First full year of "school"

A new Individualized Education Program (IEP) was drawn up in September of 2006. The following sections were included:

Present level(s) of educational performance:

• Follows familiar classroom routines; uses Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) to request foods at snacktime; occasionally uses words such as "doggie" and "duck"
• Not using words for requests or to answer questions; only able to point to one out of five familiar pictures (but able to match them); not able to verbally express wants and needs; not able to respond to verbal directions in the classroom
• Able to imitate gestures and movements to songs; able to complete a 6-7 piece puzzle; able to nest 4 nesting blocks; able to operate language master independently; able to play one game on computer independently
• Not able to stack rings in order of size; not able to use size words; not able to match animals to their sounds; not able to point to colors; not able to recognize name; unable to independently find cubby in classroom and remove jacket and hang it in cubby
• Separates easily from mom at school; able to follow classroom routine with assistance; stays on task 50-75% of the time; has started using "I want" card to request toys
• Does not engage with other children when playing; only spends 1-2 minutes with toys and in play areas before moving on; needs assistance at clean up time; makes jargon sounds during group time that can be disruptive

Student-based needs: 

• Use more words and demonstrate understanding of more words
• Increase  cognitive and readiness skills
• Increase social, behavioral and attending skills

Annual Goals:

• Move from infrequent communication attempts and limited demonstration of receptive language skills to more frequent communication attempts and increased understanding of simple language
• Move to more consistent demonstration of cognitive skills
• Move from inconsistent demonstration of peer interactions, behavioral and attention skills to more consistent demonstration

Short-term objectives:

• Verbalize requests for food and drink using PECS cards
• Choose named familiar picture out of a display of 5
• Say "hi" and "bye" to familiar adults or peers
• Point to 6 body parts
• Sort 4 colors
• Learn to cut a 3" long x 1" wide piece of paper in half
• Learn to draw a 6" horizontal line
• Point to 2 shapes
• Learn to independently walk to cubby and hang up backpack and jacket
• Play with the same toy for 3 minutes
• Sit in her chair for 4 minutes without making interrupting sounds
• Play with the same toy as a peer for 2 minutes

The following services were included in the IEP:

• Attend class 3 days a week for 3 hours (the other 2 days she was attending private therapy)
• Direct Speech and Language twice a week for 20 minutes
• Indirect Occupational Therapy twice a week for 20 minutes
• Indirect Autism Support once a week for 30 minutes
• Indirect Physical Therapy 3 times a year for 20 minutes