School in 2013

We were at my parents place for lunch this past Sunday and my brother BJ mentioned 2 things:

One, my blogs posts have been lacking, and when i do post they are always an overview of the past several months.  True.  I miss writing in the moment as each adventure takes place, but i just can't seem to find the time to sit down and get it out soon after, and the more time that passes the more it feels like i can't talk in the moment.  Perhaps it was more enjoyable to read my posts as i wrote them before?  I don't know.  Definitely more detail than what i have been doing lately.  Perhaps this can be a new years goal?  lol.  Well, for now, this is just practical for me... and this time it's only a month and a half!  I have 3 different topics that i will be posting in the next few days so they are more specific :)

Two, my brother mentioned that when i do post, his name is never mentioned.  lol.  Well BJ, here you are, my opening act!!  hmmm... perhaps i should say something nice about him?  He is 26 years old, tall, dark and handsome, and available!!!!  He has a steady job and his 'own' place.  He's smart, funny, and musically talented!!  Any girl would be so blessed to be a part of my family, we are the best!!  haha.  Ok, i feel this is satistfactory.  I'm sure this is exactly how you were hoping to be mentioned BJ, so, you're welcome!  lol.  Moving on...

Now, if you are wondering if you are reading the right blog i will confirm that yes, yes you are!  This blog is about Marshall, my 4.5 year old son who falls on the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).  I often state that Marshall has 'Autism', because people understand that (kinda), but the Autism Spectrum was layed out like this for me when M was diagnosed:

*Aspergers - severe social struggle, normal language and learning (often very smart)
*PDD-NOS (Pervasive Development Disorder- Not otherwise stated) - basically it doesn't fit into either of the other two catergories.
*Autism (classic Autism) - you will see the most symptoms in this diagnosis such as hand flapping, rocking, stemming, social struggle, little to no language

Marshall falls under PDD-NOS... so i suppose i should say that he falls under the ASD, rather than just "He has Autism", but like i said, the word Autism is more easily understood by others.  By saying what i often do, i am actually making Marshall's diagnosis more extreme than need be with these catergories.  Goes to show how much more people need to be informed.  A lot of people in my ASD circles knock the Autism Speaks campaign as they feel all the money just goes to publicity rather than actually helping the kids through therapy or whatever.  But i feel like someone has to be the social and public face of awareness.  I try to do my part in my community, but they do it globally which is great. 

Last blog post i left off that i was heading to Marshall's preschool (Abby Christian) to speak with the Principal to discuss options for Marshall for Kindergarden next fall.  It seems so early to be thinking about next fall, but being in a private school, i need to make my decision in the New Year so he's registered where i want him to be.  Basically, the Principal told me that the preschool teachers that Marshall has now, along with their Special Needs Coordinator person at the school (who is apparently amazing), the Principal, and myself will all sit down to discuss Marshall at some point in the New Year.  I am supposed to hand over all of Marshall's paperwork (I can't imagine that they actually mean ALL of it, there is a LOT) to the SN chick and then they will inform me as to their recommendation for how much extra support M will need.  Due to the fact that Marshall has been managing with a shared aide in preschool, i doubt he will get full support moving forward.  I have been told by several professionals that having a shared aide, if you're child manages alright, is really ideal as it allows for the child to be more independent, and less dependent on the aide for every little thing.  This makes sense to me. 

At our school, i have the option of part-time K which is what we did for Marshall's sister last year and it worked well.  It was Tuesdays and Thursdays all day, and about 1 extra Monday per month.  The Principal explained to me that with SN kids they offer to the parents to pay for part-time tuition, but then have the child come every day until around 11am.  They find that our kids need consistancy but struggle with the length of all day.  I can see that.  Then of course i have the option of just putting M in full-time Kindergarden.  I will weigh the opinions of the staff at the school of course, but i feel like Marshall is ready for full-time.  He is doing 2 schools per day totalling 4.5 hours some days, and loving it.  Socially, i think it would be great for M to be in school every day all day.  I spoke with the little boys Mom with whom Marshall shares and aide right now, and she is putting her son in full days next year.  She has other SN children in the school and so she knows who she wants to request for an EA and to have our boys together as they have worked well so far.  I think i will go along with this plan, unless suggested otherwise.

The other thing i need to consider is Marshall's Next Step Autism Program.  Because his birthday is in May, he will have the full funding during his whole year (minus June) of Kindergarden.  There is a time slot from 3-5pm at NSAP, but to ask Marshall to do 8 hours of school per day at the age of 5 just seems insane, and i don't feel is in his best interest.  Janel (NSAP) let me know that they would work with our family to customize Marshall's schedule to how we see best.  She let me know that some families just opt to have her come into the classroom on a monthly basis to do an assesment and then relate her directions to the aide at the school.  Then there's the social group at NS which is for 6 and over and happens one day per week for 2 hours.  I had thought that this would be a good option for Marshall (i may have misunderstood Janel, but i thought she suggested at one point that M could attend next year), but i recently had someone who knows the program suggest to me that Marshall's social skills are coming along well, and that if he stays on the same progress track, that he will not need the social program.  This was encouraging to hear!!  I know his speech will be the main struggle for Marshall always, despite how much he is improving daily, and i am happy to know that i can use the funding after he turns 6 (will drop from the current $22,000 yearly to $6000 yearly) in a very focused way.  I am also thrilled to learn that the SLP (Speech) that we love is also listed under ACT (a list that us parents have to choose from if we desire to hire independently for therapy) and that the option might be there to pursue that during his K year, and/or afterwards.

So as of right now, without having discussed any concrete options with either school, i'm feeling like we will put Marshall into full-time Kindergarden.  If possible, i'd like to pull him out at noon on 2 of the days of the week (tues and thurs perhaps) to attend NSAP during the afternoon timeslot (maybe doing 4 hours on these 2 days instead of just 2), and then if possible, attend NS on Pro-D days and other holidays (Christmas and Spring Break) when they are still running and regular school is not.  We shall see in the next couple of months how this all plays out :)

On a different note...This all came up very suddenly (early September), but has now all been confirmed... I have been accepted into the EA (Educational Assistant) Program at CBC (Columbia Bible College)!!!!  I will focus on Autism and working with kids under this diagnosis, naturally, as i am somewhat of an expert ;)  haha.  I am very excited about this!!  I did not do any post education after highschool.  My only 'career dreams' were to be a Mom, and i love being one.  I have also loved helping out in Devyn's classroom both last year and this year.  My husband and i have discussed over the years a few options about what i could do once the kids are both in school full-time, but going back to school was never one of them.  My husband suggested that i look into this course a couple of months ago as he felt i would be good at it, and it would coincide with the kids' school schedule.  I was flattered that he suggested it, and have been overwhelmed by the support from my family and friends since pursing it.  What an unexpected adventure!!  God has a plan... i live by this.  How neat that He chose to use my special needs son to grow me and mould me into someone who doesn't fear, but who has a heart for these special kids and what they have to offer our world. 

During my talk with the Principal in regards to Marshall, i spoke with him about my plans to look into going back to school.  His face lit up and he said that often it is parents or those with family members with special needs who get into this kind of work later on in life.  He recommended two schools to obtain my certification and i chose the local one.  He also encouraged me to do my practicum at the school.  Awesome!!  At this point in time, i really only desire to work at Abby Christian where my kids are at.  The EA Program is a part-time 1 year program which is probably manageble to most people.  I am choosing to make sure i succeed and do not become overwhelmed, and am going to stretch it out over a year and a half starting in January :)  I am attending an Educators Conference following some workshops at CBC over the next month to get some specifics on SN teaching and EA before i get into the full swing of school and am looking foward to it! 

Have a great day :)