So the beginning post of
Elijah's journey took us through January of this year. We started January off trying to recover from the difficult few months that proceeded the new year. We took a break from medications and from weekly sessions with Dr. S during this time. I needed to refocus on homeschooling and trying to find new ways to make positive strides with Elijah's behavior.
We eeked through the spring months with the goal of finding some more information about what Elijah was struggling with and why we were constantly dealing with an angry and sad little guy. With encouragement from Dr. S, we took the step to call our local school district to find out what options were available for homeschooled children.
I was so pleased to receive a call from Dr. V, the psychologist for our local school district. I explained to her our concerns and she suggested we request an evaluation with the local public school which would be free and could give us some valuable information. So I quickly did just that- sent in our paperwork and within a few weeks we were headed in for our first evaluation with Dr. M- the psychologist for our local public school.
She was great!! So easy to talk to and Elijah warmed up to her immediately. She put him through a few hours of academic, speech, hearing, and vision testing, most of which he did very well with. She then set up a follow up evaluation for autism spectrum disorder which would be conducted later on in the summer.
Late July the autism spectrum disorder evaluation was given and our very first IEP meeting was scheduled. Two weeks before public school started in our area, my husband and I made the difficult decision to put our two children in public school for this year, rather than homeschooling. The decision was based on the fact that we needed support to find out how best to educate Elijah, the understanding that our little princess desperately wanted to attend kindergarten like her best cousin friend, Lily, and that I was needing to get a job due to our very unstable financial situation.
So we enrolled them and they began August 20th. The first two weeks went relatively smoothly- we were still waiting for our first IEP meeting which was to be held two weeks after school started. At that first meeting we found out that our little guy did very well in most of his testing and evaluations, but that he did fall in the realm of PDD-NOS which is a part of the autism spectrum as well as his previously diagnosed ADHD.
BUT- due to his great teacher in school and his amazingly smooth adaption to the school schedule, it was decided that we would hold off on creating an actual IEP for him at that time. He was showing such progress that the team felt that it was not needed. I was a bit skeptical due to my knowledge of my little guy and his variable emotional state, but I conceded for a time.
Well- since that meeting things have been getting a bit tougher for Elijah- some of his more frustrating attributes have begun to resurface and he has actually spend one day in suspension from school for making a really bad decision. We have since had another IEP which was a great starting point for us, but did not give us enough time to make all the necessary decisions, so we have another meeting scheduled for October 20.
So... it's been a long hard road and we have really just begun. BUT- we have made the decision that we will reconsider homeschooling next year, depending on how the remainder of this year goes and on our ability to move out to Blythewood, which is where we really want to be.
On a really good note, Elijah began taking karate at a new studio at the beginning of August- Samurai Karate Studio- and he is doing fantastically. He loves his Sensai and he is progressing so well.
On another really good note, our little princess, Abryanna, is doing exceptionally well in school- is actually one of the top four learners in her class and has been accepted into a gifted program for kindergartners. She is also continuing to excel at dance which is her passion at 5 years old. It is so enjoyable to watch her do something she enjoys so much!!
So that brings us up to date... for now. We'll keep updating the story of Elijah's journey as we take it step by step.
That's it for now!!
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