I met with the school this morning to go over Elliott’s IEP. We discussed where Elliott is and what he needs help with. We spoke about my personal goals for Elliott future.
As it turns out, Elliott is doing extremely well. He’s either at or exceeding what he should be doing and that’s so good to hear.
I’m not really surprised by hearing all these positive things about Elliott and I’m filled with pride.
The one thing that he really needs to work on is his writing. He still transposes certain letter and numbers. It not dyslexia but he has this need to write his letters from the bottom up, instead of top to bottom.
His teachers think that’s what’s causing the confusion for him.
He is however, resistant to changing this and so this will require some work.
Lizze and I wanted to know if they felt that Elliott was in the right school or if he should be mainstreamed.
The answer I heard also led to discussing something else of concern with Elliott.
His teachers were very honest with me when they answered. They said that they always feel really good when a student is able to transition to a more mainstream environment because they’ve succeeded in helping that child.
Having said that, in Elliott’s case, he’s in the right place. The reason for this is because of Elliott’s emotional stability.
They are coming cerned that Elliott would fall through the cracks in a much bigger classroom environment. Academically, he would do well. The concern centers around his anxiety and basically how sad and stressed out he is.
They mentioned how hard he’s taking this whole thing with Gavin. He’s been talking to his teachers about it, which is good to hear.
They said that they can see the sadness sorta overtake him at times and he will quietly walk up to her and ask for a hug. Can you say heartbreaking?
As much as it hurt me to know how much he’s hurting. I so glad that he’s opening up to his teachers and they’re helping him through this.
The only other thing they mentioned was that since he started his ADHD meds, he’s significantly more anxious. This could be a number of things. It could be a side effect, it could be that anxiety is coming through more since he’s not as active and more focused. It could also be the whole Gavin thing or some combination of both.
It’s something that we are going to speak to Dr. Reynolds about this.
I was in and out in under 30 minutes and didn’t have to fight for anything. Have I said how much I love Summit Academy?
They make the IEP, quick and painless.
Hopefully you're able to find a balance for him between anxiety and adhd treatments. I have both and adhd medications make my anxiety worse so eventually my psychiatrist told me that we needed to medicate one or the other because adhd meds are "uppers" and anxiety meds are "downers" so if you take both they just counteract each other. Seems how I'm not in school anymore I can "deal" with the adhd better than I can handle having my anxiety worsened by the meds so I just don't medicate for it but that's obviously not a very good solution.
@EmilyReviewsCom thanks 🙂
Awesome to here how well he's doing with his grades. Have you heard of Spaulding Reading? My son's school teaches it and they teach kids the correct way to write their letters using songs with directions (ie, Start at the top and go to the left, etc.). He has PANDAS and struggles with focus, but is learning his letters and numbers so easily with this method.
I am sorry to hear about Elliot's struggles. My son with autism has similar struggles with the anxiety and other feelings overwhelming him. A sensory vest in addition to hugs really helps him. Could you have him do Skype talks with Gavin sometime (supervised, of course) when your oldest seems to be in a pretty good place? That might help his sadness. Of course I am aware of the risks with Gavin's RAD and the things he sometimes does, so that could be tricky. Hoping Elliot cheers up soon.
It is good to hear Elliott is doing well in class. If he has a chance to go mainstream, plan this for him. I think every kid has potential. I had my daughter (IEP for her slight hearing loss) move from a deaf/hard of hearing classroom to a mainstream class when she started Kindergarten. There was a concern for her ability to hear the teacher well, but it was all resolved and she is at the top of her 2nd grade class. She does not take any medication like her brother who is autistic, but what helps her get through stressful days is lending an ear and helping her solve problems.
For Eliott, the ADHD meds should be monitored carefully with other drugs he has to take. For example, be careful giving him cold medicines (phenylephrine). Anxiety could arise from giving a stimulant and this together. Check interactions between all the drugs he takes and the ADHD stimulant with your pharmacy, Dr. Reynolds, or an internet website for consumers and professionals. Check WebMD.com or Medscape.com. A good link to read is at   ;http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/912633-medication. You will have to register at their site, but it's free. You can get lots of info there to discuss with Dr. Reynolds.
Sorry…Elliott w two t's.
I'm so happy you feel comfortable with Elliot's placement and that he's so successful. 1 /2 hour IEP? we can barely get through introductions. I love hearing your good news. High five to Elliot.
@Mary Franzen Costello thanks. I'll pass that along.