Summer School

We're into our third week of summer school now.  He goes three days a week, three hours a day.

The first week when I reminded Brian he was going to be starting summer school he smiled and laughed.  He got ready to go INDEPENDENTLY and stood in front of the door BEFORE I was even ready to go.  Usage of capital letters in that last sentence are needed.  This child hates transitioning with a passion.

I drove him to school and he skipped and giggled all the way in.  The remainder of the three-day week continued on like that.

The following week we got a note that Brian had swore when he was frustrated.  I have to admit, at first I laughed.  It was kind of funny that my child who uses so little language had decided to use a swear in a meaningful context.  I let it slide.

The next day I got a note that he swore, bit his wrists, and cried a lot.

Every day since the notes have been the same.

He doesn't want to go to school anymore.  Last Thursday when I told him it was time to go to school he started running around the house, throwing himself into the walls and the floors while screaming.

At first I blamed the school.  What are they doing to make him so upset?

Then after witnessing a huge meltdown on a Friday, a day of no school, I began to wonder what is making him not feel well?

Then I came full circle when I watched his Saturday, Sunday, and Monday be incredibly good.  Watched him go to gigs, appointments, have a house full of people, sit with me and work on academic skills without a single meltdown.  And then watched him go back to school on Tuesday to get a note that says, "Swore a lot.  Pounding his fists on the floor.  Seemed very sad, cried a lot."

I don't ever want to be that parent that blames everyone but my own child for behaviors.  However, it is so odd that he is swearing (and by the way, it's the "F" word) every day at school but no one else in his life has ever heard him say it (besides last fall when he was singing "fu-kay, fu-kay, fu-kay").  It is so odd that I can make him sit and work on sight words over and over again without more than whining.

It's hard when your child can't tell you for sure what is going on.  What could make it easier.

Summer school seems sort of like a joke at this point.  I'm sending him and he is obviously going into his fight or flight response every day so what real learning can be done?  What real learning can be done when it's a new teacher that just met him and probably won't really start to understand how he works until the six weeks are over anyways, no matter how wonderful and true her intentions are?  What real learning can happen when he's not getting 1:1 attention that is written in his IEP or his mandatory sensory breaks?

We're finishing up the week and then reassessing...