Tuesday - Gracie's IEP

Gracie had a good, but very tiring day.  She started out at daycare, then went to her friend Aubrey's house to eat lunch, play, and nap.  Only problem is, Gracie didn't really think the nap part was all that important, so she didn't go to sleep.  I picked her up at 3:00 p.m. as we had her IEP (Individualized Education Program) meeting at school.  She looked mighty tired.  I told her it was okay if she closed her eyes and took a little rest on the way to the school, but she didn't think that was a great idea either.  Needless to say she was one tired little girl last night and she went to bed about 7:30 p.m.  It took her 2.2 seconds to fall asleep!

We had a good IEP meeting.  We found out that Brock, the little boy that Gracie talks about alot rides her bus and they have been seen coming off the bus holding hands on occasion.  The little girl Justine that Gracie talks about is a good little helper and she often helps Gracie with puzzles, etc.  We also got to meet Gracie's teacher for next year.  We are definitely going to miss her current teacher, but are optimistic that her new teacher will be good as well. 

Next school year we will increase the frequency in which Gracie goes to school each week.  Currently she goes two mornings a week.  Next year we will start her out with three mornings a week and then increase it to four mornings after Christmas break. 

It was no surprise to us that Gracie is most willing to participate in activities that have a strong musical or repetitive auditory component.  Her attention level and motivation for participation is closely related to her interest in an activity.  Once again, no surprise to us.  The more manipulative the activity such as puzzles or peg boards, the less interest she has in the activity. 

Gracie's communication skills have improved greatly and she is starting to put two words together at school.  We were concerned about the intelligibility of her speech, but were assured that it is appropriate for her developmental level.  We also found out our sweet cherub can be a little stinker.  She often doesn't respond when given adult directives to say a word, but then as soon as they move on to the next thing she is heard saying the word or responding. 

We still need to continue to work on her gross and fine motor skills, although she has come along way with both.  She also needs to work on completing daily functional tasks, such as washing hands.  She enjoys watching closely when her peers are completing these tasks, but often is so distracted that she needs prompting to complete the task for herself. 

We've got some great goals for the new school year and I'm very excited as we've seen much progress this year.  I just love the team we are working with.  Every one of them seems to really enjoy their job! 

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie