Nathan's IEP

Nothing like starting off the school year with a bang!!  Back in July, we decided to move Nathan from Parkway Early Childhood Center to Ladue Early Childhood Center in the hopes of Nathan's primary teacher being a Teacher of the Deaf.  Last week I went to Ladue ECC to pick up Nathan's registration and enrollment packet and was told that Nathan was placed in a Special Education classroom.  I immediately said that it had not been decided yet and was concerned Nathan again was not going to be in a classroom appropriate for a child with a hearing impairment.  My other thought was what's the difference between Parkway and Ladue if Nathan was going to be in a Special Ed classroom?  Why not keep him then at Parkway where he is familiar and closer to home?

After some emails and further discussion, we found out that Nathan was put in a Special Ed classroom at Ladue because that is what his current IEP stated.  I asked that an IEP meeting be scheduled as soon as possible as I wanted Nathan starting his school year in the right classroom and not having to make more transitions than necessary - that's not fair to a three-year-old.

So this morning Steve and I, along with our Family Support Specialist from the St. Louis Arc, attended another IEP meeting for our little Nathan.  We wanted to bring along another set of ears to make sure Steve and I weren't missing something because we feel like we have been requesting the same thing over and over again - for Nathan to be in an appropriate education setting for the hearing impaired.  After gathering both Parkway and Ladue directors, coordinators, teachers and therapists and discussing Nathan's IEP for over three hours, it was decided to put Nathan in a Special Education classroom for the hearing impaired and taught by a Teacher of the Deaf!!  FINALLY!!  We were prepared to stand our ground if need be, but the meeting went very well and ended with Nathan where we wanted him :)

We are so thankful to finally have Nathan where we think is the best place for him.  We are hoping for some great progress this year and are focusing on auditory, speech, communication and listening skills as well as continuing all of his other therapies.  Nathan is one busy boy, but continues to do well and that's all we can ask of him.