Happy Back to School!

It came, it came! Back to School Day! ☺ 

Ben has been anxiously awaiting this moment for the past week and was so delighted to finally get on his beloved short yellow bus at 11am. We live a short distance from his school but he still gets to ride special transportation, to his great pleasure!

Ben's huge smile shows how excited he is for school to be in session again!

Angelique drove herself, new driver’s license in hand ☺ …and Camille, in far away Utah, successfully navigated the BYU shuttle and got to work at 8am on time, yay!

So here I am, all alone with Koko, our "rocket dog"… I hope he lets me catch up a little on this blog writing! ☺

Back to school with autism… What’s so challenging about it? For Ben, it might be completely different than for another child on the autism spectrum. He attends a completely self-contained class, with other students who have autism or other mild to severe conditions.

I have visited his classroom; it’s absolutely suited to Ben’s needs and gives him the best chance at learning at his pace. His teachers are all special education teachers with many years of experience and I am grateful that such programs exist for our children who need the extra help and support. 

It’s not that I relish the fact that Ben is not included with the rest of the high school population. But I know that, due to his diverse sensory issues and also his difficulty learning at the same pace as neuro-typical kids, this exclusive and controlled environment gives him the best shot at learning and blossoming.

Camille, as a senior, took physics (her only not-AP class) and AP Literature, AP Calculus, AP Spanish, AP Government and AP Economics. Ben on the other hand, will study basic English, will have Reading, and basic Math, where he’ll be taught how to use a calculator to add and subtract simple numbers. He’ll also continue to attend a vocational- technical center where he learns to punch in a time card and do simple work related tasks.

I think this picture illustrates how special education works for my child, giving him the tailored boost he needs to become a functional member of society and also "enjoy the game" ☺

From AP classes for one child, to vo-tech skills for another… That’s the beauty of puzzling how the same two parents can have engendered such different kids! ☺But it’s all in the master’s hand. I have faith that one day, Ben’s mind will come to flourish fully, as it already has within his earthly limits. One day, maybe not very soon, Ben will tell us all he knows and all he understands. Until then, he will continue to plow along doing the best he can.

Happy Back to school everybody! ☺