I'm really worried about my son Jarrett. He's High Functioning Autistic, at the very tip of the scale, but he still does alot of things that concern me. He's very easily distracted, he sometimes cant tell the difference between whats real and whats not. He doesn't always act age appropriate. His eating habits are very poor. He has self control issues; ie. Meltdowns, hitting,biting ,pinching. I am not sure If I did the right thing sending him to Kindergarten this year. He has a one on one aide, but I'm not sure thats enough. I had the chioce to wait a year before sending him to school because he just barely made the cutoff. If he was born 1 week later he would have to wait till next year to start Kinder. I'm so worried that between his autism and that fact that he's still really young, the youngest in his class, I made a mistake rushing him into Elementary school. What happens if he never overcomes this or grows out of it? I dont want people to look at him as the "Weird Kid" or the one "whose not exacly right" I want so badly for him to lead a normal, happy childhood. Maybe I'm just over analyzing because it's the first week of school, maybe he just needs time to adjust. I just feel so confused. He's my first born, unfortunately he didn't come with directions.
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Don\'t be too hard on yourself. Just give it your all this year, and encourage him to do the same. Keep in mind, if it doesn\'t go as planned this year, and he needs another shot at kindergarten next year - it\'s not the end of the world. He\'ll still be close to the same age as the other people in his grade. Just a thought...
I have an autistic sister however she is also DD. However with her autism anytime she has a big change in her routine she is thrown off and kind of takes a few steps backwards in her progress. Your son is just going to need some time to adjust. As to weather or not this year or next was the right choics... that is probably only something you and he could figure out. Good luck, my advice it that since you have made the choice for him to start then to just now give him some time to adjust. This is a BIG change for him!
i dont blame you for having these thoughts/concerns. i really think the borderline birthday adds to the difficulty. Talk to his teacher and tell her what you are thinking....if he needs to---couldn\'t he just repeat a grade? it happens all the time. let us know how he\'s doing. the first week must be hard!
Mantanona, been there, done that! I want to encourage, but unfortunately, the meltdowns are common for our high functioning Autistic kids. Please E-mail me privately. Not because I have anything to hide, but I need more space and time to tell you how I helped my son at that age. mjg2you@bellsouth.net if you are interested in talking.
MJ
GracieNoah is right on track with what she says. Part of the reason for the meltdown is certainly because the child has to have the classroom setting become normal routine to him. Our kids do not take readily to change. The change becomes an overload to him.
I went through a very similar situation with my son Ben. He was the youngest in his class last year, and he was having more seizures than we would have liked at that time. I was afraid that he would be ostracized, but instead, he became the celebrity that everyone took under their wing. Everyone loved him, because he tried and WANTED to be a part of things despite his disease. I\'m not saying it was easy, or that he didn\'t have behavioral difficulties (mostly because of the Epilepsy meds), but that first year, although rough, helped us to lay a foundation where he had to listen to authorities, or try to conform to rules outside of the home. He was also exposed to learning that he needed reinforced. He had his own special programs to help him re-learn info. he would lose after episodes.
This year, he is outgrowing his Epilepsy by leaps and bounds and is retaining much of what he learned last year. I am certain, now, that letting him be exposed to that environment was the right thin, even though at times it was painful to watch. I wish you luck!
Does your son get any occupational therapy for sensory processing issues? My daughter was having a LOT of meltdowns and biting/punching/kicking before it was discovered she had sensory problems that needed to be addressed. You have my empathy.
Sorry I just realized he DOES get OT. Is the therapist doing sensory things with him? We have a small trampoline, give deep pressure and have toys that help fulfill her need for auditory and visual stimulation. My daughter\'s oral defensiveness has improved and her diet is SLOWLY expanding although we\'re doing the gluten free casein free diet. (You might want to try it... it has done amazing things for us!)