I can't even

So much for brighter days or whatever bullshit I spewed in my last post. We had the rest of Bubba's IEP meeting today. I cried. A lot. I couldn't stop myself. And it sucked.

They took away his behavior intervention plan. Yes, the boy that was put in a seclusion room 2 years ago no longer has a behavior intervention plan. Why you may ask? Because he is not exhibiting behaviors that impede his learning or the learning of others. Never mind that the point of an intervention plan is to keep behaviors from happening. Never mind the fact that we have to medicate him. Never mind that by the time he gets home, he is so DONE he is explosive and emotional.

Actually, when it was all said and done, the accommodations and modifications were well captured. He is getting the services I feel he needs. I didn't fight about stuff that was ridiculous but whatever.

But the behavior business really set me off... It was the same LEA who set off what became the chain reaction in Kindergarten. God help me if we have a repeat of that year in any way, shape, or form. I don't think we will. I truly don't think we could possibly. But you better bet I didn't sign anything accepting the removal of his behavior intervention plan.

Hubby of course wants to strip Bubba of all his medication (he is pissed too), and although I have silently threatened to do so many a time, I can't imagine putting Bubba in that predicament (crisis and failure) just to prove a point.

And if I ever hear "He's like any other 2nd grader" in the same breath as "Well, I don't expect him to be able to do that like the other kids" ... well, I may just cry one more time.

Amazing Day

I had a whirlwind of a day yesterday. And it closed (in part) with a full double rainbow.

I love rainbows. (Clarification: Real rainbows. I do not own collectible rainbow stuff, nor do I want any!) To this day they take my breath away. Flowers. Rainbows. Butterflies. Wildlife. I almost always take notice, even if it is a brief pause to acknowledge the "amazingness" of the object or creature.

To me, rainbows allude to good days ahead. I mean, come on! The rainbows end at MY HOUSE. See? SEE!!! (The 2nd rainbow was fading by the time I got my camera outside.)





So here's to good days ahead, and what I make of them.

Movement

In less than a week, I have gone from a meeting with a senator to spending 2 hours on the phone with an administrator at our state protection and advocacy center to a plan of action and the possibility of meeting with someone important at our state department of education whom I can't seem to find in any of the organization charts.
E-mails have been sent to various lists, and stories about the misuse/overuse of seclusion and restraint are starting to filter in from other families around the state. No turning back now.