Peers

After the sleepover on Saturday night, I drove the kids to religious school in the morning. Zach and N took a few books about firefighters and fire engines into the car with them, and Zach read them to N.

Moment one: Zach is about six months younger than N, but is reading at a level WAY above most 6-year-olds. To wit, he read sentences that said, "The fire engine speeds through the intersection," and "The firefighters prepare their equipment," without hesitation. N, listening, suddenly says to me, "Mama, Zach is a much better reader than me."

"Yes, he is, sweetie," I replied, still driving. "But soon, with some practice, you'll be able to read those words, too."

"Oh, I know," he replied, and he and Zach bent their heads together to continue the story. "I was just telling you."

Moment two: N points to a picture in the book. "That firefire is climbing a HUGE ladder!"

"It's a fireFIGHTER," Zach replies, emphasizing the t sound in the second half of the word.

"I said firefire," N says, slightly irritated.

I intervene. "Zach, sometimes N has a little trouble with some words, but he was trying to say firefighter."

For several minutes after, N keeps trying the word out, trying to get that pesky T to stay where it's supposed to. It was clearly hard work.

Me, I was sitting there thinking simply, "That's one of the first times ever that someone his own age has corrected his speech," and trying to figure out if that was a good thing, or a bad thing, or...

Moment three: I'll tell you what was an unqualified first and a Very Good Thing, though. Later on Sunday, after I'd driven both boys back to our house (where Zach's mom and dad and a couple of other families from temple joined us for a late lunch and birthday celebration for one of the other kids), N and Zach were on the front porch, and N saw his friend B from across the street and called to him to come over. And then N, Zach, and B went into our backyard and played together for a while--three first-grade boys, connected through N. N, with two different friends, having fun. Thank you, god.

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We finally got the assessment plan from the school district on Friday, and as I suspected, it had only speech and OT listed. I'm on a deadline right now (which is why I'm blogging, of course), but as soon as that's done, later today, I'm going to sit down and write a draft letter in response to the plan. My basic idea is that it will say that I do indeed want these assessments to be done and that I give my permission for them, but that I also believe a social/emotional assessment is essential to the process, and to N's success in school. I will then likely add that by diagnosing and suggesting medication for my son in the team meeting last week--before ever meeting him--the school psychologist has removed himself as the person who should be allowed to do that assessment. I will then ask the district to recommend who *they would like to pay* to do such an assessment, since the school psychologist's suggestion in the meeting that I should have him assessed myself (since, you know, I have private insurance) was equally inappropriate.

I am so over these people, I can not even begin to tell you. But I do hope to begin to tell THEM.