God is in control

Its here. The dreaded day has finally arrived - Kaycee's very large IEP meeting.

For those of you not familiar with the special education world - IEP - Individualized Education Program - a plan developed just for one specific child, with specific goals, accommodations and modifications.

This is a continuation of one that took place about three weeks ago.

This time the BIG GUNS are out. I mean the really big guns.

Here is the very long, drawn out story, hopefully in a large nut shell.

We are in a small district that does not have special services in our school, we share them all with other schools in a things called a Board of Cooperative Education Services, BOCES.

The BOCES people, think Kaycee's needs: using sign language, improving her expressive language level from about a 14 month old, not being able to communicate effectively, even for a three year old, can be met in a regular education classroom.

In a regular classroom, where 50% of her language would not be recognized. (About 50% of her language is currently sign language.) Where only 50% of the instruction she would be getting would be comprehended by Kaycee, where there are no other children like Kaycee, and where the teacher can only understand about 20% of what Kaycee is trying to say.

Even before we mention the law, does any of that sound right?

Now lets talk law - besides all of the "little" details (not testing at the right time, not giving us the correct amount of time when a meeting has been called, not having our teacher of the deaf there, when she is the only one that has worked with Kaycee as a teacher, etc etc etc) they are not working within the Deaf and hard of hearing child's bill of rights.

It states there that all hard of hearing/deaf (hoh/d) are required to have access to like peers (other hearing impaired children), and are required to be taught in their own language by a fluent person (fluent in ASL and English). The placements they have offered are good ones, but not for a child that has a hearing impairment.

Would it be different if she had been with us from birth? Would it be different if she had been aided from the time she was about 4 months old?

Yes.

She has only been hearing sounds for a year. She is still learning how to hear...imagine having to learn how to hear...

Which direction was that sound from?

Did I need to pay attention to that sound?

Why does mom's voice sound different from just a little while ago? (difference between when mom is happy with me and when she is upset with me)

What was that beeping sound in the kitchen?

Etc....

There is so much to it. More than these experts think there is.

(I was told that having been adopted at 21 months of age really has nothing to do with anything and that the fact that all she heard for the first 21 months of age was very garbled Chinese, means nothing.) Hhhmmmm, I wonder what research says...I know what it says. It says that language development in the first three years of life is the most vital time for rich language acquisition.

I need to stop...I need to work on Kaycee's communication plan for tomorrow.

And I need to pray. I need to give it to God. He is the one in control...