Twenty-two days! Twenty-two days is all that’s left in this school year for Caleb and Steven. It’s hard to believe that we’re in the home stretch for this year. Caleb is fixing to finish eighth grade and he will be having an eighth grade graduation. Steven will be finishing kindergarten. It’s hard to believe that Caleb will be starting high school and Steven will be starting first grade in August.
However, the biggest anxiety comes with the fact that Caleb will be changing schools, teachers and paras. And he does not handle change well. After our transition from fifth grade to sixth grade, the district and the co-op have realized that Caleb does not do well with transitions and we will be having a LOT of visits to the high school before the end of school. Friday, two of the paras already went over and observed Caleb in his current class. They have also brought pictures of the high school, the teachers and the paras for Caleb to look at so that he will have an idea of faces when he does go on his transition visits. I will be meeting with Caleb’s high school teacher Tuesday morning. We then have a transition meeting to actually set out a schedule for how often Caleb goes over and visits the high school.
Hopefully tomorrow afternoon I’ll be able to get Caleb’s “All About Me” notebook completed for his teacher so that I can get it to her Tuesday morning and then find out how many other copies I need.
I am praying that God will provide Caleb peace as he transitions to high school and peace for me as I send my baby off to a new building and people who do not know him and his behaviors and the best way to handle him.
Cassandra,
This is the first post I am reading of yours and the first I discovered you have two boys with Autism.
Boy, do you have your work cut out for you, but also TONS of love, I bet. I had a friend several years ago whose son, Sam, turned nineteen this month. Sadly, I lost touch with them many years ago. I was very involved with him between the ages of three and eight. He and his mother stayed with me for a few months during a time the parents were separated. I did as much as I could to help her out. At that point, he was throwing major tantrums, would run away and scream, sometimes placing himself in danger. Often, I felt like I needed a nap after wrestling him to take a shower. I would often utter the words, under my breath, “what on earth am I doing? this is not my responsibility.”.
But then, nighttime would come….reading books, snuggles putting his face up to mine and all of the exhaustion from the day melted away.
I am sorry that you have to work extra hard with your boys to get them acclimated, but know they bring you much joy.
Thank you for making me fondly remember Sam today.
xo
Lori