things and not able to get them out? How would people treat us when we don't talk for a while? Would they act as if we have no mind or that we are somehow less than human? Seems to me that is how people who cannot talk get treated. It is a huge mistake. One that, thanks to Nick and kids/adults like him, I know that I will not make again.