Preparing for an Evaluation - Gathering Phase

First we had our second IFSP meeting about six months after the first. Shortly thereafter we had our transition meeting to talk about the steps necessary to transition from early intervention services to the evaluation necessary to see if Ava will qualify for services from the school district.

The evaluation is supposed to take place within three months of the transition meeting and the IEP meeting (if one is necessary) should be held within 30 days of the evaluation. So a clock is ticking. Before the evaluation is held, the evaluation team has to gather a lot of information. They get information from Ava's school (her current daycare teachers). They get information from her early intervention speech therapist and occupational therapist. They get information from the Parents as Teachers program about the screenings they've done. At the transition meeting I signed a lot of forms authorizing the release of information from one person or organization to the school district so that they can begin to gather all of that information.

Of course, nothing ever goes easily and smoothly. They need to know one very simple piece of information. They want to know if Ava can hear. We know she can. When they put the tubes in her ears they did an ABR when she was still under sedation and she passed. I need to find that paperwork and get it to the school district. The ENT's office says that the hospital will have those records. So, I called the hospital and they won't even tell me if they have the information I want until I sign a release form. The release form that I got in the mail today lists several types of information I could be requesting, but the results of a hearing test is not on the form. What a pain. I just need a person to look at a folder and tell me that they have that piece of paper. Then I need to give them permission to send a copy of that piece of paper to someone else. I haven't figured out how to accomplish that yet.

I'm half tempted to just ask the Parents as Teachers program to re-screen her hearing and send that paperwork to the school district rather that try to figure out how to get the hospital to give me what I want. However, knowing my daughter, that wouldn't be simple either. It's always something isn't it?

Celebrating a Change in Routine

Our guests are here. Because they are very generous and wonderful people, my mom and her sisters volunteered to watch the children yesterday so that my husband and I could take my cousin somewhere without taking two small children along and needing to stop for a nap midday. We decided to go to Six Flags (which is only 20 minutes away). We hadn't been to Six Flags this season. On top of that, we hadn't been to Six Flags without young children in years. We all had a blast and came home exhausted, but happy. The children spent the night at my parents' house, and so we were able to stay at the park until it closed and then come home and stay up late watching television and playing games because we knew we could sleep in the next day. It was a wonderful change of routine and a great way to kick off the week.

What Can You Do With Stale Froot Loops? Part 2

Yesterday we finally found time for experimenting with the leftover crushed Froot Loops. The children loved it. They told me what to make with the glue and then chose the color they wanted to work with and spooned the crushed Froot Loops onto the glue pattern. I shook the extra back into the bowl and voila: pretty vibrant shapes and letters that the children loved and were proud of. We can definitely do this again several more times. Next time I'd like to do simple pictures like flowers or a house. The time after that I'll try something more abstract with lots and lots of glue. The time after that maybe I'll risk the mess and just hand them the glue bottle to use themselves. It really was great fun.