Well, the biggest battle I have had to fight for Julianna just ended today, and I could not be happier! Over the years it has not been easy to get Julianna what she needs, but I have never given up. Today I attended a meeting to decide whether Julianna will get a 1:1 aide in the classroom all day, something that is not easy to get, as it is the most costly placement for a special needs child, but I knew this was the only way Julianna could succeed in school, so I went for it.
I had been homeschooling her since January, and that was going okay, but once I got pregnant, and the more homeschooling went on, I just knew she needed to go back to school. I knew she would have more opportunities to grow socially and academically than being at home, plus we were starting to butt heads every day and it was a struggle. The only problem was, how do I put her back in when I was literally forced to pull her out? The school district dissolved the small RSP classes, so I knew she would either be placed in a moderate/severe SDC class, or a regular class with a 1:1 aide. Julianna made it clear she wanted to be in a regular class. So we held a meeting the Friday before school started, and I requested this placement. I found out that the district by law has 60 days to evaluate and collect data to determine whether she needed a 1:1, since it is an added service. So in the meantime she had to be placed in the moderate/severe class, which both she and I were not happy about. The only thing that made it okay...her amazing teacher! She was like an advocate during those 60 days, and I could talk to her about anything. She was totally on my side and wanted to help Julianna get the 1:1. When she finally received another aide for her very large SDC class, instead of keeping that aide in her classroom, she used her to send with Julianna to the regular class. What a sacrifice on her part! So since the 3rd week of school, she's had the placement I wanted all along. And when the district finally came around to evaluate, they could clearly see this placement was working.
But just in case, I got letters and reports from her neurologist, ABA therapist, and anyone I could think of! I asked my IRC case worker to be there, I called supervisors at IRC to be ready to step in if we didn't get it, I did everything I could to make sure this 1:1 would happen. And in the end, I really didn't have to fight that hard at all. When we got to the meeting today, the district rep. starting saying how Julianna did need a 1:1 for completing many tasks. I already knew all the teachers were in agreement with me, it was the district people I was worried about. So amazingly, I got to sit around a table where I actually agreed with everything they were saying! Everyone agreed that Julianna needed the 1:1 in the classroom! So now it's officially in her IEP and I can move on, knowing that she has the right help in school and at home. It's taken me almost 9 years to get to this point, but things will only get better from here. Even after a month in this placement, Julianna comes home from school happy, not anxious or stressed anymore. It's amazing! So for now, I am done fighting battles for Julianna, but I know I'll be ready if another one comes along! We feel so blessed and happy.