First Days-Pretty Good!
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| Thu, 09-06-2007 - 3:48am |
Here's the scoop on my first day of school for ASD 3 year old and ASD 6 year old:
The three year old got into the new bus without a problem, which was interesting because he was always a little upset when his last bus drivers from his last bus company switched busses, or even had new tires put on "his" bus. But he was expecting a new bus for a new school, and seemed fine with a new driver and monitor, too.
At school, he did very well. The teacher said he was "The best in the class." She said he really understood what was going on, and even told her that he was too big for his old school, and that's why he was there. The teacher said that he named a whole lot of toys that were at his old school. Still, he was unsure enough to be very well-behaved. The teacher and I had already discussed that there is likely to be a honeymoon period. The teacher said that she is going to work on getting a routine established and communicated asap, so that he does as well as possible after the honeymoon period. When my son was in the bath after school, he told me that he went to that school before "with you, too." He apparently hadn't realized that that was the school he was going to. But he knows now. He told me that he played a game throwing things with his friends. He told me that the teacher has books and toys, and that the school has a playground.
My six year old did fine, according to the special ed. teacher. She said that all of the kids seemed tired and hungry, and surprized that the day was so long. (We have half-day K in our district.) But he was very polite, and seemed happy. She called me in response to a short note I wrote (after much diliberation), and I really felt good about the conversation. My son's current obsession is Rocky and Bullwinkle, and with humor we discussed that the entire class might be on one subject, while my son is just replaying a Fractured Fairy Tale in his head, and that at other times, my son might look completely "checked out" but be paying attention. We discussed processing time, and she said that should consider adapting test time limits for him in the future. She already knew that if my son is stressed, it will come out at home and not show at school. (I guess that got across last year.) She said it first, so I told her that there is something she can do to help, and told her check that he can read all charts and schedules on the walls. If he can't read it, it will stress him out, but he won't ask. She agreed, and says that it sounded like an easy thing to do to make him more comfortable.
My six year old himself offered very little about the day, and grilling him will not help. He said that he has his own desk instead of tables, and told me what was in it. (Mostly supplies that we had to buy.) He said that the desk has his first and last name on it. That's pretty much the extent of his comments. I picked him up at a group family daycare, which we have been visiting, but this was his first day. He seemed happy there, and the providers (a couple) seem really nice. I don't think I'm going to leave my son there for long; I'm going to find him a baby sitter for our home. But that is another (easier) thing to deal with. He's safe and happy for now.
However, there was a bus problem with both kids. They both were bussed home instead of to their daycares. DH had to send the three year olds' bus to the daycare with him crying and confused (he probably is going to think that dh is always there, but he was really was only home in case something like this happened.) Then, after the three year old's driver called the company, blah, blah, blah, and brought my little guy to daycare, the 6 year old's bus came and beeped. DH came out and explained that he was supposed to be dropped off at an earlier stop at a new daycare, but the driver said she never got those instructions. So DH brought the 6 year old to the daycare, and worked that out with the bus company, too. The two bus problems happened back to back, and I was at work. DH handled them both before calling me, which was really great; not a lot of Dad's would do that.
That's it. I still don't know my son's "regular ed" teacher, but the word on the street is that all of the first grade teachers are good. I'm at a decent level of peace, so I can focus on less-intense, smaller things.
-Sidney

