We had a our last IEP for my senior dc on Friday- post celebrations- big or small here!

[Anonymous]

This board has been so helpful to me over the last decade or so. We had our last IEP of my dc's fcps career on Friday. I did not expect to be as emotional as I was. When he was in elementary school, I didn't even know if college was possible. He is not out of the woods by any means but I think he is going to the right place for him. It has been a rough road at times, hard to see everyone around him have such an easier time while he struggled and struggled through covid, managing his learning disabilities/medical condition. This area is really hard to be in if you are not an over the top achiever so I hope you all know that there is at least one person out in the world that is proud of all of the hard work your kiddos and you are doing.

Post your celebrations here- we have to celebrate every tiny win that we have!

[Anonymous]

That is AMAZING. Congratulations to your son and to you. I’m glad you are taking a moment to savor this. My kids are much younger but it’s nice to hear from someone who has navigated the system nearly to the end!!!

[Anonymous]

I just completed an IEP addendum because my child no longer needs goals for social skills (4th grade), just academics.

[Anonymous]

We have our initial IEP meeting coming up soon. We're just starting out. But starting the process is a big relief. Now we can move on to the next chapter.

[Anonymous]

OP here! Love hearing these celebrations!

[Anonymous]

Congratulations !!! Great work, Mom!

[Anonymous]

Amazing! Very inspiring so thank you for sharing this OP. Congratulations!!

[Anonymous]

We did not celebrate our last IEP meeting ever, because it was during virtual learning. The 504 meeting after that, in 12 th grade, was a little contentious.

BUT

I can report that my son needs much less ADHD meds this year in college than in any of his years of high school (or even middle school)! And he has a 3.6gpa!

I suppose it's because he's taking courses he mostly enjoys, because he chose his major carefully. The environment is less noisy than his large public school and he has a single room, so he can finally have the utterly calm environment he craves.

If any of you are wondering whether and when their kid will be ready to taper off their stimulant... well, maybe it will be in college.

[Anonymous]

This is great. Wonderful to hear success stories. I get so tired of everyone seeming like an overachiever around in the DVM. Sometimes I feel like my kids won't make it, but they will and not everyone needs a top 50 or a SLAC. They will find a school or a trade.

[Anonymous]

My final IEP was via Zoom two years ago and I couldn't even give more than one-word answers toward the end because I was so overcome. I just knew I'd fall apart. We were so lucky to have an amazing case manager and a team that truly cared. I know not everyone gets that.

[Anonymous]

Congrats OP! That's awesome!

Here's our big win: My DS, who had an IEP for language issues from 18 months through 6th grade, just got recommended for honors 10th grade English next year!

I seriously almost cried when I got the email. If you had told me in 4th grade, when we were still working so hard on basic reading comprehension and language/communication skills, that this kid would read Shakespeare and write a coherent paper, I wouldn't have believed you.
He still works harder than most kids in his class to keep up, but he's learned the strategies that work for him and he's doing it!

[Anonymous]

So much hope in this thread. I have a 7 year old and I occasionally worry about his future. Bringing up a neurodivergent kid in a hyper competitive environment feels scary to me. It’s good to see your DCs thriving ❤️ Thanks for this thread.

[Anonymous]

I have a 9th grader with an IEP and it has been the most frustrating and disheartening process with FCPS but she is thriving in spite of them. I will bust open a bottle of champagne when we have our last meeting and so t be sad at all

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So much hope in this thread. I have a 7 year old and I occasionally worry about his future. Bringing up a neurodivergent kid in a hyper competitive environment feels scary to me. It’s good to see your DCs thriving ❤️ Thanks for this thread.

Hey, just so you know - my kid isn’t “thriving” and likely won’t go to college but he is super, super happy, we are happy, he’s made so much progress and life is good. He can do so many things I thought he wouldn’t. I wanted a montage moment, here we are now, so bad for so long, but that’s not always life. He still deserves dignity, love and respect. And if nothing else, let your kid’s challenges teach you how nonsensical all of this competitive bru ha ha is.

[Anonymous]

Congrats OP: I"ll share. We dropped reading pull-out and my DD has done a great job keeping up with the entire class. She's also a funny writer which I love.