This
week was parent/ teacher conferences. I am always nervous at this time of year
because I don’t know what to really expect. To ease my nerves, I prepared. I wrote
a list of questions and concerns on pad of paper. My main concern is our school
choice for next year (Do we go public or private?). How he is doing this year
will determine the course for next year.
The
conference started off well. She told us that he struggled with days of the
week, had some emerging skills with puzzles and shapes, but he mastered his
colors, letters/ sounds, can count to 40, and add basic numbers (YAY!). Her
biggest concern however, was his speech.
She
said that she was worried about him having a chewy. It prevented him from interacting with
others. She said that when he doesn’t have it, kids are more likely to seek him
to play, and he does better at circle time. She wanted to see if we could do
away with his chewy to see if it helped with interaction now that he is
transitioning better.
She
also said that she doesn’t understand him sometimes, and we might consider
speech therapy (she was aware we did therapy, but not certain on which ones). When I told her we have been in speech, OT, and PT, she told us
that she is not a therapist, but the only therapy that she thinks he needs is
speech. She would like to see him spend more time interacting with other
children and playing then in a lot of therapies.
This
made me furious. She is right, she is not a therapist. Why is she trying to
tell me what my child needs in therapy and how much? The OT is going to help him find other
coping strategies since she doesn’t want him to have a chewy. The PT is going
to help him have the core strength to sit in a chair to do his school work. I wouldn’t
be spending the time taking my child to therapy if I didn’t believe he needed
it. Believe me; I would rather be at a park or hanging out with the neighbors
outside. I did not choose this. I am just trying to do everything I can to
prepare my child to be the best he can be.
This
conference has now caused questions in our course of therapy. The course that
has helped us gain so much progress. I hope that all of these questions are
resolved soon with the facts of the evaluations that prove a NEED despite what
the teacher says. I
am not saying that people should totally disregard what classroom teachers say.
I think that it is important to listen to classroom teachers suggestions, but I
think that it is more important to listen to the professionals in their field
and look at the big picture of all the information on the child to make a
decision.