So i am trying to figure out (and by all means if you have allready figured it out...please enlighten me!) why schools have to make things SO difficult for children with certain disabilities to learn. As most of you know Zach was diagnosed with ADD (attention deficit disorder) a few years ago...he has done fine (with medication) up until this year, he started to really struggle in school, getting D's and F's. He was devastated to see those grades! so we went to his teacher to try and figure some things out...to help Zach and to be sure that she understood the extend of issues that kids with ADD have...She was great *on paper* about making certain accomidations for him...easy ones....like moving him to the front of the classroom near her desk...shortening homework assignments and tests...etc. Of course none of this actually happened...and in the mean time we took him to see a Psycologist to see if his diagnosis is really what it is...Yes, it is...and then some. Not only does he have ADD he is ADHD (attention deficit hyperactive disorder) which we were not suprised at all, Zach is an awesome kid, very kind, compassionate and mostly happy. He is also somtimes very emotional, antagonistic and alot of times spacey! (only when he doesnt take his meds and is in certain environments) anyway longer story short it was reccomended that we seek an IEP (individual education plan) for him. We ended up in the principals office in a meeting with his teacher and principal to come up with a plan to help zach. We finally have a legal binding document that requires the school to make certain accomidations (all the ones we originally requested as well as others...) for him with out segrigating him or making him feel different. He doesnt need special education, he just needs a little extra help and attention...i am certianly not entirely pleased with his teacher this year, She seems to have good intentions but doesnt follow through, Which is absolutly imperative with kids with ADD/ADHD.
anyway...i guess i am "THAT MOM" at the school here...the one they hate to see coming...but i will forever be "that mom" when it comes to my kids...because they are the most important...and if i dont fight for them WHO will? just on a footnote...Ty has recently been diagnosed with ADHD , OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) and anxiety issues...the fun times get better!!
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Sorry to hear the school have turned you into THAT mom. but your kids are lucky to have you. Sorry you are dealing with all that. I have friends that dealt with that for years until their last move and their kids were properly diagnosed. One has aspbergers, the other is ADHD, and OCD... hang in there
You have always been THAT mom even before you realized it. You've taken care of your little kidlets as well as your brother and sisters. Heaven help ANYBODY that disrupts the well-being of someone you love. That is one of the many things I love about you. You don't back down. March on little mama!
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