Thursday, March 12, 2009

IEP's. Glasses. and Colds. Again.

Yesterday, Mommy and Daddy went to my school for my IEP (Individual Education Plan). This meeting is to establish goals, supports, etc for the entire next year. It went well and we are pleased to report that unknown to Mommy or Daddy, I am the best driver in my class. Tricycle driver, that is. Yes. I can peddle that little bike all over with very little assistance and my steering skills are remarkably good for my age (this is according to my school OT). I peddle approximately 4 to 5 times without straps to my feet or assistance consistently. I am able peddle a lot more than that when I receive a little help but most of my travels is powered by my two little legs. This was some exciting news.

Although it was great to hear this new accomplishment, it was also hard for Mommy and Daddy to listen to all the challenges I still face. Especially in the vocal languages department. Don't get me wrong, I've made fantastic progress over the last few months. Amazing progress. But I am still significantly behind with a lot of catching up to do.

Another recent appointment that Mommy took me to was for my eyes. I sat still for the first time ever (Mommy bribed me with Veggie Tales) and my eye doctor finally got a good look at my vision. She was shocked at what she discovered. It seems that my vision is much worse than expected and so new glasses have been ordered (2 pairs at $300 - ouch). I needed a much stronger prescription than originally thought. It seems that it isn't necessarily that my vision is getting worse, it's just that I've never sat still for an eye exam before. It could be that my eyes have just always been that bad but we're not sure so it will be monitored a little more closely to see what happens over the next year or so.

This vision issue might solve one of my problems though. I have not been able to attempt climbing stairs (or at least going down stairs) because I get very scared. Mommy was starting to think it was a balance issue (which meant another doctors appointment) but now it seems more likely that I literally couldn't see the stairs. This also appears to be the case for any change in texture on the flooring. For example, I often stop at door frames if passing through the door means a change of a carpet texture to smooth linoleum. Or concrete (outside) to colored carpet. Mommy would have to literally pick me up and lift me over the doorway or from one texture to the next. Another example is if I am outside and I come to a curb. I will literally stop, get down on all fours (hands and knees) and then crawl over the curb or up onto a sidewalk. All this now seems very possible to be the side effect of very bad vision. Even with my old glasses, I would still have had a hard time seeing. We'll soon find out if this gets better as soon as the new pair arrives.

I also missed my entire week of school because of the latest cold bug that has hit our house. We all got it (Daddy too) and so Mommy has been doing a lot of doctoring. But I made a big step! I've learned how to blow my nose. Yep. Not a wipe my nose...BLOW my nose. This was a pretty big lesson Mommy has been trying to teach me and this last week, I finally got it. Phew.

So there you have it. Lots going on. My new glasses (both pairs) will arrive any day and we'll be sure to let you know how they work out for me.

4 comments:

Carolyn said...

Hi Dylan, I would love to ride a tricycle with you. Good job. I can't wait for you to get your new glasses and don't forget to keep them on. I bet you are going to see lots.
Knuckles,
Carolyn in WV

amy and mighty max said...

Wow...I am super impressed about the blowing nose success! Cool Dylan...please show Max when you get a chance. :)

I am terribly sorry about the vision news...incredibly frustrating I'm sure. Hope he handles the new glasses well and that it makes a difference for his walking. Oh and congrats on the bike riding too. THAT'S HUGE!

We've missed school all week too...

Love you all, Amy

Gretchen said...

Hey! That's great about the trike- maybe he can come over and show Cooper what the deal is- Cooper literally sits down on anything with pedals, puts his feet out, pauses, says, "all done!" and gets off....hmmm! And what a big boy, sitting still for his eye exam! Wouldn't it be nice to have answers to some of those puzzles...

Sandi said...

Really interesting update. Yipee on the tricycle. And I'm sure that the information from the vision testing was reassuring of sorts, even though it was not the best news it related to other issues.

Hope the cold is gone soon! See you this week at the dso planning.