I usually spend most of my time talking about Nate and Noah, since they have more severe autism. This time, I am only going to talk about Nick.
Nick is a high school freshman with high-functing autism. He was diagnosed at 18 months and responded to therapy much quicker than Nate. By 4th or 5th grade, he no longer required an aide and was navigating through with the help of his very understanding teachers.
The transition to high school has been better than I expected. He still struggles with the social expectations of how students behave in class. He needs to learn to watch how the other students are acting for cues; no one else gets up and walks around the room while the teacher is talking. He also needs to learn that every thought that pops into his head does not need to be shared. The teachers know that he is smart, he doesn't have to show them every chance he gets.
We had his IEP yesterday. Nick's Behavior Analyst came along. She was able to share with his teachers the social program we are using at home so they can be consistent at school. It was also nice to have someone (not a parent) explain to everyone how hard he works at home to achieve what they see at school. He is not being that annoying kid on purpose. She also explained how Nick is in the really difficult "sliver" of the spectrum because he knows that he is different but doesn't know how to fit in. As we were walking out to our cars yesterday, she commented that his teachers seem to "get him". I truly hope so.
Nick is playing football this fall. Due to lack of staffing, I wasn't able to see many of his football games in the past. This year, most of his games have been on nights when Nate and Noah are staffed. Tim and I are getting parenting experiences we didn't think we would get. A couple of weeks ago, we were sitting in a restaurant with Nick after one of his games. He was still in his uniform, smelled disgusting, and was doing homework while we waited for our food....and I loved every minute of it.
Friendships are still a struggle....I often get frustrated with his behavior, but I need to remember that he honestly doesn't get it. Staff role plays and practices scenarios with him and I hope this will improve with time and maturity. Until then, we just keep plugging along.......
