Month: April 2021

I’ve been a school psychologist for 16 years. My primary role is to assess students for special education to determine if they have a disability. I’ve evaluated thousands of kids and been the first person to tell parents their children have a disability many, many times. It’s not an easy career but a fulfilling one! … Continue reading On the Other Side of the IEP Process

While waiting for Noah to have his formal evaluation for Autism through UCSD, I began to carefully observe and analyze his current behaviors, play skills and ways of communicating. Was he engaging in repetitive behaviors? Was he repeating words out of context? Was he not making eye contact when using his words? Looking for answers,… Continue reading Assessment, Diagnosis and the Road to Acceptance (Age 2.5-3)

At 18 months old, Noah only had 5 words and I started to become concerned. However, I quickly brushed it off as many children take a little more time to develop language. When adults spoke to Noah or asked questions and he did not respond, I found myself quickly explaining that he was still learning… Continue reading Toddlerhood Concerns (18- 30 months)

Noah was born ready to meet the world, 5 weeks early at 35 weeks. I remember crying to my husband at labor and delivery and saying, “It’s too soon.” All I could think about were the numerous developmental histories I had written about as a school psychologist, “Born premature. Did not meet speech milestones within… Continue reading Early Development (Birth-18 months)