Reflecting on the Last Post

After posting about today's ARD meeting I realize that I was wrong about things. I could always choose to delete the last post but I thought I should keep it to show myself and others what emotions parents go through at these meetings. After reflecting I know that all staff members that were there today really do care for our Andrew and want the best for them. They may not always know how to go about providing the best education for him and neither do I. I tend to have a guard up at these meetings and don't really let people in and I'm not sure why. Andrew's eye gaze is probably not want I think it is and I guess I had hoped he would be ready for a more advanced system of communication. I feel like I asked questions but got no answers and that is hard for a parent that wants her son to make progress.



I remember back to working in a school and talking with a parent of a child with severe autism before their ARD meeting. I asked them what was most important to work on in terms of speech therapy. The father's response was "I just want him to talk." This was a child that had once talked and gone through regression and never talked again. I now look back on that and have a better understanding for what he was going through with his child and I to just want Andrew to talk. I would love for him to be able to tell me about his friends at school and all the the things that he did outside with the neighbors. Sometimes that lack of having what I want for him turns to frustration. Not a good thing!



Throughout Andrew's life he will rely on others to teach him, help him, and care for him. I have to learn to let down my guard and let people help him and our family. I am so thankful that Andrew can go to school with friends and I know he loves it. He has a smile everyday as we walks down the hall. I realize that the staff don't have a lot of knowledge of Rett Syndrome and virtually none on boys with Rett Syndrome. It will be a process of educating myself and the staff throughout his school career. I still feel like there is soo much that I don't know about this syndrome and so much to do to help Andrew. I just wish there was a how to manual on this to tell me and Felt- yep your're doing it right, now try this. Aahhh.

Andrew is now attempting to walk into school with his backpack on all the way to the classroom. I will have to get a picture of it. It's really cute and I know it has to be hard for him.