IEP reevaluation meeting

Today I met with the child study team and Thomas's teacher to discuss an IEP reevaluation for next year and how we will transition him from preschool to kindergarten.  They told me how incredibly well he is doing with speaking at school.  He is very verbal with classmates at his stations and centers.  He is sometime yelling across the room about what he brought for snack and giving high fives to some of the more outgoing children in the class.  Sometimes the teacher said she even has to tell him to quiet down.  I LOVE that he is getting in trouble for being loud-LOL!  This year has truly been a dream come true.  The progress he has made is unparallel.

We as parents have put in a tremendous amount of work and time, and so has his school.  But the person who has worked the hardest and has done so many new scary things is Thomas, and I couldn't be prouder of our little boy!  He does still need assistance in several areas that involve transitions and movement, so he will definitely be eligible for an IEP next year.  The plan is to reevaluate him in the area of SP, OT and in the classroom and we will meet again in June.

There are two kindergarten teachers next year, but since one will be going out on leave half way through the year, we all decided that it is best he has the other teacher.  This way there will be no change in routine and no new person to throw him off.  They also told me that some of his closest buddies will be placed in his class as well to keep the comfort level the same.  So awesome!

1st t-ball game

So I was super nervous for how a t-ball game would go with a whole other team and parents, but it went pretty well.  He was extremely hesitant to have a warm up catch with his teammates and kind of moped around.  He cried some and wanted me to stay with him.  Luckily his team batted first so he had time to warm up on the bench.  He sat next to his good friend and when it was his turn he got a helmet on and went up and batted and ran the bases.  He is a pretty good hitter.  He loves to bat, but fielding is not his thing.  He doesn't really like going in the field and while all the other kids rush to the same spot to catch the ball, Lucas is very happy to stay in his spot and let the others get it.  It is so adorable to see these little guys play t-ball and honestly they all are doing weird things in the field- twirling around, looking up at the sky and talking to others, so he really doesn't stick out :)  The fact that he is even doing it, is amazing.  We are so proud of our little slugger- #4!

Tranistioning back to school after spring break

Thomas’s spring break went very well.  We had a few playdates that went great and he had a wonderful OT session.   He transitioned back into the school routine pretty well.  He didn’t want to go to gym this week, but it was on his first day back from break.   One thing I have noticed is that he is getting more comfortable conversing with friends.  We unexpectedly saw a friend out of the school environment the other day and when the two were by themselves, he started chatting with him right away.  Wow!  He still is very awkward with his greetings with friends, but that takes time.  They will excitedly say "Hi Lucas!" "Bye Lucas" when we are on the school playground.  He has no problem saying hi or bye now, but I need to remind him or prompt him by saying, "Lucas your friend is saying hi."  Then he will respond.  

T-ball!

Sensory wise there has been so much improvement in the past few weeks.  He is swinging very high on certain types of swings now.  He is jumping off and climbing everything.  He is gaining much more body awareness.   He also started playing games like duck, duck goose and 4 corners (classroom games) which he never would participate in before.  He also started doing gym without an aide.  We have been trying to keep up with his sensory diet and getting to OT when we can.

And the biggest thing we have started …. T-ball!  We were super hesitant about starting it, but I wanted him to try it as he has been making so much progress.  We got him on a team with his two best buddies and a coach that I know.  The first practice was rough, but by the third he was fielding and batting.  He did amazing!!!  When he was younger, I never thought sports would be something he could do. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever see him doing this!  Games start next week, so we will see what happens.