IEP Ready

Either I've been dealt a shitty hand of therapists for the Doodle or I am extremely hard to please and impossible to get along with. Let's just say it's the latterand it's just me and my sparkling personality.

Why am I constantly arguing and fighting for what should be so very obvious and entitled to my child?

I'm not asking for anything out of the ordinary.

First off, I never knew special kids received any services at all until I had one. Then, I'm told he should have this, this and this. And then, later, when "this" gets taken away or not offered and I have to ask for it, it seems ridiculous to me. He's either entitled and needs the service or he doesn't. Why should I have to get into huge arguments and screaming matches with people who know that he is entitled but sit back and make me ask or beg for it? Why is it so hush hush--top secret? Why dangle the carrot one year and then yank it the next?

I won't recap for hours my horrible experience with the pathetic speech therapist this year and how the Doodle went from nine speech goals when he was two to one speech goal when he was 3 and the other speech goals dropped off the radar and yet, he still isn't talking or hitting his goals. Or how the lazy ass speech therapist tried to act as if the Doodle had 10 "new" words and hit is goal for the year when we all knew those were OLD words (signs) he had been using for two year now.

No. It gets even better.

After being told the Doodle is entitled to at least 2 hours a MONTH (that's a half hour a week) of physical therapy, I was told today that he's not entitled to that now because his nurse (who we pay separately from the school system) takes him to the PARK!

Are you freaking kidding me? I had to ask her to repeat herself because I was sure what I was hearing had to be wrong. "So, you're saying, since our Nurse takes the Doodle to the park, he shouldn't get any physical therapy at school???? Are you serious?"

She could not understand why these two things were completely different. Uhm, how about, our nurse is not a licensed physical therapist? How about that? How about, it shouldn't matter what I do with the Doodle on the weekend or after school, if we take him for walks, roll the ball back and forth with him, or if we dress him up in army fatigues and put him through the obstacle course with the Green Berets...what does that have to do with him getting physical therapy services through school?

The fact is, the Doodle is going to be four years old next month and still cannot walk up or down stairs by himself. He still cannot run with bending his knees, he still cannot jump off the ground even an inch. There are basic skills he has not mastered and his range of motion and gait is off which greatly effects his balance and spacial awareness.

So the argument ensued. I told her she was completely crazy and what we did with him outside of the school day was no concern of hers...he was either qualified for physical therapy or he wasn't based on his needs and it had nothing to do with him going to the freaking park!

I don't want this Physical Therapist anymore. If I never see or hear from her again that will be fine by me. And if I never see his Speech therapist, the one who calls old words=new words, than that will be OK too. I'd like to tell them both to pound salt.

And now I get to be a bitchy, demanding, difficult and hard to please mom (that I am) at the IEP on Monday when all I want is to get the Doodle the few services he is qualified to receive. Oh Stinking Well.