Art class

I ran into Robbie's art teacher this weekend. Robbie had missed art last week due to his bus being very late which has him out of sorts. I apologized for his missing the class and not reaching out to her sooner. Next she began by saying she had wanted to talk to me. Immediately my heart sunk as I assumed it meant Robbie was being disruptive during class however that is not what she said. She asked if it was ok for her to discuss Robbie's autism diagnosis with other parents in the class. She explained that Robbie was fine in class, a bit of scripting dialogue and asking for hugs from her but no disruptions. I exhaled. Robbie could continue art class as he has been doing for the past 6 sessions.     Robbie really enjoys art. It's the only activity outside of school that has stuck.  I offered to draft a letter she could use to help explain Robbie/ autism and send out if she wished. After discussing this scenario with my husband, here is the letter we came up with. And yes, I cried through most of it. Feel free to offer feedback.

Dear Other Parents in Robbie’s Art class,
I wanted to introduce Robbie to you and your child as he does not have the ability to do so himself. Robbie was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at the age of three.  People with autism have difficulty in areas of social interaction, communication and repetitive interests or behaviors.  While those with autism have many similarities, each is also unique in many ways.  Robbie likes hugs and touch.  Robbie is verbal but may be hard to understand as much of his speech is linked to movie references or TV shows.  Robbie also has a high level of anxiety due to his inability to communicate as others do.  I write this letter to you and your child in hopes of providing some understanding as to why he may hug his teacher repeatedly or flap his arms in the air. He loves art class and it has been a blessing to find a friendly environment where he can be Robbie and enjoy the class.
I’ve drafted this letter just in case your child has discussed a student in the class that was either a bit weird or who did not follow all the rules the teacher has put in place- (hugs, interruptions, etc.)
If you have any questions, please free to reach out to myself or my Husband. We’ve been living in Medford lakes for 11 years and have 2 other neuro-typical children- 7 year old Lexi and 2 year old Timmy, as well.
Thanks!
Simonne Hummel
simonneprescott@hotmail.com