Special Needs

I had my meeting with the school district on Monday to discuss Ryan's eligibility for special education services. I met with the Special Ed Coordinator, Speech Pathologist, and Principal. Basically, the entire purpose for the meeting was to decide whether or not he was eligible for services, and if so, was it just for speech, or for academics as well.

They determined that yes, he was indeed eligible for services, both speech and academics. The Speech Pathologist informed me that they often go hand in hand. So if he is having difficulty with speech and language, that he would have a bit of a delay in developmental/academics as well. They said, not to get too worried because they only saw a small snapshot of Ryan, and he could come into the classroom and blow everyone out of the water.

That's fine, but I feel like my world has been turned upside down. Not to seem selfish, but I went from having a "normal" kid when he was 2, to now having been thrown into this new crazy world of speech therapy, academic issues, and IEP meetings. Throw a new baby into the mix, add in some potty training regression, and that is pretty much where I am at. Feeling utterly overwhelmed, and not a lot of people to talk to about it.

I luckily came across a blog and I read this line, and it was like I could have written it myself.
"In the mean time, I'm going to try to get over the heart-stabbing pain I feel when I hear the "special needs" and "disabled" labels.  Because while Little Dude does require special education and adaptive education services, those terms define his educational needs, not who he is."


Glad to know we are not alone.