Meeting with the School

Since Miles was diagnosed with autism and we had all evaluations to see what is next for our amazing son. We needed to call a meeting with the IEP team at the school to see where was next for Miles.  I went in hoping that we were going to be removed from his current preschool to the autistic preschool where he is able to get his ABA therapy he needs. My husband couldn't take off for it as we have a funeral this week as well. But my mom made it work and was able to input in much needed info to get the school on track. 

What we found out about Miles at the meeting is:

1. Miles has a Autism Specialist now evaluating him in the classroom. She is using VB-MAPP and another program to see what goals he needs at this moment. Also to set up his ABA therapy...

2. OT therapist is now Officially evaluating him seeing all the into we got from Children's OT therapist. 

3. Miles is smarter then everyone in his class which makes him extremely smarter then the autistic preschool kids. 

4. Speech loves how far he has come over the summer. Also started visual schedule in the classroom which they are seeing awesome progress from. 

5. Miles is reading to learn how to read. 

6. He past all of his IEP educational goals. He needed to know his colors and shapes. Which he is now surpassed. 

So, where does that lay us. It leaves Miles in a really weird place since educational wise he is passed everyone in preschool. But socially he needs a lot of help as well as social. Though he is trying to play with others now. We called for a new evaluation to see if his placement in the school is the right one. So he is going to be evaluated yet again with speech, OT, and VB-MAPP. Then we will have another IEP meeting to see where he is at and what his new goals need to be. His teacher is even helping me make an visual schedule at home to use. Miles loves using it and it helps him transition which he has huge problems with. 

They are still not seeing behaviors in the classroom yet but I am seeing them at home big time. The teacher and autistic specialist is going to put lots of sensory activities through the class for Miles to help his sensory craving ease. 

                                                       -Kendra 

Autism at Pro Baseball Game

So, we had the pleasure to take our kids to their first baseball game. I was excited for the kids to experience their first game, but a part of me was super nervous on how well Miles was going to handle being in one spot for a long time, the crowds, and the energy of the game. Well, so I started to prepare him and myself with what we need to do to accomplish the game. We made it a goal to say that we will leave if things turn for the worst. So, let me share some of our tips.

1. Be prepare to leave 
   We made it a goal to leave when things start turning dicey. We even told my daughter that anytime we could just leave the game. The goal was to have fun not have the worst experience of our lives. We were going to leave on a good note.

2. Baseball Cap, sunglasses, or a hoodie
    For Miles the baseball cap helps block out other things going on around him. He also uses sunglasses and hoodies at times. Though he just used the baseball cap to help him pull away when he needed it.

3. Call the stadium before hand. 
      I did research before the game of things that we can bring inside to if they have any procedures for children/special needs. We were in luck to find out that they have a special protocol for children. They have where the kids get a bracelet with their parents phone number as well as their seat. So we made sure to stop by there first.

4. Special Snacks and Drinks
    We brought different snacks and drinks that my kids don't normally get. They loved it and had a blast.

5. Have Fun and Take Lots of Pictures
    We had so much fun not worrying about anything. When my husband went to get some things from the food line. He took my son with him so that he can walk and get some movement. The attendents were awesome and helped us down the stairs. We also took lots of pictures so remind him of what fun we had as a family.

Miles First Day of Preschool

Miles started Preschool on Monday of this week. We have been prepping him since July 1st that school was coming back. By the time we were getting ready for school he was so excited to go. He shot out of bed and he was ready to go. He had a huge smile on his face the whole time. Which was awesome. He got on his new bus...

When he got home he told me he missed me which made me happy to hear. I was glad to see the great report. We did have a huge meltdown that night with him but we made it by. I can't believe we have one more year of pre-school after this.