What a long vacation! - Feb 28, 2015

I apologize for the lack of updates on this blog. I have become amazingly occupied. I am currently the program supervisor of WAVE Ottawa. This program helps adults with autism gain the skills they need to secure meaningful volunteer and work placements. There are two parts to this program: the first is a day program which runs in a few different groups, across the week; the second is a job coaching service which allows the young adults to go into a workplace with the support of a job coach and work 1:1 towards independence. 

Suffice to say, this is an amazing opportunity I simply couldn't turn down, although it has me busier than I've ever been!

Back to the topics at hand.

Today's topic is the school system.

For the last 8 months I have been supporting the family of a 5 year old boy with Asperger's, by providing them with ABA-based strategies to better manage his problem behaviour. We have had wild success, despite the birth of his younger brother, and his transition into the public school system.

The parents did their research, and sought a small school, with small class sizes, where the focus was on each's child's potential. Now, being that he is fully conversational, and simply appears "quirky" and "uncoordinated", his parents figured that support from school would not be too big of an issue, and he would do relatively well so long as they followed up with a communication book. 

All this was the case until recently. Most recently, he is beginning to be bullied on the bus (sitting alone, when everyone is sitting with someone); and bullied at school. This is heartbreaking for me. I realize that my perspective is jaded as I am an adult and I simply adore him, but this was not the circumstance I saw coming. 

The parents and I have worked together to open the lines of communication with the school, and we have initiated the process of getting the necessary permissions for me to visit the classroom for observation. While this process is much longer than we have (as his self-esteem is being lowered with each further event), we have to be patient.

If your child with disabilities is facing difficulty at school, do not hesistate to escalate the situation from the teacher and EA, to a behaviour consultant working for the school board or externally. It is important that we fight for what our children need, and stand up for them before they find their voice.

We will keep trucking along!