As a former teacher, I know first-hand that teaching is exhausting. Before Ethan was born, I taught public school for seven years and often stayed late, took work home with me and still felt like there weren’t enough hours in the day. (And, this was before I was a mother!) So, when Ethan started in PPCD (Public Preschool for Children with Disabilities) almost 5 years ago, I made it a point to help his teachers with as many tasks as they could/would delegate on a weekly basis. With each passing year, my volunteerism at Ethan’s school has fluctuated based on our family (and my work) schedule/responsibilities and on the teachers’ needs for assistance.

Like most parents of young children I know, I’ve been scrambling to buy school supplies and revert back to strict bedtime routines to prepare Ethan to start school in just over a week. Additionally, since Ethan lives with an Autism Spectrum Disorder – Asperger’s Syndrome – I’ve also been busy working to prepare information to be shared with his new classroom teacher next week at “Meet the Teacher” night.
Every year I tend to do the same thing(s) and I’ve had rave reviews from teachers, administrators and support staff, so I wanted to share some ideas.

Growing up in special education, I endured what felt like endless years of bullying. I've been called names, tossed in lockers and closets, and had my head shoved in toilets. I've been kicked, tripped, spat on, and had gum slapped on my head I can't tell you how many times, only for my friend to cut it out with a pocket knife. And, yes, that hurt.

We can not travel the autism journey alone. Some say it takes a village to raise a child. When it comes to raising a child with autism, it takes a small army. Our children are unique, different, special, and require a different set of tools that we often pick up along the way. As a community, we share from our bag of tricks and ideas. After a few years of being involved in the autism community, you quickly get past the awareness phase because you're dealing with much more immediate, bigger, and pressing matters.

They say the third time is a charm for almost anything and I’m beginning to think that may be true. The first day of school has been agonizing for the past two years for my son Jacob. The lack of preparation gradually gained momentum and in each year resulted in a sequence of events nothing short of a catastrophe! The campus he was assigned to truly believed they were prepared with appropriately trained personnel to carry out his learning objectives but they quickly found they were gravely mistaken.

Each school year I start with a spirit of positive anticipation and ultimately by the end of the first nine weeks I am reminded of how incredibly disconnected and broken the public education system is as a whole in teaching children with autism and special needs. I would like to think of myself as an educated, proactive, supportive parent who, on a regular basis demonstrates her appreciation for the educators who have chosen to work in special education. This school year started as many have in the past with the typical transition period of having a new teacher in Jacob's classroom.

Amazing progress...I have never had an ARD as positive as this one. D is a freshman in high school now, but he is in a small, specialized (one teacher) class situation. This environment has allowed him to mature more than I had hoped for. He has formed a meaningful connection with his teacher-this year and last. These particular teachers have listened with genuine empathy, and therefore nurtured a trust that puts D at ease. This special bond allows him to be more open-minded when discussing behavior.

Elementary school was like a bad dream at times. Teachers were not prepared to deal with my autistic son. Educators truly need to be trained in the most appropriate strategies for teaching our kids. There is already a surge of spectrum kids in school and the stats say there will be many more. The system needs an overhaul.