IEP

Thursday, I had Riley's annual IEP meeting. For those of you not familiar, IEP is Individual Education Plan. In this meeting, myself and all three of the therapist that see Riley, as well as her daycare teacher got together,to discuss progress and set goals for the upcoming school year. In her last IEP(May of last year) each therapist(speech, APE, and Academic) set a goal and listed 3-4 objectives. I am so proud to say that she met all 3 goals and accomplished 8 out of 10 objectives. We set goals for the upcoming year to continue to push Riley to be all that she can and help her achieve success in the classroom setting. One test, given by her teacher therapist asked many questions and measured the developmental age based on what the child can answer/perform. In several categories,I was amazed to see that Riley tested at over 5 years old. (She's only 4 1/2!!!) I'm so proud of her and we will continue to read to her, practice what she's working on in school, etc. to ensure she continues on the path to excellence. Every moment can be a learning opportunity. Parents, whether your kids have special needs or not, take the time to invest in their future. They are the world's greatest asset. Try turning off the radio, or dvd player in the car and point out things you see or review what they are learning at school. Driving to and from school is some of my favorite time with Riley, It's a constant reminder that having DS doesn't limit her on what she can learn and achieve.