Will she ever be done talking about IEPs?

Based on some of the comments I received on my last post, I have to say a few tiny things. First of all, I got the vibe during the IEP meeting that a handful of people in the room thought Dan and I were slacker parents. Dan got the same feeling, so I wasn't alone. And now that I have had a conversation with Elijah's teacher, I know that our instincts were likely fairly accurate.

Also, I understand that it is required for teachers to compare each child to "typical children of the same age" in IEPs. What I did not understand was why it had to be stated quite so harshly, especially for a child with such a mottled medical past.

With that off my chest..

I both emailed and spoke with Elijah's teacher since my meltdown. I shared with her how extensive Elijah's medical history was and also that I thought some of the statements in his IEP were unnecessary due to his history. She had NO IDEA the extent of his history and thanked me more than once for providing the insight. She admitted that they got caught up in all of his many delays, compiled with lack of self-help, and didn't see the full picture.

She completely rewrote his IEP, which was extremely nice of her to do. And this really isn't what matters to me. It matters that the adults who care for him at school understand his history and the reason for his many delays. And now that they do, I feel much better. She told me that she has never had a student who has had so many surgeries and hospitalizations. I told her that we assumed there were a lot of children in the special education program with similar histories. So, it was good to clear that up!

I feel heard and I no longer feel judged or like people are believing me to be an inadequate parent. And I now know that Elijah is in very good hands. His teacher showed me that she genuinely cares about him and that brings me immense comfort.