Save the Date

I have been thinking about the planning that must be done for next year and the beginning of Connor's IEP season. It started with a email from Connor's consultant. "Do you have plans to put him in some sort of summer tutoring to keep up his skills?", "I would like to start setting some goals for his IEP in May".  Those questions make my skin crawl and start the onset of parenoia that commonly begins the IEP season. Thoughts like "I should have been thinking of goals two weeks ago!", "I didn't even think about summer tutoring let alone who was going to provide it!", "I need to talk to next years teacher, replace our current consultant, talk to the principal...........etc. infinity for eternity."  On the other hand, my mind also wanders to happier, crazier places. There has got to be a silver lining to the dark, dreaded cloud that is IEP season. Why not have a I Survived the IEP Season Party?  So I talked to my other local  Autism Mommy home girls. They liked my idea too! So here a copy of the official invite. Wish you could join us!

                                 You are officially invited to the I Survived IEP Season After Party!

                       Got your ducks in a row? Then Join us for madcap merriment and wine tasting!

                                                           When: May 17th, 2012 @ 7pm

                                                             Where: Bendetto's Wine Bar

 A official I Survived IEP Season 2012 t-shirt will be given to the person with the "best" worst IEP meeting story!

Dear Lunch Ladies......

Dear Lunch Ladies,

  I am writing today re: Connor's freakish eating habits. Rather than meet with you individually at a time of your convenience, I have decided to make multiple copies of my short course in Autism and Eating Habits 101. You will each receive a copy and I will file several for the poor &%#$*!@ who are your successors. Connor's aide has told me that you question why I don't just pack his lunch if he won't eat cafeteria food.

A. Connor eats randomly and stores his food (not unlike a camel stores water.) What he likes one month he may act as if it is poison for the next several months. Then, eventually, he will decide he likes it again.

B. Packing his food doesn't mean squat to him other than Mommy sent another thing to carry to school filled with stuff he isn't going to eat today either. Now I can send a loaf of bread and a box of crackers to school or you can provide him with these things which I am sure he will guzzle down, but I will also have to pack enemas for you to give him when he is so constipated he can't go potty for a week. I think you find the need to keep his bowels working trumps your happiness at seeing him chowing down.

C. Autistic children who have eatings problems (a whole lot of our kids do) don't just develope these problems overnight. I have been watching Connor's weight and growth along with his doctor his whole life. Just because you don't see him eating doesn't mean he doesn't eat enough at home or according to my aide, at school to enable him to gain weight and grow. I have the records to prove it. I have been trying to counteract his bizarre eating for a long time now and have reached a "happy place" by giving him extra fiber supplements (bowel production) and multivitamins (insurance and assurance) and we have a system to count down "bites" of food.

In short, what we are doing works. He continues to grow. I apologize that he doesn't eat the food that is far more nutritionally unbalanced than what he gets at home but there you are. Never fear, there are many more children who will appreciate the stuff you serve up.

                               Sincerely,

                                  Connors Mom