Third Grade

Abby girls is winding up her year as a third grader. All in all this year was a big success. She had her usual ups and down socially. She is still very impulsive, so that gets her in trouble sometimes. Academically she has flourished! She is reading above a fifth grade level, her stories as so imaginative and thorough. She was eligible for the highest math group for next year, although we thought the pressure might be too much so we bumped her down one.

She continues working with her occupational therapist on things like her struggles with penmanship, cutting, tying her shoes and buckles. I think time will probably heal those things best but she remains firm in her practice. Her physical therapist is the same woman since Abby was 3 and she is just an angel. She understands all about RS and how it impacts her motor function. She has brought Abby so far!

Third grade proved to be a wonderful year. When I think of her entire year, her RS almost never was a true issue. I never thought I would be able to say that. Yes she is in inclusion. Yes she has some issues that she has to overcome. What's bigger is that her diagnosis did NOT hold her back. It was not the exclamation at the end of her sentence. No one looked at her and asked what makes her different. She is just Abby.

Second Grade

So far our experience with second grade has been a remarkable difference from first grade. Last year brought behavioral outbursts, trips to the principals office (more than once), fighting with classmates and a downright awful experience for all of us.

Second grade... not one outburst. New friends. Listening to her teacher. Excelling in her academics. Where was this Abby last year??? We could not be more pleased! Today was the girls conference and I got hear how smart and well behaved and sweet she was. Was a difference a year makes!

She is reading at a fifth grade level and her math skills are in the top five percent of the class! We are just praying this continues!

And one more awesome detail. For the first time in her life she was able to WALK THE ENTIRE TIME when we went trick-or-treating as a family. Progress!!!

Posted by Kristen Fescoe

A Kindergarten Retrospective

She is almost done. T-Minus five school days and counting. Rewind back to September and you will see a nervous, anxious mess of a Mom wondering what this year would hold. Yes, she had two years of preschool and yes she did awesome but a full day? How would she handle it???

The answer: with style and grace!

She was lucky enough to get teacher who "get" her. She is surrounded by OT's and PT's and aides that have known her since she was 3. Her teacher was a rock star and her classroom aides were amazing. I could never have predicted how well she would do. She made friends. She learned so much I can't even begin to say. She explored and experimented and went outside her comfort zone.

Her therapists did amazing work with her too this year. She is sturdier and stronger than we ever thought she could be. When we go on outings we rarely have to take her buggy!

I'm am sitting here in complete awe of my girls and the people who made her an amazing almost six year old. 

Flashing back (to the flashback ;D) to September... I remember thinking to myself "I am so sad that for half of her waking hours she will be with SOMEONE OTHER THAN ME. Who will hug her when she falls? Who will rub her legs when they ache? Who will tell her it's okay when she hits her head"?

But she had people for that. Amazing, caring, loving people who took care of her like I would. They understood her and loved her in a way I couldn't have imagined. I am incredibly grateful!

Posted by Kristen Fescoe

Hi Mrs. Fescoe, It's Abby's teacher...

Not exactly the voicemail I wanted to receive on a rainy Monday afternoon...

I came back in the house, drenched, and noticed that I had a voicemail. I put it off a few minutes since Abby came home wild, saying she "accidentally cried" at school and her face was blotchy, red and puffy. I didn't get much info out of her so I decided to give her a half an hour to rest and then revisit what had happened.

That's when I picked up the voicemail. I heard "Hi Mrs. Fescoe, it's Mrs. F.... Abby's teacher. I wanted to talk to you about a couple of things. {GULP} First there are a few birthdays coming up and I wanted to give you dates to send in vegan snacks for her {SIGH OF RELIEF}. Second, I wanted to see how her doctors appointments went {SECOND SIGH}. And I also wanted to talk to you about some behavior we are seeing. {SHIT!}

She did some brief explaining but I hung up the voicemail, called her back and prayed I would catch her before she left. I didn't see myself sleeping well if it had to wait until tomorrow. I lucked out and did catch her.

We went through the pleasantries, the party dates, the doctors visits... then got down to business. It seems my previously "model student" has escalated significantly. Meltdowns, temper, screaming, throwing things, obsessing over people and things, perseverating, singing inappropriately, being loud... you name it. I wish I could say I was surprised but we have been here before. In preschool we had to meet with the behaviorist and her OT to completely revamp Abby's behaviors and sensory plan because she was so out of control. Seems we are back to square one.

It's just so frustrating sometimes. I am not naive. I know that raising a child who is "different" will always be chock full of issues. It's because the "issues" have a tendency to ebb and flow that we become the most frustrated. There are times when things are good; her balance seems better, we have no significant falls, her behavior is great, etc. In those moments we *almost* forget that she has lifelong "issues". Because of that we sometimes feel blindsided when it falls apart.

I am not sure how, after almost six years of dealing with these ebbs and flows, we can still manage to be blindsided. Maybe it's my eternal optimism? Maybe it's self preservation? Maybe it's stupidity? I'm not sure but it sure as hell is hard!

So now we will be revamping her sensory/OT plan and it looks like the behavioral specialist will be called in. I am guessing her developmental pediatrician will want to get in on the planning and I am sure there will be another push for meds. Not sure what the outcome will be but I realize we're lucky to already have a team in place.


Posted by Kristen Fescoe

Stupid Friend

One of the less talked about parts of Rhombencephalosynapsis is the social aspects. I think this is an area that vary greatly from RS kid to RS kid. But from talking to other parents I think this is an issue for many RS families. Many kids with RS have social skills that may be lacking. For Abby this is definitely the case.

In preschool one of her primary IEP goals was to make and keep 1 friend. (Can I tell you how sad this was as a parent???) She is usually the kid, in a group setting, who either hangs by herself or finds the nearest grown up to talk to. She will play alongside others but rarely with them. Even when Grace is playing with a group and invites Abby in she will stick to herself. The only person she really played well with until recently was Grace.

In four-year-old preschool she did a little better. I think the small class size (7) and familiarity (all the same kids as 3-year-old preschool) helped quite a bit. She was able to make friends and play with others. It was great progress. That being said when she meets new people it is usually a debacle. She will often have inappropriate interactions. It can be anything from avoiding a person and not responding to them to more overt responses like making rude comments, being mean, becoming oddly obsessed with people, etc. We always say that Abby lacks her "social filter". That little voice inside your head that helps you figure out what to say and what not to say is missing in her brain.

This year she has had the opportunity to make friends in her new class. She is in a multiple disability kinderclass so the kids are less "challenging" for her. Her best friend is Tori. Tori uses a walker and is the first kid Abby has encountered who is slower than her. I think that is a draw for Abby. Being able to relate to her socially and not worry about keeping up with her physically is a game changer. She simply adores Tori. She talks about her non-stop and just loves her to pieces.

Unfortunately her adoration can be a little much. Because she lacks that social filter she can often go way over the top. Tori doing something an inane as choosing to play with someone else can be a personal affront to Abby's social sensibilities. This week when Tori chose to play at a different "center" than Abby, Abby called her a stupid friend and started to wail. I feel so blessed that her teachers know exactly how to handle her. But it still makes me sad.

We live in a social world full of social beings. Parenting a child who struggles with the most basic social situations (like meeting someone new) is hard. You spend half your time explaining her "odd" behavior to people who really don't want to even try to understand. I also fear for her later years. Being a teenager is awkward enough. Being a teenager with physical and social issues could be excruciating. We just choose to take it one day at a time. One social interaction at a time. Plus, we pray... A LOT. :D

Posted by Kristen Fescoe

To my sweet tiny girl

Dear Abby,

Tomorrow morning I send you off to your second week of school. I send you off for over seven hours every single day knowing that you smile when you leave but you cry while you're there. I send you knowing that being there all day long is exhausting you both mentally and physically. When you come home and tell me "I only cried once today Mommy" I smile from ear to ear and tell you I'm proud... on the inside I am sobbing. I HATE that I have to send you away from me all day. I HATE that you have this thing, this stupid diagnosis, that takes you away from me.

I wish your life was easier. I wish, like most parents, I could send you off for three hours each day and you could have a "normal" kindergarten experience. I hate not knowing whether I made the right decision to agree to a full day, special needs kindergarten. I hate that I am not with you to hold your hand when you cry. I hate that someone names "Mrs. Swanson", who I have never even met, wipes your tears away. I hate every single minute of it.

I think the hardest part, my dear girl, is how well you handle it. The fact that you never complain. The fact that you never say you hate school or don't want to go back. It's the fact that you just gut it out and deal with it in your own way that kills me a little. As much as I don't want you to cry or be upset I wish I could be the one hugging you when you are sad about it.

I know that this is for the best. You are getting the best education that we can possibly give you. You are in the best hands right now. But somehow that doesn't make it any easier. I pray that time makes this whole thing easier. I hope that you fall in love with your class, your classmates and your teachers. I look forward to the day when school is one of your favorite places to be. I just hope that day comes soon.

I Love You,

Mommy

Poor baby girl

My super trooper has gone (very quickly) for adoring school to hating it. She has voiced some concerns about being tired and going all day. She has said that she misses me a lot. Well... last night at 1:30 I heard her sobbing on the monitor. She does that when she has a leg cramp so I poked my head in to tell her I was grabbing tylenol and gatorade and she choked out "I don't wanna go to school tomorrow". I wanted to bawl along with her.

We weren't sold on the idea of full day kindergarten to begin with. It's a VERY long day for a kid like Abby who tires easily. She had been doing so well we figured it was the right move. Now, I just don't know...

We're not doing anything imminently. We have to see if it just the transition and if it gets better. We can't make any big moves right now. It just sucks to see her so sad. She cried ALL MORNING getting ready. Everything from not wanting to be away from me to saying she would be embarrassed to cry. It broke my heart. We did this all last year with Grace so you'd think it would be easier.

She reluctantly got on the bus crying her tiny little eyes out. I wanted to grab her off the bus and take her home. This sucks! Hoping she at least had a good day when she got there. Probably won't hurt that I went to Target while she was at school to buy her like five treats (which I don't ever do!). :D

Feeding Issues and the Public School System

Abby has a two fold dietary issue. The first part is that she is severely allergic to eggs, milk, tree nuts and blueberries. Not only can't she eat them but she also can't touch them. The second part is the more traditional RS feeding issues. She tends to overstuff her mouth, forgets to chew, makes a giant mess, flaps when she eats, has trouble with certain textures, has a weak suck, etc.

Most of the children in our school system buy their lunch but because of her issues that isn't an option. One of the things that stressed me out all summer was how was Abby going to do with eating at school? At home and in preschool someone sits with her at all times when she eats. The fact that she is a big mess maker pales in comparison to the fear of her choking. What I don't know and still can't get an answer to is how closely is she being monitored when she eats?

I decided to shell out the big bucks for the Planetbox lunch system. It is easy enough that even with her poor motor skills, weak hand muscles and lousy hand eye coordination she can still open it pretty much by herself. It also allows me to pack her foods specifically so she is safe. It cost us almost $70 but if we were buying lunch it would probably take us all of two months or so to be at that cost. So well worth it for us. I just pray that it is enough to keep her fed and safe!

Kindergarten ... Day Two

So far so good. There have been minimal tears and not a lot of drama. Day one was a cake walk which was not what I expected. I thought out of the two of them SOMEONE would be in hysterics by the time the bus rolled up. Not the case. Then I thought maybe they were saving that fun for day two. Again, nope! I am thrilled about that.

The things I am not thrilled about...

1. I have written two notes to the teacher and one e-mail and gotten NO RESPONSE! I feel like since she is there full day and is only five having open communication isn't asking for a lot. That leaves me a little cold.

2. She has told me that she has cried a couple of times about missing Grace and I. And she says she has cried to the point that they had to "take a walk". I wish I knew exactly what is going on. Again... nothing from school.

3. She is not getting the rest period mid-day that I was assured the class would get. By the time she comes home she can't keep from flapping, spinning and head rolling for the rest of the day.

I guess it could be a heck of a lot worse. She is navigating the bus with little problem and I was very fearful of the bus. She seems to be doing okay with the lunch situation there (I send her lunch because of her allergies). Next week is Back To School night so I am VERY anxious to get to meet her teacher and get the "deets".

Back to school

Tomorrow Abby goes back to school. She starts kindergarten and this year she will be in the MDK which stands for Multiple Disabilities Kindergarten. It makes me a little sad that she needs this "labeling" but I do know that she needs the extra support and therapy this classroom will provide.

Unlike many schools we send our children back without having had an open house, back to school night or meet-and-greet. Our first chance to meet the girls kinder teachers will be next week. So I send my little girl with all of her needs and issues and eccentricities with no way to "warn" her teachers. I want to pin post it notes all over her and explain how she can easily pitch over and fall if she is in a chair with no arms. I want to explain that she metabolizes her food too fast and will be hungry every two hours. I want to make sure they know that if she starts to roll her head uncontrollably she needs to rest whether she thinks she does or not. It scares the hell out of me.

Sending her out into the world scares me like crazy. At home I can protect her or slow her down or remind her how to do things safely. Who is reminding he when I am not there? (and all I can say is amen to our school only being one story!!)

So tomorrow I load her onto the REGULAR school bus full of "typical" kids and hope and pray for the best. I pray her teachers protect her and "get" her and understand her. I pray that Grace is enough to help her on and off the bus in the am. I pray for a minimal amount of bumps and bruises. I just pray she'll be ok.

Is it the right fit?

I posted this on my other blog so if you read both you can skip this one.

When your child is starting school you worry about so much. Will they be lonely? Will they miss me? Will they like the teacher? Will they like their classmates? You don't typically think about things like what kind of population they will be with. With Abby that is a huge concern for us. When we look at her we see "normal". I am sure plenty of people would look at her and disagree but to us she is just Abby. When we see the kids she will be in class with it is hard. We don't see her as belonging to this special population. I don't think any parent sees their kid this way.

We have asked ourselves over and over "will she fit in"? Not in the traditional sense of how will she get along with her peers but in the sense of "will she be the highest functioning kid? In the middle? We know she isn't the lowest. But will she "belong"???

We have listened to our guts and our heads and our hearts and we still feel a little lost. In the end we listened to the school. They felt strongly about her placement and we are trusting them. We just pray that they are right and even more importantly if they aren't right will they admit their wrong and put her where she belongs.

Right about now I wish we could just be dealing with the run of the mill pre-kindergarten sadness...

Another thought on accommodations

Written by Heidi:


Our Accommodations
(working off Kris's thoughts)

Unlike Abby, Ethan is not to far behind on stature so our accommodations aren't the same. He is also a year older and I hate to say it, but boys due tend to be stronger and I wonder if this can make a difference in the RS world. So we have made the decision to make fewer accommodations for him.
(After reading Kristen's blog I may sound mean :-( )

We choose to try to have him develop his skills without much aide in hopes that he would not feel the frustration when he was not in our “home” environment. He too struggles with hanging up a hand towel, more so because of balance issues than stature. It sure takes some midline coordination to do this. Many times I find it on the ledge of the sink. My thoughts, I'm so glad he used it! It means he washed his hands :-)

I actually never thought to add the extra handrail on the stairs that one I would of liked. It may have been a blessing in disguise however, as I'm sure his older brother would of found a way to wedge and slide the cats down between them.

This brings up another thought, how much effect is there because Ethan is a second born and Abby part of a first set. Could this be why we choose to not accommodate too much for him? You have to take in consideration that you cannot change the older siblings life too much. They are already going through their own issues with having the new kid on the block being "special". Travis also had 6 1/2 years as an only child. He was the "special" one. Come to find out "special" doesn't mean the same to a kid as it does to us adults regardless if the word needs is followed by it.

Now that's not to say we didn't make some changes. We still have the bumper pads around the fireplace. ALL around it as it is slate. this has saved more heads then just Ethan's. We also added handicap rails in the boys bath with a great horizontal low one on the back wall he can grab to get in and out ....we do however have to remind him to use it! Sigh...we also still have a special stroller. We did use a gate at the top of the stairs for a while so as he ran around up there he didn't trip and go head first down. Now it’s just used to keep the dog out of trouble at night. We no longer need a helmet! :-) :-) :-)

School has also made their own accommodations for Ethan. Once you add a crew of youngsters together the level of safety rises. He rides the special needs bus, at least for one more year. They use to have a chair with arms on it (no longer needed), he does have to wear his helmet at recess and PE, but hopefully just this one more school year also. He either has to be in front of a line or last to avoid tripping and falling when navigating through the halls.

Other then those we haven't changed much in our house.

In that vain...

I thought I would piggy back on Heidi's post from earlier this week. Figuring out schedules is a difficult part of parenting an RS child. With most kids you are scheduling around when they will/might be tired. You have to build "down time" into your day. You have extra therapy and doctors visits on a regular basis. You also have to build extra time in to your day for coming and going as RS kids often need more time and accomodations to do "normal" things. School is no exception.

Next year Abby will be in a full day kindergarten. The school district we live in is incredible so it's a program that most people would drool over. She gets all of her PT and OT services right at school on a regular basis. She gets a one on one aide (when she needs it) and gets art, music, computers, library, etc. in addition to the basic kindergarten curriculum. The biggest concern I have (other than being apart from her ALL DAY LONG) is how she will fare physically with such a demanding day. I figure that by the time she gets home she will be an exhausted mess.

The school assures me that plenty of down time is built into the school day but I still wonder. Other issues will arise throughout the year when we have to schedule doctors visits, assessments, etc. but she will likely just miss a fair amount of days. Because she will be there full day I think a few days missed might be okay for her.

But still I worry. Is it too much for her? Does she need a full day program? Should I have gone against their recommendation and put her in the half day integrated class with Grace? Was this the right move? I am trying to remind myself not to second guess my decisions and trust the school but that sure isn't easy!

Schedules and School

Posted by Heidi



Going into this past school year, we knew trying to work out Ethan's schedule was going to be tough. As any RS mom knows you need to be one step ahead of the process and I mean this physically and literally! So this time last year I started planning for his first "official" year of school.

The first issue to deal with was timing. We live in the sub-division where our kindergarteners go to afternoon kindergarten. I knew this would not work for Ethan for a few reasons. He tends to get more off balance as the day goes on and I did not want this to become an issue in school. He also has a ton of his annual appointments in the fall (because his birthday is in August) and we have to wait after that due to the evil insurance gods and their rules (another story for another day ;D). Most of his specialist like to make appointments in the afternoon due to they do surgeries in the morning. So am class would mean missed school.

The next issue was that I needed to plan his weekly OT and PT. This has to fit into my day off. Since I have to fit it into one day I was able to get back-to-back appointments BUT only in the afternoon. I knew that having 2 hours of therapy in the morning and then going to school would be rough on him.

So I had to petition the school starting in April to have him switched to am kindergarten. I went ahead and scheduled all those appointments in advance in hopes that it was granted. Thankfully it was and due to such advance scheduling Ethan will now receive a perfect attendance reward on June 11th. This is quite an achievement for any child but for one that has all that goes on in his life I am proud of him (And ME!!)

We try so hard as RS parents to give them as much of a "normal" childhood as we can. He was able to attend every day this year, so I feel like I gave him consistently and "normal" this year!

Oh what challenges does next school year bring? Well I have already started planning! He has full day school then! Whew....

More involved

Having a child with rhombencephalosynapsis is difficult. We are often acutely aware of how difficult some things are for Abby. What makes these difficulties even more glaring is the fact that she is a twin. Watching Grace master things so quickly and watching Abby struggle has always been hard for all of us. When Grace was sitting up Abby could barely hold up her head. When Grace starting sitting up Abby couldn't even roll over. Grace was running (fast!) before Abby took her first solo steps.

Thankfully in the past couple of years the differences have become less relevant. Yes, Abby is slower, smaller and clumsier but they are such different children that it almost doesn't matter. I sometimes wonder if the gap seemed to close more because we have gotten used to it than because it actually is closing.

Well last week the gap seemed to become a canyon. We are in the midst of making decisions about next year. We had assumed the girls would stay together and that was our request to the school. When we finally heard back we realized that Grace had tested so far ahead (like third or fourth grade) that she would not be placed in the MDK class (multiple disabilities kindergarten) but Abby would. So not only are we being asked to split them up, Grace will be in a half day integrated classroom (because of her ADHD) and Abby will go full day.

I am guessing that by mid-next year we will barely remember this process. But right now the wounds feel so fresh. It feels like a stark reminder that Abby is different. The school uses the phrasing "more involved" but that hardly softens the blow. No matter how much we push to "normalize" Abby there will always be differences between her and her peers. RS will always be a part of her life. That makes me sad. We're lucky in that right now she doesn't seem to mind. She doesn't see herself as all that difference. (She's more upset about being smaller in stature than her peers than anything else.) But I guess only time will tell.

The next bball star

Abby's PT (at school) has devoted a lot of time this year to her arm strength. We are starting to concede (a little) that her balance will only come so far. So with that concession made we have decided to do everything in our power to make her balance less of an issue. Strategy #1 is to improve her strength, specifically her upper body. Stronger arms mean better ability to hold on and better ability to brace for impact during falls. It isn't great on her arms but it sure helps her head.

We have seen some very small incremental changes throughout the year but nothing too major... until this weekend. The NJ weather has been extremely kind this winter so we have been able to enjoy lots of outside time. This weekend the four of us were in the driveway playing basketball. Our next door neighbor (we share a driveway) has a full size hoop and we put a kiddie hoop next to it.

The girls were taking turns throwing their little ball into the small hoop. We quickly realize, much to our dismay, that tiny way kicking Grace's butt at throwing a basketball. Bear in mind that Grace is an incredible athlete. She is fast and strong and oddly coordinated for a four and a half year old. And yet, Abby was throwing the basketball with better control and accuracy than her "bigger" sister. You could have knocked me over with a feather.

So it seems the hours and hours of work are starting to pay off. Now if we can get her to grow a little maybe she'll have a future in the WNBA. ;D

Little Big Mouth

Today I got a note home from school in Abby’s journal. Each day I get a little note about how the day went, if anything happened, etc. Many days I will get a word about Abby falling or bumping her head or something like that. Other, more irritating days, I get the notes that she was naughty or pulled her “I’m tired” scam. :D

Today I got a two page letter giving me info on both girls progress. Academically they are both excelling. They are way beyond where they should be verbally. While Abby struggles to keep up with Grace in terms of fine motor (mostly writing) she is soaring with her verbal usage and comprehension. Anyway, after smiling like mad about my super smart kids I got the other side of the story. The teacher had written the usual about Grace’s inability to sit still and her trouble with transitions. We’re well aware of that.

The part I didn’t see coming was the part about my loud mouth smaller child. I usually get notes that she is fairly quiet at school, unlike at home. She is now talking through circle time, not being quiet when asked and is requiring cues throughout the day to pipe down. After two years of hearing how quiet she is (despite her big mouth at home) they are now seeing the real Abby.

The worst part is that as I read this I laughed… out loud. I probably should have punished her or done something about it. Instead I couldn’t help but laugh. I think this weird, small part of me was elated to get a letter like this. Not about her helmet or her millionth time but instead typical bratty kid stuff. It was oddly refreshing. :D

Back to School

Thankfully the girls are back to school. The summer was great but it had it's ups and downs. We realized fairly early into the summer that life with no PT or OT was going to be a little rough for Abby (and for us). We were all glad to have a break from therapy but it's not without consequence.

So far things are going really well. The girls are in the same class with the same teacher and the same kids which is great. Continuity is key for kids. They are very happy to be back in the same structured environment they got accustomed to last year.

In our program they don't start therapy for the first two weeks. They let the kids ease back into the classroom schedule before adding therapy to the mix. It seems like in the week since the girls have been back in school, even without therapy, it has been an improvement. Although I miss the slow, unstructured pace of summer Abby definitely benefits from the flow of school.

Looking forward to having her back in therapy.

Summer School???

Yesterday I received a packet in the mail notifying us that Abby has been recommended for the extended year program (summer school). It outlined that any child who is at significant risk for regressing over the summer gets invited to the program. Obviously we have the option to NOT send her. I guess it could seem like an easy choice either way. On one hand if a program this successful is making the recommendation how can we NOT take it. On the other hand isn't sending a four year old to school in the summer a little nuts?

Obviously it isn't so obvious how to decide. Brian and my immediate response was no way. She's only four and the progress she has made this year has been good but we haven't been blown out of the water. There is also the matter of her being a twin. Grace isn't eligible and how crappy would it be for her to have to get on a bus and get shipped across town every day at 8 o 'clock while Grace stays home alone with me?

But what if we DON'T send her and she does regress? It's very possible.

As of right now it feels like that is a risk we're willing to take. I think a kid needs a summer (in fact I think ever grown ups could use summers off :D). Isn't swimming and playing and running good PT? Isn't meeting kids at the pool good social stimulation? We're going to talk about it at IEP's this week with our case manager (she's terrific) and see if we're in agreement. Decisions, decisions!

We're all clear for next year

We got a notice home from school yesterday notifying us that Abby (and Grace) is eligible for the same school program next year! She will stay in the preschool disabled program and next year the girls will be in the afternoon class. It is such a relief to know that she will be getting the same great level of therapy and support at school as she gets this year. We are hoping to be able to request the same teacher since she already knows the girls needs so well.

Such a relief not having to go into the IEP meetings prepared for battle.

The things that are still a little up in the air are:

1. Keeping the girls together

2. Keeping a 1-on-1 aide for Abby

3.Keeping Abby at 2x a week OT and PT (and not having her therapy cut due to numbers)