Bitter & Opinionated

Unfortunately, that is how the week has left me.  James has grown increasingly "stimmy" and harder to redirect.  He has started hitting in school and once outside.  After he was chomped in the lunchroom on Monday, he has even attempted to bite me.  Luckily, I say "attempted" because he only touched my hand to his teeth and nodded before bursting into tears. While I have stressed "no hitting" and "no biting," and directed him to let me know what is wrong (and he can somewhat, God bless him, even without words), he was still hitting at school. On the advice of his outside Occupational therapist, I made what I thought was an innocent request at school: could he wear a weighted vest at times, as mandated by the OT?
James has a lot of sensory issues.  He has 5 hours of Occupational Therapy (OT) a week mandated in his Individualized Educational Plan (IEP).  The vest is part of his already implemented sensory "diet"  that includes brushing and joint compression, tactile play, and a lot of pushing and pulling. This is just another step.  He wears it, on occasion, at OT, at Speech, and at Physical Therapy (PT).
Lo and behold, I have stepped into a minefield.  It seems the school administration is against acknowledging sensory issues. What?  It's not scientifically proven.  Oh. And he has been receiving these services, funded and recommended by the Board of Education and the City of New York, since age two? So, here we go.  Mom does not enjoy being a thorn but that is exactly the role I am about to take on.  Wish me luck.