So, I took my daughter to her new "school" speech therapist today. I say "school" therapist, because my daughter also gets private speech therapy each week. The new therapist is located in what will probably be my my children's elementary school. As I pulled up to the school, a million thoughts ran through my head. Reality hit me smack in the face.
I can't believe that my little girl is almost old enough to be going to "big" school. In less than a year, she will be a student there. The thought of having to pull up in the car rider's line and possibly having to just drop her off terrifies me. Will I be able to walk her in each morning? Will they make exceptions to the rule that kids have to walk to their own classrooms, or will she be ushered in by some random person. What if she gets lost and no one realizes. What if she throws a tantrum and the people around don't know how to deal with it, or worse, what if they yell at her because they do not realize that she has autism. I mean, she looks normal, so it is very possible that somewhere down the line someone will fuss at her for not responding to them, or ignoring them when they tell her something.
The idea of her spending an entire school day on her own terrifies me. I know we have yet to decide what her education plan will be like for next year. But I still couldn't help but feel overwhelmed when I pulled up to her "big" school. Hopefully by next year, I will be more mentally prepared.
Missy, I believe you will be able to handle it when the moment arrives. Future unanswered questions are scary. What I have learned is God gives the answers we need when we need them. He also gives us the peace we need when we need it. Ellie is going to surprise you next year as she probably surprises right now.
ReplyDeleteI have worked as a paraprofessionals for 4.5 years in a school with a program for kiddos with Autism, and now am a teacher of kiddos with severe Autism/DCD and such. A good school will find people like myself who truley enjoy and love the kiddos with all their heart. It KILLED me to have to take a kiddo from their mom when they were dropped off at school while they were crying... but we learned after a few days that it was ok and Mom would be back. I don't know how many times I "broke" the rules and carried our little first grade peanut into school because she didn't want to leave mom and just wanted a shoulder to cry on.
ReplyDeleteHopefully your school has an Autism Program or there is one accessible in the district. Also, even just finding an LD (Learning Disabilities) or DCD (Developmental Congitive Disorder) licensed teacher that knows Autism well can help. In Minnesota, my license is in LD... but I teach the 6 toughest kiddos with severe Autism in a 7 district area. There currently isn't an ASD license, so it's basically luck that I have so much experience in it. I just completed my Autism Certificate as well, but sadly a lot of the classes had professors that didn't know much either.
You sound like a mom on the right start... advocate for your little one and don't be afraid to ask questions and make suggestions. Schools listen to the squeaky wheel. Even as a teacher, I just know parents mean well for their kiddos.