Monday, February 7, 2011

Post-Introspection Post

So I've been having a very introspective week with a lot on my mind but not a lot to say.  I-M has a lot of appointments these days to help us untangle a mess of symptoms.  I'm coming to terms with the likelihood of ADHD, although I'm unwilling to medicate him.  That would certainly explain the low working memory despite high intelligence.  Getting an official diagnosis would actually be helpful because it would get him an IEP, which would allow him to get occupational therapy for his motor skills for free at school.  He has started seeing a counselor who will give him behavioral strategies to continue to be successful at school.  That's not free, but neither are the drugs, and a little therapy isn't going to have ugly psychotropic side effects. 

This counselor has had children in the Jedis' school, and she feels that while it's a highly-rated public school, it often behaves like a selective private school, driving some families out.   Children with special needs are not especially welcome, it seems.  I was a little annoyed when the principal told me how few Spec. Ed. kids the school had when I first visited, like that was some kind of badge of honor.  Back then, I didn't think we needed those services, so I brushed it off.  Now I'm hearing that the teacher who I'm not really pleased with is one of the best there.  Not encouraging. 

Knowing the school as she does and having spent some time with I-M, the therapist thinks he and I are a good case for homeschooling.  I have to admit that my heart is drawn to it.  I could give him the enrichment he's not getting at school, the time to get to these appointments that will help his development, and the free time to play all that energy out.  We can only do so much of that in the time after school, and that's when the free time is most important.  We are meeting the homeschooling community here in Wheeling slowly, and such a support group would definitely be vital to our success.

Despite these questions and struggles, I am so very pleased to share that my firstborn I-M took his first Holy Communion yesterday.  There is nothing so joyful as watching him taking a sacrament with tremendous seriousness and with great appreciation of Jesus' sacrifice on his behalf.  He walked tall and proud during the entire event and said "This is the BEST DAY of my young life!"  It ranks up there for me too, kiddo!

3 comments:

  1. Good luck figuring that all out. It can be so stressful, but I am sure you will make the right decision for your family. And if you decide to homeschool, that doesn't mean you have to forever. Give it a test run, see how it goes, and maybe it will be just perfect! If anyone can do it, I am sure you can...

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  2. I'm just catching up on your posts! Two things......don't feel pushed out of that school if you think it's the best place for your son. I hope only that the "your a good candidate for homeschooling" comment was sincere (is the therapist independent of the school?) Second....you are an AMAZING candidate for homeschooling for SO many reasons. The most important is that you know your son and you know what he needs. School out of the system takes so much less time (which can be a drain for an ADHD student) and you can really make a difference by giving him the room to take a break when he needs one, burn off energy when he needs to, get enriched on a personal ONE on ONE level....It's a huge thing to take on, but you are so capable! You can do this! Pray and seek and get ready to jump in!!!!

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  3. I keep meaning to email you about this, but it's always nutty here (surprise!), so I'll just comment. We've gotten an ADHD diagnosis here, too, and are having private therapy (including Interactive Metronome, which is going okay, but I'm not that impressed). We aren't down with the medication, either, and our therapist, though she recommends it, isn't pushing us to go that route without trying all the alternatives. (Our school, though, has been coping with the related issues really well. We're still thinking homeschool in the long run, but we're very happy with the current arrangement.)

    Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that we're in the same boat (the USS ADHD + Evil Genius Overlord Firstborn).

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