Very good parent-teacher meeting

[lingle]

I met with nursery manager, SENCO/reception teacher and headmistress today.

Little DS2 (4.7) is doing really great! He is now having little conversations with the other children and always turns to the staff for comfort if something distresses him.

I feel really happy about him going into reception next year. Usually I feel too stunned after a good meeting to really celebrate but this felt more solid.

It's weird - they quite clearly do not understand sensory issues and I am still having to bang on and on and on about visual learning not just being something for non-verbal children. But other things they got really really well, and the nursery manager said she could now often see things that reminded her of DS1 (18 months ago it used to astonish them when I said my sons were similar).

I described the different ways he plays with three children who they also happen to know (typical 3-year-old, immature 5.5 year old and 5.5 year old with superb social skills) and they really grasped how DS2 has the measure of the 3 year old but can only interact patchily with the two 5 year olds in two very different ways. They also agreed that had he gone into reception this year his best hope would have been to be mothered by socially advanced little girls (as I was)whereas now he has a chance to be on more of an equal footing socially.

There's clearly an issue of different professionals/ different world views going on as well. They seem to like the fact he doesn't have a dx .... not sure what's behidn this (no it's not money in this case) ... it seems to make them feel they are still the professional experts on him - it somehow reminded me of that whole midwife/doctor rivalry thing......

dunno, but am off to see the all-male Swan Lake tonight and am going to have a glass of wine.

glad it went well. agree with rival professional fiefdoms if you like. I can sympathise with school, in that they get left with the day to day grind, whereas the profs flit in and out for the odd hour every however many months (if you are lucky).

enjoy Swan Lake, it's got plenty of modern dance, which was rather refreshing.

thanks tc. have just shouted for you on my thread about "accident" concept

Oh thank god some lovely news after the depressing board yesterday.

I'm sure it had everything to do with how you handled it lingle

thank-you dels,

I guess it's about seizing those opportunities that the child's developing brain gives you as they arise.

I'm so glad they see him as a little boy they can get to know - it's a pity though to think that they might struggle with this if he had, say, eye contact issues because the sensory issues seem to go over their heads. There is so much they could learn from hanging about on this board.