We're Going to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo...

The Utica Zoo (http://www.uticazoo.org/) theme song is an earworm for everyone who originally hails from the Mohawk Valley in Central New York. Years later we still can hear the tune playing in our heads. Yesterday my son's school took our annual field trip to the Phoenix Zoo. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtHp5YNHQSQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player) No catchy theme song, but a good time was had by all. One of the staffers whose tenure at the school is longer than my son has attended remarked that this was the 1st year she saw me relaxed with a big smile during the zoo field trip. She is right. I didn't have a care in the world. My son made amazing progress this past year. He was with an amazing staffer who is young but extremely talented. He had money for drinks, snacks and a carousel ride for both of them although like the rest of the staffers, she refused to use my money to buy anything for herself. There was one child who had a meltdown but I only learned about it because I was with the staffer charged with ordering lunches for the group and she needed $$ to pay but at that moment the teacher with the $$ was busy with her student. This is why there is Visa. (Just one of the few duties of being Parents Assoc. President by Default ;) Within a few minutes the distressed student, teacher and assisting staffers calmly showed up for lunch. My son attends this amazing private school to which we commute 50 minutes each way through Phoenix during rush hour because our school district can't figure out how to properly educate my son. It isn't rocket science, but it does require well trained, talented staffers willing to think outside the box. Our district pays less in tuition to the private school and travel reimbursement (required by Federal Education Law) to me than it receives in aid from the State and the Feds to educate my son. The only reason the school district hasn't threatened to place my son in their in district self contained autism class is that they would rather not deal with me. They understand that until a Federal Judge orders otherwise my son will remain at the private school as long as he needs to be there. It is good to have my reputation precede me. Back in the decade I practiced law in the Mohawk Valley my fellow attorneys dubbed me a street fighter while friends affectionately called me Psycho Bitch Lawyer from Hell. Last month my son had a major break through. He is finding his voice and now will try to repeat sounds upon request. In addition to speech therapy during school (the entire program is communication enriched) where a speech therapist supervises an SLPA who does the majority of the one to one work, my son also has an hour of after school speech therapy where the school codirector/owner who is a speech therapist with a Ph.D. supervises another SLPA who also works with my son during school time. Then there is the consulting speech therapist who is a feeding specialist and a 4th speech therapist who is in charge of other students but the whole staff works as a team. Plus my son has an amazing teacher who is in charge of 15 students and 7 staffers. Then there is the sensory/OT team... All of this highly trained, amazingly talented staff for tuition that is about $9K less than the school district receives to educate my son. I shake my head at the state of public schools in AZ (our district is A+ rated but continually needing state assistance for it's autism program) and count my blessings that 5 years ago my son received a coveted spot at his amazing school! We 1st met the speech therapist who oversees my son's in school program when she was a college student working at another agency in their autism early intervention program. At 24 months my son was the youngest to attend the program and we did so with great trepidation because the management had a "my way or the highway" attitude that allowed very little individual tailoring for each child. I compared the program to what was available in the Mohawk Valley and it came up short but at that time was the only game in town. However, there were a few naturally talented shining stars, all of whom now work elsewhere, who over the past decade we've watched grow professionally; especially my son's speech therapist. My son did well in that 1st program and for a few years did ok in the home program they supervised until my son's headache pain intensified as did his self injurious and defensive behaviors (All behavior is communication and for 6 years he tried to tell us he was in intense pain from a medication no doctor suspected; welcome to autism land). It wasn't until my son began attending his private school that we found professionals who had a clue and were willing to think outside "the box" to really help him. An inadvertent med change 2 years ago seriously relieved his headache pain and the addition of a new medication last year has enabled him to better benefit from his school and home programs. My son was the March 2012 Student of the Month. Thanks to the amazing school staff and the amazing woman who works with him in his home program (she has been with us 5 years); another caring, patient, naturally talented person with a heart of gold who is beyond amazing! So now you understand why I spent yesterday at the Phoenix Zoo relaxed and grinning like a Cheshire Cat. :)