The adventure involving Landon's new school started back in January when I got an unexpected invitation to attend an IEP meeting for Landon. Those meetings are normally at the end of the year, so I was a little confused. Ben had never been to an IEP meeting so he took off of work and met me at the school. I went into that meeting already extremely nervous and expecting to hear unpleasant things. Ever since the kids went back to school after Christmas break, I had been getting steady negative reports on Landon's behavior, and it seemed to occur multiple times a day. They would tell me that he would get upset and kick over the trash can, then later get upset and throw a stapler, and later still, kick the music teacher when she wouldn't let him have the microphone, and so on during the entire day. He was also having huge fits every morning before school where he would scream and beg me not to make him go. I would have to physically drag him out of bed and wrestle him into his clothes while he violently protested, cried and kicked the whole time. I had no idea what to make of it, and it was upsetting to know that he was so unhappy but there was so little I could do about it. So I walked into the meeting already nervous and expecting the worst. Just to be clear, Landon works with the best group of teachers there that I could ask for. They all genuinely care about him and they seem to really love him and take lots of extra time to try to accommotate his needs, but I still was embarrassed of what they had to say about him.
The meeting turned out to be a full reevaluation meeting where they would try to make sure that he was put in the right category and that he was where he needed to be. As Ben and I walked into the room I was overwhelmed by the large number of people all sitting around that conference table that regularly deal with Landon who were waiting to talk to me about him. The meeting was extremely long and very thorough. Everyone around the table discussed their role with Landon, his skill level at the beginning of the year, the progress he has made so far, and they said many positive things about Landon's progress, but after two hours Ben had to get back to work. It was then that they got to the part of the meeting that I was dreading, and I had wanted Ben there for. They said that his behavior needed to be discussed, and immediately my stomach sank, and I could feel my face burning. They said that ever since he got back from Christmas break he had been having a number of violent outbursts on a regular basis throughout the day. He would get so worked up that he would throw fits and start throwing things, and they had no idea how to calm him down once he would get going. They felt that his behavior was becoming dangerous to himself and the other students and it needed to be addressed. Their stories brought tears of shame to my eyes, and they told me not to apologize or feel embarrassed because it was their job to help him any way they could, but they weren't sure they were the best fit for him anymore. The autism specialist for the county suggested moving him to a new school into what they call a Triad classroom. It's for kids with autism who need help having their behavior regulated and maybe need more structure specifically geared towards their autism. I panicked immediately! I would NOT let them ship him off to a school that's for the kids that are so out of control that the regular schools can't handle them! I immediately argued that he had just gotten back from a long break and he just needed time to readjust and they agreed that I had a valid point, but I should think about it. I left that meeting emotioinally drained and frustrated. What in the world was I going to do with Landon?
A few days later Amy, the county autism specialist called me again to try to discuss the Triad class with me in more detail. I got really upset that they were pushing the point when I had already said no, and all I could think of was how to get her off the phone and get her to leave me alone. She started pointing out to me some of the things that his school was doing with him that she didn't think was very good for him, and I could tell that she was trying to make me understand that they weren't meeting his needs without sounding like she was bad mouthing the school. She pointed out that Landon had way too many transitions in a day and was being moved from room to room from one adult to another and she thought that any kid, autistic or not, would get frustrated with that. She told me how the kids in the Triad class are extremely well behaved, verbal children because the program is so good at focusing on their specific problems and needs. The more she talked, the more she got my attention, and I agreed to visit the school that following Monday. I immediately called my sister-in-law, Connie, who used to be high up in the county for special education before she moved, and she knows Amy. She told me that the Triad classrooms are actually highly sought after and people are always begging Amy for a referral but rarelly getting one, and if Amy was offering Landon a referral I should take it!
Monday morning I dropped Bailey and Landon off at school and Devon and I met Amy to visit Landon's possible new classroom. There were six boys in the room, and I was blown away by the fact that they were all sitting at their desks reading and doing their work. The teacher was moving around helping them, and when they finished they would get to pick an activity of their choice as a reinforcement. The room had such a laid back, calm feel to it, and the teacher assured me that Landon's behavior would calm down at school and at home almost immediately if he transferred to her class. They told me that he would have a parapro with him at all times, even when he was in specials, and I was very glad to hear that! I had been a little upset that he was sent to specials alone after his PE incident, and after some of the horror stories the music teacher was telling me. The more I saw, the more convinced I was that Landon would be happier here. I just could feel the calm, loving, easygoing atmosphere in the room and I knew that was what Landon needed. I told Amy that I was okay with moving ahead immediately, and she said they could have the IEP meeting to transfer him as soon as Wednesday! They recommended that I go pull Landon out of his other school and bring him by to visit so that he could be acquainted with everyone and make the transition easier. The only thing that was concerning me at that point was moving him in the middle of the year. As much as his other school was frustrating to him, he knew the routine and knew what to expect, and I didn't want to upset him by moving him in the middle of the year again.
I took Landon by, and he took to it immediately! The other boys in the class were very welcoming and said "Hi Landon!" or "I'll show him where the games are!" or things like that. He took part in their social skills class, played on the computer and even went to lunch with them. I decided not to send him back to his other school at all if we were sure that he was transferring. It would confuse him too much to go back and forth. His teacher invited him back to visit the next day and he excitedly ran into the school saying "Landon's new school!" He had so much fun in there that I was afraid that he would think his new school was nothing but play time, but his teacher involved him in lessons and assured me he would take right to it.
This is their social skills class. They wear capes and pretend to be super heroes.
He loves the computer!
We had his IEP meeting early that Wednesday morning, and it was unexpectedly emotional! His old classroom teacher sat there telling a story about his progress since the beginning of the year and she started to cry and had to stop! Everyone got emotional and said how much they were going to miss him and I certainly wasn't expecting it! I ran into his old parapro in the hallway and she tried to tell me how much they loved him, but got choked up and couldn't finish. They all hugged me and made me promise to bring him by when he started talking up a storm. His new teacher asked me to give her Thursday to get ready for him so he officially started at his new school that Friday.
They had requested that he be bussed to his school, but it takes time to get the bus going, so I had to drop Bailey off, and then drive Landon twenty minutes to his new school. His teacher had me call her cell phone when we pulled in and she came out to get him and take him in. He jumped out of the car and ran into the building without even looking back, and I felt a huge weight lift off of my shoulders! Every day he gets a report sent home, and it always starts with "Landon had a fantastic day!" He started out having one minor incident where he didn't want to do his work so he threw his pencil, but his teacher had him go to the calming room, and she said he came right back and finished his work and had no more problems the rest of the day! What a change from his day full of problems at the other school!
This is a picture that a boy in his class made for him on his first day. I thought it was sweet!
He started getting right out of bed and asking me "Landon's new school today?" and excitedly getting ready with no fuss! The relief of the morning stress alone was worth the transfer! The only problem was that I had to drop him off late after dropping Bailey off, and at the end of the day I would leave the house at 1:40 to get to his school at 2:00 and check him out early so that I could get back to Bailey's school in time to pick her up at 2:20! I was happy to do it since Landon seemed so happy, but it started to get very tedious after about two weeks!
I finally got a call from his new bus driver and he offered to bring him home on the bus that day which I happily accepted! I leisurely picked up Bailey and we went home and waited for Landon's bus. He gets dropped off and picked up right in front of our house so it's really nice! Landon loves the bus and happily hops around in the driveway in the mornings when he can hear it coming around the corner.
He's so happy now and he only gets good reports sent home. His mornings are mostly easy now unless I can't find his shoes and the bus is sitting in front of the house. He gets to stay in that classroom next year and as long as they feel he will benefit from it. If he progresses to where he doesn't need it then he will be sent back here to his home school, but he will go back there in the fall for sure. I'm so happy that he seems to like school again, and I am so extremely grateful that Amy called me to explain to me what the class really was and eased my fears, and that she took the time to make sure that Landon was somewhere that would fit him so well! It's so nice when people seem to really care about the kids and they work hard to do their jobs well!
