Schools diagnosis but no direction

 Here is my handsome son in Grade 3. 

 He loves swimming, and smiling for mommy.  He loves video games, action cartoons, and legos.

In kindergarten he was diagnosed with Sensory Processing Integration Disorder.  He got some  therapy at school with time in sensory room; swinging in a cocoon swing, getting squished through a pressure contraption.  I was quite impressed with the room and the resources there.  Well, after kindergarten it was a fight for him to get any time in this therapy room.  In grade 1 I was told by the special needs coordinator at his school that he needs to just deal with it.  That as he gets into the older grades he just needs to learn how to cope on his own. 

I was upset with that response when it was the school who did the testing and diagnosis then simply says he will need to just deal with it as he grows up.  He is expected to function and learn like any other child in class that hasn't got any sensory issues.  And his report card shows that he is struggling. 

Last year we sought some answers from our pediatrician.  We had his teachers at school fill out some questionnaires from a neuro pediatrician, and they all came back that he was in the hyperactive category.  We filled out our questionnaires and sent them away.  The lady in charge of the special needs aids, and therapy was very opposed to us doing this testing, stating that he was fine and didn't need this.  I wasn't quite sure her qualification for making such an uneducated diagnosis and am still wondering if she stopped any further testing. 

Now we are here in Grade 4.  He is a very smart kid and is doing well academically.  All his issues are with behavior; with listening, focus and working well with others.   He is our oldest and is great with his younger siblings.  He has responsibilities like his chores that he does efficiently.  He is a very friendly outgoing kid.  So, school is a very negative place for him. An environment that demands he sit at a table with 5 other kids and still focus to do his work.  A place where he is  bullied for wearing glasses, but when I talk to his teacher she refuses to admit he is being bullied.  Public school system that makes diagnosis but fail to provide any help past kindergarten.  And with people who are there to help our kids standing against further testing when he is having a hard time focusing. 

My husband has severe ADD and is still needs medication to function productively.  He sees a lot of himself in our Meatball.  He understands the difficulties that he is having in the classroom.  I have been seriously considering home schooling. 

Well, parent teacher interviews are next week and we will be taking a team effort to get through to his teacher about our concerns. 

The fall months

I haven't blogged in a long time and I think of so many things to write.  I missed a blog about our trip to Ontario.  Maybe because I miss my family so much and maybe, just a little, I wish we lived there.  But I've been out west now for nearly as long as I lived in Ontario. 

Things are busy these days with three growing kids.  I looked at my youngest today and thought where has the last three years gone!... 

We are in the blows of winter already and so I'm going to reminisce on our beautiful we had.

The kids were back to school in September.   Meatball in grade 4 (Wow!!!) and sweat pea in grade 2.

We grew a vegetable garden this year and it was a great joy planting and harvesting with the kids.  We grew broccoli (big hit), kale, tomatoes, green beans, carrots, lettuce and strawberries. It  was a good learning curve for me.  I really enjoyed it.  The fall came the end of it.

Along the way I gave away lots of tomatoes.  I bought some tomatoes from a local farmer and made a really really big batch of spaghetti sauce(or 3 large ziplocs full)!

While the big kids are gone to school all day I get to (entertain) I mean play with bubby.  He is really into doing puzzles, and building his big legos.  I think lego may be on the list this Christmas for all kids. 

Halloween was fun.  We did pumpkins and roasted seeds to eat and of course went out for 1hr and a half in the rain to get candy.  Bubby loved getting candy this year.  We were all tired at the end.

Now winter is blowing outside and I am trying and I'm trying to make some plans for myself to keep the crazies away.  I foresee more painting, scrapbooking and sewing in the near future.  

Today we all went and got our flu vaccines since Grandma and Grandpa are coming for Christmas.  The kids got a simple nose spray but daddy and I got the needle.  Not so bad after all.  Hoping the kids are not to whiny and achy this weekend from it.  But we want to make sure we don't get Grandpa sick while he is here.