Today I watched a master of special education at work. It was a wonderful experience. Jack and I gathered in the smile room at South Elementary with Sharon Coonan, Mrs. Sherratt and Mrs. Pelton. Sharon lead the discussion and really did a fabulous job. Let me step back for a couple of minutes. I believe a recent posts discussed the plans for today being to attend the above mentioned meeting and to share with Jack a bit about autism.
Back to the visit. We sat down and Sharon began teaching him with a select group of pictures. They were cartoons not actual pictures. The first two pictures were of a rather plump man and then a muscular man, a ripped man as Andy would say. Sharon then asked Jack about each picture. I thought for sure Jack would say "This guy is plump, like my dad". He spared me that embarrassment. Anyhow, Jack noted the difference and Sharon went on to discuss exercising and how the muscular man had to exercise to get into that kind of shape. It was a lack of exercise that lead to the plump man being plump.
Sharon then took out another picture. This time it was of the brain and it detailed different parts of the brain. Jack picked up fast on the brain and referred to it as our control panel. Perfect. Sharon talked specifically about some of the different areas of the brain and what they do.
Writing - it is towards the center of the brain and she talked about how with Jack that part of the brain is like the plump man. Jack hates writing and avoids it as much as possible. This contributes to what I was saying in last nights post about homework being such a challenge.
Hearing - if I remember correctly it is at the front of the brain somewhere over the eyes. Sharon compared this part of Jacks brain to - a new picture - the hulk. It is very powerful, to the point that little noises can be a huge distraction. He hears them. The movie theatre - way too noisy for Jack. It wasn't the movie that scared him two weeks ago, it was the noise in the theatre that was simply too much.
Sharon then introduced Autism. Sometimes people with autism experience these kinds of challenges when writing and things like that can be very challenging while hearing and other sensory type things can be quite advanced. She shared with Jack that he has autism and asked if he knew that. Jack got a little emotional and said quietly "I always thought I was just different than the other kids". I was choked up myself sitting there with Jack and it is a good thing I wasn't talking because I wouldn't have held it together. Mrs. Coonan didn't let us linger on that long and quickly reinforced what a wonderful thing it is and how special Jack was. She talked about all the things that are strengths with Jack and assured him, and me for that matter, that he could do whatever he wanted to do. That autism would not hold him back.
Back to the brain and writing. Exercise. Exercise is how the muscular man got muscular. Exercising our brain is something we can do. Another picture - two guys talking, one has a huge head and the other is asking "Have you been exercising your brain". Jack loved it and it was all clicking. Sharon talked about developing that writing part of his brain and how it will not happen in a couple of days but that he can make it strong through working on it everyday and pushing himself a little further each day.
There were several different things that were discussed relative to the classroom and Jack managing himself when things get too loud or when he is overloaded. Jack did give us all a little discourse on capacitors and how they work and it got tied in to him getting overloaded. How does my 9 year old know all about capacitors? It is that part of his brain that is hulkishly strong. It is what easily clicks with him.
Anyway, I should say that first thing this morning Jack came upstairs and said to me "The people that developed the mini cooper had to learn their times tables. I have a new strategy. When I sit down to do my times tables I am going to clear my mind and focus on just doing that". He has made up his mind. He also shared that plan later in our meeting.
It is a neat thing for me to watch him grow. No doubt it is filled with challenges that push me to the limit. I seriously finished the day yesterday thinking this was the third day of homework, I don't think I am going to make it this year. I talked to Sharon about it this morning and told her we would do our best with the homework but I was not going to worry about making sure it was all done and done perfectly. She told me that she had discussed it with Mrs. Sherratt and said to her that I would help Jack but that if it was too much I would not push it to a point that it would get between me and the boys. They were fine with that. I was relieved to hear that cause it was exactly how I was feeling.
I have to share what Mrs. Pelton said. She talked about Jack's growth over the last few years. Talked about where he was in 1st grade and where he is now. In first grade he was in her room all the time and they worked on different behavioral skills. He went to her room after he was in trouble. Now he knows that when he is heading towards overload that he can go to her room. He knows to set a timer for himself and he will sit and work on his work until he is ready to go back to the class. He recognizes when he shouldn't have done something and can coach himself through it. The other day he was getting overloaded in class and so he got up to go but instead of leaving the room he found a quiet place to sit by himself. He stayed until he was able to calm himself down and then returned back to the activities. I realize that this may not be a big deal for most kids but it is huge for Jack. He is really a good boy and tries really hard to do what is right.
I walked out of South today a bit emotional and filled with gratitude for a team of wonderful people who love my sweet Jack and who love little Andy as well. They have been such a blessing in our lives and it is clear to me that we are exactly where we need to be right now. I am very grateful to my Heavenly Father for his watchful care.
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