First ARD meeting coming up
Hello. We have been going through the process of getting our child(5) evaluated and hopefully set up to attend kindergarten for the ‘26-‘27 school year since the very end of last year. We have our first ARD meeting (admission, refusal, and dismissal meeting) coming up. My son has qualified under both Autism and OHI (other health impairment).
I requested a copy of the evaluation results and the proposed IEP to prepare, and have read through it today. My concern is that while they appear to have thoroughly considered his Autism, there is nothing specifically geared towards his OHI, which is honestly my biggest concern, and I have said that clearly in both the initial meeting, the evaluation, and honestly in the very beginning of the process. His safety is number 1.
My son has Rasmussen’s Encephalitis which causes Refractory Focal Seizures. My son has near daily seizures. He falls off toilets, chairs, he has seizures while eating, he’s had one washing his hands, and so forth. Increased physical activity can be a trigger sometimes. He has few known triggers as he is always having seizures no matter what we do. He needs constant supervision. Sometimes he will lose control of his bladder during a seizure. He has an emergency rescue medication that might be needed at times, though luckily it has been awhile. There is so much that needs to be considered when it comes to his seizures and safety.
My only guess is that we will discuss it all in the meeting itself, but I feel a bit concerned it isn’t at all in the proposed IEP. Is that normal? As I overthinking it? I’m not trying to be rude. And I know SPED staff are busy with a million other kids and functions, but I do not want my son to be accidentally forgotten. His safety is paramount.
Currently it appears to me from the IEP that he will be in a special education classroom for children with Autism. I do not know how many teachers or paras will be in this room, or the amount of students, or the severity other students needs(which I understand I am not privileged to that specific information). What I mean is, I do not know how much focus can or will be given to monitoring my son.
Separately and on a side note, I do worry about him academically. He is so smart, and I don’t want him to fall through the educational cracks because of his chronic illness. As I said, his safety is number one. I just worry for him. He is so excited to go to school and learn. He has been begging for a long time, but we didn’t think he’d be able to attend due to his condition. We kept hoping it would get better, but improvements are up and down.
Any advice how to approach the topic of his seizure safety(and other stuff possibly) respectfully with the ARD committee while advocating appropriately would be appreciated.