HOPEFUL

Last week Rob and I (along with Robbie's case manager) were able to visit a school option for next year. It is a mile up the road from where Rob teaches - about 8 miles from our house. I went in with an open mind- and I was utterly impressed. I had been very nervous about looking at programs because I felt i didn't really know what I was looking for. My sister in law - who has a special needs child- had told me once you find the right program you'll know it. I think she was right. This school has 2 preschool rooms specifically for autistic students. A kindergarten for autistic students and a preschool handicapped as well as preschool inclusion. WOW! Their day is 9am- 3pm and based around ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis). There is an OT/Sensory room. A PT room. An Art room. A music room. A speech room- I could continue- but to give you an idea of where we are coming from- there is 1 room for almost all. The ratio was 8 children to 6 teachers and next year there will be 4 children in each class. Excited!! Hopeful!! Excited!! That is really all I can say. Many people have said it would have been great if we'd known about this program last year. Honestly, we would not have been ready to accept this is our son. The kids in this program ranged from completely non verbal and using smart boards to communicate to somewhat verbal. 2 boys left one classroom and were asked where they were going. They responded - "to speech." This was in the class where the all the kids were considered nonverbal. It makes me wonder where Robbie will fit. We think of him as verbal- extremely verbal- compared to what we "think" an autistic boy would be- but who knows what they'll see. Most of the kids had those jumpy, awkward movements that Robbie has. A year ago- I would not have seen it. Now- I look and think this is where my son belongs. He could strive here. He will not be the weird kid- they're all "weird kids." Hopefully he will feel comfortable and be pushed to achieve and find a friend or two. It's nice to feel we're moving in the right direction! Hopefully :)