The results of Simon's evaluation for subsidized preschool are in, and they don't believe that he qualifies. It's shocking for us, because his case worker and his current teachers were convinced there was no question that he was still quite behind in speech and gross motor skills. To say we're disappointed is an understatement. When he turns 3 in a month, he will have "graduated" from the birth-to-3 intervention program. That's when we have to tell him that he can't go to school anymore.
There's a bitter-sweet problem we have with our boy. On one hand, it's frustrating that he's behind his peers in the way he talks, walks and uses tools at the table. On the other hand, his eligibility for birth-to-3 gave him an opportunity to go to school with other kids who were behind, as well as kids with disabilities. He asks about going to school almost every day, and when one of us drops him off, he frankly can't wait for us to leave him. So as you can see, some of this is just the idea that something is being taken away from him.
The evaluation indicates he's only slightly behind in speech, but well behind in the motor skills, which apparently isn't behind enough for eligibility. Again, it's a strange outcome given the perception of the current experts who observe him. There are some routes to appeal this, but it's going to be a pain in the ass.
I'd like to think that we're decent enough parents. We try to let him have his failures, and we don't coddle him. We don't expect him to be an over-achiever, and certainly wouldn't do any of the stupid shit that some parents do, as far as holding him back for some perceived advantage. We just don't want him to get behind before he even gets started. It's not out of worry that he's bound for a life of failure, or anything quite that neurotic, we just want to help him out, and we need a little help. We know he'll be fine in the long run.
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