It's a bit ironic -- I hate to ask for help and the one time that I'm asking just about every person I can think to ask, we're just not getting it. Before the school year started, I reached out to our district's Special Ed department head and to London's teacher. (Well, the sub who was teaching the class until this Monday while our full-time teacher was on maternity leave.) Special Ed said that London couldn't be evaluated until he was in school 60-90 days (can't remember, I think it was 90 days). Until then, we could work with our teacher to help him with any special needs. I sent over copies of London's OT progress in hopes that if he had problems, it would help the Special Ed staff find a solution more easily.
So ... I talked with the sub who said that she was familiar with Sensational Kids and had some ideas for helping London throughout the day. When I didn't hear anything, I thought that he was adjusting well. I was concerned that he was having a hard time making friends, but at least he could sit still at his desk and he was enjoying learning. About two weeks ago, we had our parent - teacher conferences. That's when the sub told us that London was having a hard time keeping his hands to himself in line and that they had to put him at the end of the line. In fact, his "touching" was so bad that a parent had called her to complain.
At first I thought, well at least he hasn't bitten anyone yet. But I'm sure that he scares his classmates when he approaches them with his mouth wide open. Later, when I had time to think about it more, I was angry. If I had known that London was struggling, we could've worked with our Occupational Therapist to get him tools so that he wouldn't have to struggle so much. Why didn't his teacher talk with a school OT to help build a plan for him? Why aren't we helping him?
There is a little ray of sunshine from this all. You see, London is very aware of his Sensational challenges. He knows that he has a hard time controlling himself when inputs are too much. And, he has been able to stop himself from biting kids at school. (Family is another thing, but we're working on it.) He knows that some things help him cool down his engine: soft music, heavy work, running. Since he can identify his sensory overload, it will be so much easier for him to manage it -- but we have to give him the right tools to do it.
I will not fail this kid. He is smart and sweet and wants to have friends and be a regular kid. I've realized through our experiences in the first quarter of school that we have to advocate for him very passionately and regularly. Which means, I'll be THAT mom.
(London's most awkward class photo from a field trip. We cried when we saw how uncomfortable he looked. More recent photos are better and he's made three friends in class.)