Still Here....

Hemming and hawing about what to do with J next year. Actually, no, I take that back, that's not really true....my decision is more or less made at this point,  unless a new option surfaces before our July IEP meeting.

So right now, I think we're just going to ask for county service providers to come to our current preschool and see him there. The other options would either require me to pull him out of our nearby preschool to do a county one, or supplement with a county one that would put him in school virtually all day every day and on a pretty ridiculously tight schedule at that. It's just too much, more than we need to add to our lives and more service than I think he needs, quite honestly.  And also, pulling him out of our regular preschool isn't an option. Nope. No way. I value the community and "family" there way too much. The county pre-k may have the upper hand when it comes to understanding, teaching, and engaging kids on the spectrum...and yes, that's huge... but they do not have the history with our family... and they aren't a group of people who have genuinely loved and cared for all my my children over the years. So if I can't have both, I choose the one that is "home".

It might not be the decision that will help close the social gap as quickly as possible, but I'm pretty sure it's the best decision for his emotional well-being and our family's stress level, both of which I feel strongly need to be taken into consideration. I also think that ultimately, he will be just fine.

Not gonna lie, it feels sort of wrong to turn down recommendations of his team... I am such a people pleaser and I tend to defer to experts, plus I really respect these people. I need to get over it though, because as well as some of them know him, and even though they have his best interests at heart,  I still know him best and know what will work for us. (still... SO hard for me to make this call!)

In other news, J is doing really great at summer camp! It's just basically an extra two weeks at his preschool, but nothing is the same other than that. He adjusted wonderfully to a new classroom, new teacher, and new kids, which astounded me. There hasn't been a single instance of crying at drop-off and he is having a blast! Seems maybe the new routine has done him a world of good!