Yes - I decided to opt out of the fight and go private. Luckily DH and I can afford it. However it is also wonderful to have a good and collaborative relationship with the educational and other professionals which is possible because i do not have to second guess if their advice and suggestions are real or based on their attempt to pull DC IEP out from under me.

OP here. 0:22 and 7:30, thanks for sharing your experiences. We had to bring in a consultant, which in it's own way has helped because it's a buffer between me and the teacher. Now it's less personal when we discuss an accommodation ("the consultant recommends..."). I know what 7:30 means about the uneven fight - I was one parent making my case in a meeting of six school personnel. Next time, when the consultant came in, we cut right to the chase. I do worry that there could be some risidual effect on how our child is or will be treated in the classroom.

Yes, I'm exhausted - and I feel for you. Like the PPs, I also try to be super nice when I can, showing support and appreciation for the teachers and staff because they really don't get paid enough for what they're doing and having to deal with my kids, the prep for our meetings and all that documentation, etc. I really do appreciate what they're doing for my kids. But, like you, OP, it was a very long journey to get here and it's still not over. I hate the unwritten rules, the stonewalling, the politics, etc. It's an uneven fight and on top of it, I have the emotional compenent the school doesn't have. Sure, the teachers care about my child but it's not the same and the procedural liaison doesn't know my kid from Adam. She reminds me Dolores Umbridge from Harry Potter. On the surface she's all smiley and sugary, but the school team are clearly on eggshells around her. So, we bring our high priced consultant with us and let her slog it out. It sometimes feels like defeat that we have to do that but I don't know what else to do to ensure that someone is really looking after my kids' interests.

Anonymous wrote:You go girl, 22:41. I also hate being a bitch, but when my kid's issues are being brushed off, the fangs come out. Still, the vast majority of experiences we've had with our school have been very positive. We are very grateful for the progress our child has made because of all the caring teachers and specialists at our school.

I usually feel this way. For the first time in a long time, we're having a really bad year. It's truly a challenge to deal with it and not alienate people because I know we will have a different group of people in just seven short weeks.

You go girl, 22:41. I also hate being a bitch, but when my kid's issues are being brushed off, the fangs come out. Still, the vast majority of experiences we've had with our school have been very positive. We are very grateful for the progress our child has made because of all the caring teachers and specialists at our school.

I hope next year is indeed better. I find it ebbs and flows. Sometimes everything goes wrong at once-teacher not accomodating, insurance not reimbursing, etc and I get burnt out with IEP meetings and insurance appeals. Other times we have a lull/smooth sailing.

It's great you have empathy for the teacher. I bet that shines through.

I really have tried to accept people will consider me a PITA or a bitch, but I always start out extra nice and appreciative. The bitch only comes out if she absolutely has to. When she has to come out it's draining, but the bitch in me doesn't give up and it pays off.

So true

I'm glad you're on track, but the fight is never over. Sometimes you get a short reprieve, but it's never over.

Does anyone else feel exhausted from having to fight for services or accommodations for their children? It's been a three year saga for us of trying to figure out what was going on with our 2E child, going against teachers' position that DC is just slow/average/needs to mature and getting private testing, trying to get services and finally going for a 504 plan, all the while feeling like we're being a PITA for asking the teacher for conferences and interventions for DC. I feel for the teacher, I can only imagine what it's like to manage a large classroom of elementary kids, and each kids has his or her own needs. The good thing is we expect next year to be better now that we seem to have the right pieces in place...