Getting better, but....

[TeDo]

Things with difficult child are getting somewhat better at home. I have been able to get him to make up all of his late homework without too much of a fuss. There are times when I can tell he is yelling and arguing because he is stressed/anxious so I make sure to tell him the things he is doing well. His defiance about coming home from playing is still an issue but not as bad as it was for a while. I simply remind him that if he isn't home when I tell him to be, he will be grounded the next day. I even explain that the reason for the grounding is because if I can't trust him to come home when I tell him, then I'm just not going to let him leave the house so it won't be an issue. The problem with the SD is getting a little better too. They are trying some of my ideas and they are working, imagine that. They have gone back to following his current IEP (we have an annual IEP meeting in two weeks). The issue they are still struggling with is getting work done in class. If it requires a lot of writing, he tells them that he wants me to help him (he dictates, I write) and refuses to work during class time. Another part of this is that then he forgets to bring it home. I stop in once a week to look through his locker for missing work and ask the teachers for another copy of missing stuff I can't find in his locker. They are all willing to do this and all, except one, are even willing to let him turn it in late without docking points for being late. His grades have gone from D's and F's back up to B's and some C's. Up until this year, he has been straight B's with some A's. He gets very stressed and shuts down if there is writing involved. Will have to start my list of supports/helps I would like for difficult child for this IEP. I am expecting a battle although a small one. We also have a medication check this week and if I remember correctly, there was some "wiggle room" in his dosages because he has gained "some" weight. Could be an interesting next 2 weeks.

Thanks everyone for all your support and suggestions. I can't believe this board has been such a help. You are all wonderful!

 

[Bunny]

That is great to hear. I hope that all goes well when you have IEP meeting.

Pam

 

[TiredSoul]

Can't he have some kind of assistive technology to use instead of writing? A laptop or notebook for taking notes and doing assignments in class? Can you have the teacher automatically send home (email) his assignments so he can't "forget them"? Is his resistance to writing a physical thing, or is it that he can't get his thoughts down on paper?

 

[TeDo]

He has a "writer" (keyboard with jump drive) for taking notes every day in class and a program that puts his spoken words into written sentences that he can only use 20 minutes twice a day (when his SpEd teacher can work with him). There is nothing he can use (that I know of) to complete pre-printed worksheets that the teachers have students work on in class. I'm not sure where the trouble lies. I know an Occupational Therapist (OT) recently evaluated his writing abilities which I will get the results from next week sometime. I also asked that they conduct a DEWS evaluation (a test for Disorder of Written Expression) but they said they don't have access to that test and have no idea how to test that. There are times that making up a story is nearly impossible for him even when I am writing for him. Other times, if it is something he knows a lot about or can relate to, it comes easily. Cooperation from teachers is sometimes difficult to get. I am lucky if I get responses to emails wondering if he handed something in that I know he completed. I don't know how else to get the work except to go there and get the work from them. I don't want to be too much of a pest so I only go once a week. This IEP meeting should be interesting because I really want him to have a 1:1 for the writing issues as well as appropriate behavior in class. The problem has been that the principal and SpEd teacher keep telling me there is nothing in the evaluations that indicate it's needed. He's being kicked out of class for not working or being inappropriate so if nothing else, he should qualify for a 1:1 for behavior.