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Oh, how I love Justin\u2019s school.<\/p>\n
Recently I schlepped up north for my boy\u2019s parent-teacher conference, excited as I always am, but this time with a lump in my throat too.<\/p>\n
You see, my son, who I swear just yesterday was a toddler, is now less-than-a-warranty away from being a teen-ager, and he\u2019s moving on to an upper elementary classroom.<\/p>\n
This means that he will be leaving his beloved teacher and aides, and the actual classroom he\u2019s been in for six consecutive years.<\/p>\n
As excited as I am for the switch, just thinking about it makes me verklempt.<\/p>\n
I settled in with his teacher at her conference table, thrilled to hear he\u2019s doing well.\u00a0 I was regaled with his progress in math (he did not get that from me,) reading and spelling.<\/p>\n
I listened to how much he\u2019s matured on their outings to Toys \u2018R\u2019 Us and Target, how he revels in each adventure.\u00a0 I listened to his teacher tell me my son has a crush on a para in another class (so age appropriate!) whom he tries to hug at any opportunity.<\/p>\n
I smiled, and chuckled, and didn\u2019t cry once.<\/p>\n
I thought I\u2019d make it through, but then she hit me with this.\u00a0 She and the staff are so happy for him to move on, but they all hope his replacement is as smart and loving as he is.<\/p>\n
And while I\u2019m thrilled to hear they will miss him, I\u2019m even more thrilled to know once more that they \u201cget him.\u201d<\/p>\n
I\u2019m proud that Justin can learn, is mostly well-behaved, showers staff with frequent hugs. I\u2019m also thrilled because this means he\u2019s predominantly happy, an emotion I did not think we\u2019d achieve back in the dark days when insomnia, aggression, and a refusal to eat dominated our world.\u00a0 I love that he loves school, that he\u2019s productive, safe, happy.<\/p>\n
It is a priceless gift when you\u2019ve found the right school placement for your child.\u00a0 I know it doesn\u2019t often come easy, that mediation and court cases sometimes ensue when parents are desperately searching for what their child needs.<\/p>\n
But whenever you can, if you\u2019re able, fight for what fits your child\u2019s specific needs.\u00a0 Do what you can to make certain your child\u2019s sensory, academic, and communications needs are being met.\u00a0 As much as you can, fight.<\/p>\n
Things aren\u2019t perfect with Justin.\u00a0 His OCD can be daunting, and there are still, albeit infrequent, aggressions on his part.<\/p>\n
But he is mostly a happy child, and while I\u2019d like to attribute some of that to his innate nature I must give so much credit to his wonderful schools, the teacher and paras who have been so dedicated in making certain Justin achieves his best self.<\/p>\n
We couldn\u2019t have made it here without them.<\/p>\n
And as I walk back to my car not bothering to keep the tears in check I am awash in gratitude.\u00a0 Gratitude for such devoted staff. Gratitude for what that means for our family.<\/p>\n
Gratitude for my boy, just the way he is.<\/p>\n
For more on my family visit my blog at autismmommytherapist.wordpress.com<\/em><\/p>\n Follow me on Facebook at Autism Mommy-Therapist<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n