School has started, and for Abby this means a brand new weekly schedule. For me and the boys it means getting used to having lots of new people in and out of our home almost daily.
Abby's new school is wonderful and the staff has eagerly risen to the challenge of providing appropriate educational services for her. Due to her compromised immune system and previous complications with illness, Abby continues to receive home-bound services.
This year Abby will be getting a few new teachers who will be coming to our home to work with us on various IEP goals. She will have a teacher for the visually impaired, teacher for hearing impaired and a home-bound teacher. These are in addition to the PT, OT and Speech that she was getting before.
It is obvious that the Lord went before us and prepared the perfect people to work with our family. The two IEP meetings we have had went smoothly and were actually pleasant experiences! (For those who are familiar with IEP's, this is an answer to many prayers!)
The lady who will be our hearing impaired teacher is also a certified audiologist and has experience working with Deafblind students in the class room setting, but also in their homes. She is fluent in signing exact English (a little different than ASL) and has experience adapting signs for Deafblind students!!!
So, on Mondays and Wednesdays it's like we get an audiological assessment, AV (auditory/verbal) therapy, sign language class and behavioral therapy for Abby all rolled into one! This teacher is particularly enthusiastic, hands on and very loving towards Abby. I have already learned so much! This lady alone has made our move to a different school system worth it. Praise the Lord for much needed help in the area of communication. I could write several posts about the struggles and triumphs we've had in this area alone... but I won't bore you.
To give an idea of what Abby's weeks will look like, here is a skeleton schedule:
Monday- teacher for the hearing impaired, home bound teacher and feeding therapy
Tues- PT @ UCP and then teacher for visually impaired
Wed- teacher for the hearing impaired (2nd visit), Speech and OT
Thurs- Respite time with boys, PT at home
Friday- Free day (reserved for Dr. appts and house cleaning!)
We have resumed our respite services with a new gal who started working with us this week. I've set aside Thursday mornings for this time so that the boys and I can get out together and do something fun. This week we visited the library and the park.
In the midst of caring for Abby's complex needs we are trying to be very deliberate in our attempts to create special time for Josiah, and eventually Levi too. For a 3 year old it can be difficult to understand and accept all the attention Abby gets during the day. So far Josiah has been mostly cooperative and helpful during therapy times, with moments of jealousy creeping in.
The next month or so will keep us busy working out kinks in this schedule, getting to know lots of new folks and figuring out where to fit in the daily tasks of raising a family and caring for a home.
