First 6 weeks

Last week we had our first Kindergarten ARD meeting and this week was our first Parent/Teacher conference about how Jacob is doing in school. The ARD was very successful for us. They are going to do a full Autism evaluation before Christmas. This will give us lots of specific information about how Jacob learns best and what areas he needs help with. It will also give us the "official" diagnosis, even though our neurologist has already diagnosed him. The evaluation will be more specific than "autism spectrum disorder."

Also, they are going to place him in a "Circle of Friends" social skills class twice every 6 weeks and he will get some individual training from the psychologist too. I am ecstatic about these two things. I don't have very many concerns about Jacob's intellect, but social skills training will help fill in some gaps.

The Parent/Teacher meeting went well, with his inclusion teacher present as well. They shared how a lot of the tools they needed to use at the beginning of the year are no longer necessary. The routine has been established and now he only needs an occasional reminder. We will be adding a few more visual reminders for him (and the rest of the class) about interrupting his teacher while she is talking to someone else.

I know that his teacher was nervous about Jacob before school started, but she told me in the meeting that she loved having him in her class. He is always smiling, "beaming" and fits in well in class. They all rotate table seats every 6 weeks, so he has new table buddies and they are one of the quietest tables she has now. THAT is an accomplishment for my "high volume" boy!

First week of school is over!

When I couldn't sleep well the week before school started, that should have been my first clue that I was more anxious than I thought about school starting for Jacob. Last year at this time, Jacob had already been sent to the Director's office at his preschool twice for meltdowns and inappropriate behaviors. I am thrilled to report that each and every day, his teachers told me that he had great days! I can honestly tell you that EVERY time the phone rang last week I was fearful that it was the school calling me and telling me that I needed to come up there and 'deal with' my son. How is that for over-arcing anxiety?
I kept talking to other friends whose children were starting Kindergarten too and they talked about how they weren't sure they liked their child's teacher or that their child was tired at the end of the day and ALL I could think was, "Praise God! My child is fitting into his classroom well enough that grown-ups are praising him for his behavior and his learning skills. Whoo-hoo!" God has definitely given me some perspective in all of this craziness.
Although it is difficult to get much information from Jacob, he appears to be loving school. He never complains about getting ready or that he doesn't want to go. He told me before school began that he "couldn't wait to go to school." Those types of words are rarely heard out of my 5 year olds mouth, so I've gotta believe him. The long educational journey has begun and in my opinion, it has gone great!
I created a book for Jacob of pictures of every teacher and every room that he's come in contact with, to prepare him for school. If anyone wants more information about it or how we prepped for the big K, just ask me!