Ever have something you pray for as hard as you can, garner all your family and friends to do the same, stick with it steadfastly for YEARS and all of a sudden WHAM....answered!! And then, not only answered, but the answer is so much greater than what you could POSSIBLY have prayed for? Sounds like a good place to be in, right? One would think so! But, guess what? Big fat NOPE, not so! Not a fun place to be in, not today, not yesterday, not all this past weekend!! Got you wondering huh? Well sometimes when a prayer is answered it opens up a whole new series of things to think and pray over! I have lost so much sleep the last 5 days with my mind reeling on the possibility of sending Spencer to Spectrum full time during the school year. Why is it such a hard decision? I have so many fears, worries and questions....(I know, I know, turn it over to God, trust in Him, let all your worries fall on Him. But remember I am a wee bit stubborn and I'm just not quiet ready...I'm getting there, SLOOOOOWLY!) Basically we have 2 choices and we welcome anyone to comment or email me on what your thoughts are....
Choice 1:
Stay in the comfort of routine and of knowing what is in store the coming year. It means keeping a routine that has worked beautifully for the past 3 years. My kids have not had to be in day care despite having two parents with pretty demanding full time jobs. What this means for Spencer....good programming from the top school district in Texas for providing services to children with Autism. KISD has been awesome to us; Spencer has grown in amazing ways over the past few years. I feel confident in the services they offer and the skill level of his teachers. This means familiarity, comfort, predictability! I can put education on the back burner for a while and focus our attention on all that we are doing with diet and BioMed intervention. Which, honestly, is starting to take a toll on me....it’s getting a little overwhelming. (Guess I need to update on that pretty soon.)
Choice 2:
Jump into the scary unknown!! This would mean a whole lot of running around town and quiet a bit of negotiating and working our schedule and routine!! What this means for Spencer....where KISD is good, Spectrum is Great! He has made such amazing progress the last 4 weeks!! What he has been able to accomplish would have taken KISD about 6-8 weeks to get to the same point. Instead of a few one on one sessions each day, it means one on one therapy ALL day. It means if there is something specific I want them to work on, they will. No more school bureaucracy, no more ARD meetings, no more IEP's, no more feet dragging to get ANYTHING done. What I get in return is a constant battle with Insurance and the fear that someday they will stop paying (we have been burned in the past). BUT, I have an advocate to help me through the process. It is Kimberly's mission to have insurance reimburse therapy for EVERY kid at SoH. She told me today that 90% of the kids are funded by insurance (boy have we come a LONG way in advocating for our kids—keep calling your legislators there is still much work to be done) She also said that most of those kids are BCBS clients-which we are also. Advocacy is not something we have in our disputes with the school system. (Well you can always hire an attorney--big $$$) So, basically, we have been on our own to fend for ourselves and as rookies navigate a systems of pros who have done it for years years with many many families. At one of our ARD's we were out numbered 15 to 2. Not good odds when you have to fight for something! It can be a losing battle, but somehow over the years, I have managed to develop a good rapport with them. Something I fear might become strained if we pull him out. We will probably have him back in the public school system at some point.
To each of you reading this, I hope the choice seems obvious to you and you can pass along a little wisdom to me!
There are a few things I do know....
I won't be able to sleep well if I can't honestly say I have tried my hardest and done everything within my means to help him.
I am a little afraid of the future. No matter the choice I make their will be good and there will be not so good. But I do know that it will all turn out okay, I have faith that it will. That doesn't mean I can't have a little fear and worry. ;)
Until next time….peace, love, hope, prayers and a little less fear and worry! ;)
T
Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your soul. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:28-30
Choice 1:
Stay in the comfort of routine and of knowing what is in store the coming year. It means keeping a routine that has worked beautifully for the past 3 years. My kids have not had to be in day care despite having two parents with pretty demanding full time jobs. What this means for Spencer....good programming from the top school district in Texas for providing services to children with Autism. KISD has been awesome to us; Spencer has grown in amazing ways over the past few years. I feel confident in the services they offer and the skill level of his teachers. This means familiarity, comfort, predictability! I can put education on the back burner for a while and focus our attention on all that we are doing with diet and BioMed intervention. Which, honestly, is starting to take a toll on me....it’s getting a little overwhelming. (Guess I need to update on that pretty soon.)
Choice 2:
Jump into the scary unknown!! This would mean a whole lot of running around town and quiet a bit of negotiating and working our schedule and routine!! What this means for Spencer....where KISD is good, Spectrum is Great! He has made such amazing progress the last 4 weeks!! What he has been able to accomplish would have taken KISD about 6-8 weeks to get to the same point. Instead of a few one on one sessions each day, it means one on one therapy ALL day. It means if there is something specific I want them to work on, they will. No more school bureaucracy, no more ARD meetings, no more IEP's, no more feet dragging to get ANYTHING done. What I get in return is a constant battle with Insurance and the fear that someday they will stop paying (we have been burned in the past). BUT, I have an advocate to help me through the process. It is Kimberly's mission to have insurance reimburse therapy for EVERY kid at SoH. She told me today that 90% of the kids are funded by insurance (boy have we come a LONG way in advocating for our kids—keep calling your legislators there is still much work to be done) She also said that most of those kids are BCBS clients-which we are also. Advocacy is not something we have in our disputes with the school system. (Well you can always hire an attorney--big $$$) So, basically, we have been on our own to fend for ourselves and as rookies navigate a systems of pros who have done it for years years with many many families. At one of our ARD's we were out numbered 15 to 2. Not good odds when you have to fight for something! It can be a losing battle, but somehow over the years, I have managed to develop a good rapport with them. Something I fear might become strained if we pull him out. We will probably have him back in the public school system at some point.
To each of you reading this, I hope the choice seems obvious to you and you can pass along a little wisdom to me!
There are a few things I do know....
I won't be able to sleep well if I can't honestly say I have tried my hardest and done everything within my means to help him.
I am a little afraid of the future. No matter the choice I make their will be good and there will be not so good. But I do know that it will all turn out okay, I have faith that it will. That doesn't mean I can't have a little fear and worry. ;)
Until next time….peace, love, hope, prayers and a little less fear and worry! ;)
T
Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your soul. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:28-30
Tami,
ReplyDeleteWhat are the possibilities of getting the advocate to work with you and the school district to do some sort of cost sharing between your insurance and the school?
Would it be possible to demonstrate to the school that Spencer is really receiving a Free Appropriate Public Education at the new school? That the new school is better equipped to meet Spencers needs and provide him with the type and quality of services and supports that he needs to be educated.
Would it be possible to approach your school district with an agreement that say the school will cost share with you for some or all of the portion that the insurance won't pay?
This doesn't help your decision, it only compicates things. But it is one more way to look at the options!
sorry, call if you need to,
Jenny
Wow... all I can say is you Eichenberger's have a bigger story than I realized. And yet you are both so strong, happy, and shine God's light.
ReplyDeleteI would not want to direct you one way or the other, as I am by no means an expert in this field. However, I do know that sometimes God brings an opportunity to us for us to grow... and that growth in the beginning can be a little uncomfortable. However, from this temporary discomfort, and us getting out of our proverbial box, we achieve and become something more than we thought initially possible.
Either choice - your son is going to excel.
I will keep you all in my prayers for God's guidance. I am so proud of all of you. We must all strive to be our children's champion - no matter what the cause is for.
-Keri Aschoff