Can You Say Communication

Tomorrow morning Josh and I are heading to yet another meeting with Leah's school district. We will be learning how to more effectively communicate with our team of teachers and therapists as well as the administrators that we work with. They have invited a nationally known and well-respected mediator (we respect this individual as well) to facilitate this oh-so-necessary instruction. Because as you probably all know, a University instructor, special education provider herself and someone who considers herself 'well-educated' doesn't know how to effectively communicate. Funny, but the University will be employing me this spring to teach a graduate level course titled Consultation and Collaboration! But really, I have no idea how to communicate with others! (Does something seem wrong here to you too????)

This is what I'd really like to communicate to the district tomorrow:

• You are not providing what my daughter needs in terms of goals and objectives
• You are not providing what my daughter needs in terms of activities throughout her day
• You are not providing what my daughter needs in terms of behavior intervention (this intervention is proven effective with Leah based on documentation and ... just look at her from the start of the intervention until now...come on!)
• You are not providing my daughter approptiate behavior intervention because of lack of training of staff and refusal to do so
• You are not providing my daughter appropriate behavior intervention because of ignorance regarding the methodology and have adopted 2 other behavior interventions that are not nearly as effective (as proven in research) and not appropriate for Leah (as demonstrated in TWO separate psychological evaluation reports)
• You haven't progressed her skill set in the cognitive or occupational therapy domains
• You are restricting her social, behavioral and cognitive development by not recognizing her Least Restrictive Environment with non disabled peers for 2- 1/2 days with her twin
• You are limiting my daughters educational programming because we are pioneer advocates within this county and we are making you challenge the status quo...something that your mission statement says that you will do...but you refuse
• You are limiting my daughters possibility to become an independent individual in the future...you WILL NOT succeed

But I will not...I will sit there and learn 'how to communicate effectively', because I clearly am ignorant in this subject. I will allow my two renowned advocates talk for me as I sit and shoot daggers through their cold hearts and blank eyes. I will take notes of EVERY word that EACH of them say to nail their a$$es to the wall if and when it's necessary.