And now, the rest of the story...

After several emails with Morgan's teacher, I was more frustrated. Her teacher assured me that Morgan was doing great at school. She always seemed happy and ALWAYS stayed on task. She was doing good work and seldom asked questions. (Her fear of being in trouble or doing something wrong was in full force.) The teacher didn't understand why homework was taking so long.

At parent teacher conferences I broke down in tears. I tried not to. The frustration just overwhelmed me. Then the teacher took me seriously. She submitted my request for a formal evaluation.

The initial questionnaire showed autistic tendencies and the school psychologist wanted to continue with a full evaluation. We spent a month answering questions, filling out forms, and having Morgan's abilities tested. We looked forward with great anticipation to our team meeting day.

The results were tallied and the decision made. Her social skills put her in the autism spectrum. Her cognitive and language was borderline autism. But her behavior and coordination gave little indication of autism. (She is one of the strongest and fastest 4th graders even though she is the smallest.)

The experts all agreed that Morgan's spelling and writing are below level. They all agreed that she needed extra help with reading, which she is currently getting. The speech therapist agreed to work with her on a few lingering issues. But, because she is on the bottom line of the average range she is still considered average. She doesn't qualify for any additional help until she falls below that line.

I strongly feel it is because of my interventions at home that she is able to stay on the line. The experts all praised me as I shared what I had been doing to teach Morgan about emotions and how to deal with anxiety. They told me to keep up the good work.

The principal said she noticed that Morgan is the first one out the door at the end of the day. She agreed that Morgan is probably so overwhelmed from holding it together at school and that's why she falls apart when she gets home. She also felt Morgan was just a little immature and things would get better when her maturity level catches up with her peers. That's what the teachers have been saying all along, she'll catch on eventually.

The experts agreed with all of my concerns, showed me test results that confirmed my frustrations, and then patted me on the back and sent me on my way. I shed a few more tears and then continued my research online. Autism is getting a lot of attention right now and there is TONS of information. Even without an official label, there are things I have found that help her.

I am committed to helping my daughter be a successful learner. If she wants to be a veterinarian then I will support her every step of the way.
I am her biggest fan!