I'm really not sure where August went...I woke up today and it was September! Its safe to say that the month was pretty uneventful. JJ was having a few emotional days, frustration over a game on his computer I think. He rarely cries, but can get mad pretty easy, three days last week he started crying. It took me by surprise and I had to mute the tv to make sure it was actually him and not the game he was on. But low and behold, it was him. I went to his room to ask him what was wrong and he got all embarrassed and said he was "fine"! I tried to dig further to find out what had caused the tears..but he wouldn't share.
I wasn't shocked by that, aspie kids rarely share their emotions or causes of them. I have found in the past that if I asked a lot of questions I could sometimes find out what his reason for an outburst was. And to be honest, his reason wouldn't make sense to me. Of course compassion for his feelings is number one, they need to be validated regardless if they make sense to me or not. More often than not, he didn't know how to explain it so I never got an answer.
Aspergers is as confusing for me as it is for him sometimes. I read as much as I can on the disorder, and still some of his behaviour and quirks amaze me. Even now 11 years later.
He starts middle school in 4 days. He missed the class tour in June with the rest of the gr.5 students from his elementary school, due to pink eye. I had to wait until the 23rd to call the middle school and ask if he could get a tour to alleviate the first day jitters. We went on the 24th and met with the guidance counsellor and he gave the both of us a look at the school. It also turned out that he got to meet his new teacher, which was a bonus.
She seems very nice and I managed to give her a quick run down on some of his quirks that she might encounter. My only concern is that he is in a double class, two gr.6 teachers and two classes in one large room. I don't know if he will be able to keep focused on his teacher or if he will be looking and listening to what's going on over on the other side of the room. If the subject his own teacher is teaching doesn't grab his attention I know he will wonder off.
The other teacher is a male, who told me he has a son with autism, so I know he will be an asset to JJ's teacher if he gets off track. I'm also hoping that a couple of his "friends" from last year that contributed to his getting in trouble are in a different class than he is. I am really hoping that as he puts it he "makes some new friends and they are nerdy". lol He is really excited about the new school especially when he saw they have a large computer lab and he can't wait to take the class. He is also going to try out for the school soccer team, I hope he gets picked because he loves soccer and it would do so much good for his self-esteem. So he is excited and I am a bit nervous. Older kids can take such advantage of him and that is a worry of mine. I know it will be a day at a time like last year was, making sure he stays on track and keeps in with good kids.
I hope all of you with children going back to school have a great first day!
