Category Archives: Life in Society

Action Plan

Posted on by findingmykid
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If last Thursday’s post worried you—and judging from the number of emails and texts I received, Friday’s post worried a lot of you—take heart. The events I described took place more than a month ago, and we’re still sallying forth.

That night, the night of Martin’s big disclosure, Martin cried some more in bed. Of the situation at school and on his bus, he said, “This has got to get better. Can you make this better?” We reassured him, repeated that he was brave and that we were proud of him for telling us what’s happening so that we can look for ways to help.

Once Martin fell asleep, Adrian and I convened for discussion. As upset as we were, we had to recognize that the dinnertime conversation was the most meaningful Martin had ever conducted. Adrian too had noticed the consistent eye contact and Martin’s determination to express himself, including how he’d pushed Adrian away instead of accepting a hug that might have ended the dialogue. Never before had Martin told us about social challenges, at least not directly.

Indeed, we saw progress. Martin wanted to play with other kids. Martin realized when he was rejected. Martin asked for help to remedy the situation.

But those positive aspects notwithstanding, we needed to take action. Immediately, I emailed the school principal and Martin’s teacher:

Principal C (also copying Teacher N to keep her in the loop)—

My husband and I need your help. We know Martin has a great team at school, especially Teacher N, and that you will be able to assist us in dealing with this situation.

We are having something of a crisis this evening with Martin. This afternoon he got off the bus looking very dejected. At the time, he would not tell me what was wrong. But he broke down during dinner tonight and said that all of the kids on front of the bus today (where he was sitting) pointed at him and said, “Stupid! Stupid! Martin is so stupid!” We asked him if this has happened before, and he told us that the kids on the bus have been calling him “weird” and “stupid” for some weeks now.

He went on to say that his classmates have been telling him that he is “unfriendly” or “weird,” and on some occasions have told him that no one likes him. He gave a lot of specific names of kids who say these things to him and, unfortunately, was not able to come up with one name of a kid who is currently being friendly to him. (We realize that Martin’s behaviorist has not been in the classroom that much this year, and that perhaps she is the one who should be catching these things.)

A lot came out this evening, and Martin cried the whole time. He said that no one will play with him on the playground, and will talk to him only to say they don’t want to play with him.

We told Martin that he is right to share these feelings with us, and that we will do everything we can to make it better. Before he went to bed, he asked, “Will there ever be a time when it is not like this?,” and then he asked us please to make it better as soon as we can.

Principal C, may I come and visit with you tomorrow (Wednesday) in order to talk this through and think about some strategies we can come up with to help the situation? I will stay home from work in order to do so. I have never seen Martin looking so down and so upset. He believes that he is completely friendless, and I think his self-esteem must be suffering.

As of tomorrow (Wednesday), he will be a walker, every day. I will deliver him to school and pick him up in the afternoons in order to prevent a repeat of what happened on the bus today.

We have been so happy Martin’s experience at school. I look forward to working with you to resolve this issue and help Martin move forward.

Thank you,

Martin’s Mom

Within ten minutes, the principal emailed back, inviting me to meet her the following morning, which I did, at 10:30 am. Remarkably, by the time I sat down in the principal’s office, the following events had occurred, which I relay second- or third-hand:

Martin, having been chauffeured to school by me, walked into his classroom and announced (to the teacher? to nearby students? to the wind? some details aren’t clear) that he was no longer going to be riding the school bus because the kids on the school bus are unkind to him. The teacher, aware of the situation from my email, asked, “Martin, is this something you want to discuss now?” Martin, apparently, said yes and proceeded to stand in front of the class and describe what the kids on the school bus had been saying about him, and that what they said wasn’t true, and that those kids just did not know him well enough.

Then, when Martin was done excoriating the bus riders, he continued speaking and addressed grievances with his classmates (none of whom ride the same bus). He repeated: “You say I’m unfriendly, but that’s not true. I’m trying to be friendly.” The teacher asked Martin how this made him feel. He said it made him feel bad, and sad, and not part of the class.

Once Martin’s diatribe was drawing to a close, the teacher asked Martin and his aide to go to the art room and retrieve some markers. “Class,” she asked those who remained, “did you have any idea Martin felt this way?” The kids shook their heads. One or two of the girls were crying.

An hour later, the principal passed Martin’s class as they walked to the music room. Martin signaled the principal and said, “I want to tell you what’s been happening,” and proceeded to speak once more about the bus.

I was happy to hear, from the principal, generalized agreement that we have a problem. She confirmed with my decision to take Martin off the school bus, saying we should focus our efforts on the classroom and the playground. As first steps, the principal committed (1) to see that the behaviorist visits Martin’s classroom more consistently (this has been an issue); (2) to check in with the teacher about any additional supports that might help; and (3) to increase playground supervision (from a distance, of course). Longer term, we agreed to convene a team meeting, which I would do through the school psychologist.

I left the principal’s office feeling troubled still but buoyed by her stated commitment to helping.

Coming next: How did that work out? Has school got better?

Polar Bear Under Siege

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Studies have found widely varying rates of other psychiatric problems among people with autism, depending on the population studied and the methods used. Those co-occurring conditions include: depression (affecting 2 to 30 percent), ADHD (affecting 29 to 83 percent), OCD (1.8 to 81 percent), and other anxiety disorders (2.9 to 35 percent).

Look at the foregoing paragraph. Again, please. Now keep those statistics, disparate and divergent as they are, in mind as you read this post and the two or three posts that will follow.

Martin is in a general-education classroom for the first time. The other pupils don’t like him. We know.

Remember when I forecasted that language would come last? I was wrong. Aside from a lingering habit of pronouncing “th” as “f,” Martin’s phonology is solid. Semantically and syntactically, Martin comprehends and expresses himself at or above an age-appropriate level. His language is caught up, except for social/pragmatic language. What actually come last, it turns out, are social skills.

Adrian and I have been worrying about how the gap in social performance is affecting Martin’s self-esteem. Last month, we decided to have Martin start seeing a psychologist, to help him deal with feelings of rejection. I made the relevant inquiries with parents in town, and we were able to find a local practitioner who has significant experience with social anxiety and ASD/ADHD. Adrian and I met her first. We charted Martin’s course from birth (and outrageous unnecessary NICU) to present. We said Martin acts upbeat but we know he’s masking other emotions. I told her about the night Martin asked me whether it’s okay if no one likes him. The conversation with the psychologist made us sad, both me and Adrian. I’m pretty sure, because later I asked Adrian, “Did that conversation make you sad?”, and he replied, “That conversation made me sad.”

Martin visited the psychologist for the first time on a Monday evening. I brought him, and worked in the waiting area while he and the therapist met. At the end of the session, the doctor invited me in and showed me what Martin had created: A castle scene in which a hapless polar bear was beset by a crowd including dragons, knights, and several kitty-cats. The doctor made several statement/questions like, “The horse is the leader, and the unicorn is following, and the polar bear wants to go back inside?” Martin agreed with her. I surmised that her comments were made, at least partly, for my benefit, but if I was supposed to be following along, the doctor had wildly overestimated my powers of intuition.

The whole shebang, to me, seemed like get-to-know-you play, but—something happened. The psychologist unleashed a force. What it was, I don’t know. (Relatedly, who the hell was the polar bear supposed to be?) The next day, Tuesday, this ensued:

I met Martin at the school bus stop at 2:45 pm. He exited the bus and walked directly to me, without engaging other kids. That was usual. He also looked depressed. Really, really in the dumps. He stared at his feet as he walked. I asked, “Are you okay? Did something happen?” He replied, “Oh no, I’m fine,” and followed up with, “I had an excellent day at school. Let’s go home.” On the brief trip from the bus stop to the house, I asked a few more times whether he was upset. Martin continued to deny that anything had happened. I took him to taekwondo and to church Kids’ Klub. No mention of anything.

Adrian arrived home in time for dinner, so we three ate together. Adrian finished first, and then left the table to take a business call.

Martin asked, “Do you and Daddy think I’m weird?”

I replied, “I guess everyone is ‘weird,’ in some ways. We all do things in our own way, and that can seem weird to other people. What makes you ask?”

“Do you and Daddy think I’m stupid?”

“Good heavens, no! What makes you ask that question?”

Martin started to cry. He said, “The kids on the bus think I’m stupid.”

And then—whether because the psychologist unlocked a vault within Martin, or otherwise—stuff got real. Through his tears, Martin described his current social situation:

  • The kids in his class call him weird and unfriendly.
  • No one will play with him at recess.
    • Robert, whom Martin knows from church, was playing a game with friends. Martin asked Robert if he could join. Robert said no.
    • Kids run away when they see him coming.
    • A second-grader from another class seemed like he was going to accept Martin’s invitation to play, until one of Martin’s classmates ran over and said, “Don’t play with him! He’s the weird kid!”
  • Some weeks ago, when Martin got in trouble for telling a girl he was going to “kill” her (at the time, he provided no explanation why), it was because the girl had just said, “Martin, no one likes you.”
  • Even the young parishioners at church Kids’ Klub refuse to play with him.
  • As bad as all that is, the school bus is still worse. Every day the kids make fun of him, for months now. Even the kids he knows from bus stop participate in the bullying. The twins across the street participate. Kids from other classes and grades participate. The only kids who don’t tease him are kindergartner Marcus, third-grader Alice, and fifth-grader Stephanie. The only kid who ever will step in to stop the bullying is Stephanie.
  • This very afternoon, before Martin alit the bus looking so dejected, the kids had invented a chant: “Stu-pid! Stu-pid! Martin is so stu-pid!”

Never before had Martin said any of this directly. As realities were pouring out, Adrian realized from his office what was going on and returned to the kitchen. He found me squatting next to Martin’s chair, with my hand on his arm, withholding my own tears as I tried to reassure and let him continue. Martin held court for more than 15 minutes. Twice Adrian tried to hug Martin, but Martin resisted, pushing Adrian away gently because he wanted to keep talking. The conversation was extraordinary. Martin held eye contact, consistently. He spoke clearly. He answered my questions: No, his aide didn’t hear mean things kids said; no, the bus driver never intervened; no, Stephanie hadn’t been able to stop the stu-pid! chant because she wasn’t on the bus this afternoon. Martin also expressed a shocking degree of self-realization and profundity. “They say I’m unfriendly,” he said, “but it’s not true. It’s just that I’m still learning how to be friendly.” “I know those kids are wrong. They just don’t know me well enough.” “The twins were nice when I first met them, and then they turned mean on the bus.”

Finally, as I listened to what Martin has been enduring, I lost my own composure. At that moment Adrian scooped up Martin and carried him from the kitchen, telling him how brave he was to trust Mom and Dad with these stories and how proud we were. He took Martin to the bathroom and ran a warm bath. I remained in the kitchen, crying.

With Martin calmer and soaking in the tub, Adrian came back and hugged me.

I said, “We’ve got to do something.”

Knife

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We knew when we put Martin in public school that socializing would be problem.

It has been.

Academics: Not a problem.

Speech/language: Fading as a problem, except for social/pragmatic usage.

Behavior: Sometimes a problem (the silly, detox-y days), but his teacher handles the behavior masterfully.

Socializing: Problem alert.

Last month, in the post titled, “I’m the Issue,” I wrote about my concerns for Martin’s self-esteem.

At night, when the reading is done and the teeth are brushed and Martin and his stuffed Minions are tucked under organic linens, I sit on his bed to tell him that he’s a great kid and very, very loved. If he’s having anxiety, I make him repeat: “I am safe. My mom is in the house. My dad is in the house. My mom and dad will keep me safe, and I will keep my Minions safe. I can sleep well tonight.” Sometimes we talk about the day he’s had, or the next day he will have.

“Is it okay,” he asked me two weeks ago, during this intimate time, “if people don’t like me?”

I said, “Of course it is. Everyone has some people who don’t like him or her. There are people who don’t like me. There are people who don’t like Daddy. You can’t make everyone like you.”

“But is it okay,” my beautiful eight-year-old son continued, “if no one likes me?”

I am a failure.

I’m Ignoring Politics by Writing a Wistful Post Instead

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Last weekend we went skiing at Jiminy Peak with Martin’s friend Bobby, his neurotypical brother Adam, and their parents. Martin and Bobby took their ski lessons with Stride Adaptive Sports, a terrific organization similar to the National Ability Center, our Utah mainstay.

Monday morning (no school, for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day), I retrieved Martin after his lesson and chatted with the instructor.

“Your son is an absolute pleasure to work with,” the instructor said. “He’s so talkative. He could be a New York City tour guide!”

That cuts both ways. Martin is obsessed with trains and landmarks, and the location of both. “Mommy, the Chrysler Building is north of the Empire State Building. The Empire State Building is on the same road as the entrance to the Queens-Midtown tunnel. The bottom of Central Park is where Midtown becomes Uptown.”

I said, “Thank you. We’ve worked really hard on his speech and language.”

“Saturday, I had two lessons with boys who were basically non-verbal.” The instructor shook his head. “I just couldn’t break through to them.”

It’s hard to convey the tone the instructor used when he said he “couldn’t break though to them.” He wasn’t speaking scornfully, or with pity, or even with sadness. It was more like he was disappointed in himself, and wished the situation had been otherwise.

I started to say, “I understand.”

But I stopped myself.

Because I can’t understand. Not any of this mess.

Alternative Medicine

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In the post “Mid-Air Without a Net,” I wrote:

The taekwondo teacher wants to talk to you, [Samara] texted Saturday morning. He’s wondering if Martin is taking any drugs for his ADD.

 Oh no! I texted back. (More on that in a later post.)

It’s “later post” time.

When I received that text from Samara, I panicked. Mostly because I was in the middle of panicking about everything else, but still. I thought the Master Rob might tell us not to return Martin to class until we drugged him. I followed up the text and spoke with Samara, and the situation got worse (at least, in my head): When Master Rob asked her if Martin is taking any drugs for his ADD, Samara had responded that we do “alternative medicine.”

That’s a phrase I never use. To begin, I don’t consider treating Martin’s underlying health issues to be “alternative medicine.” We have chosen against trying to manipulate neuro-processing with drugs. We are pursuing non-pharmaceutical options. We are working with new discoveries in treating immune dysfunction. We have been lucky enough to find cutting-edge therapies. We are targeting overall health. We are following the path that, for our son, has garnered the best results. But alternative medicine—no.

At its most benign, I think, “alternative medicine” suggests that we’re a hippie-dippy family trying to cure a spectrum disorder with yoga. (No disrespect to yoga. Yoga is great for mindfulness. It does not, however, do much for the gut biome or neuro-receptors.) “Alternative medicine,” to some, suggests that we are treating our child as a laboratory experiment, or harming him, or failing to accept “proven” treatments that could benefit him. At its worst, I (like other biomed parents) fear that proclaiming “alternative medicine” could invite intervention by well-meaning individuals who think they know better for my son.

I met with Master Rob the next week. I explained that we aren’t pursuing pharmaceutical options at this time because we are trying to heal some gut and other health issues that affect Martin’s attention, and that using drugs would interfere with gaging our progress. I went on to say that we aren’t categorically against drugs but that we want to take this path as far as we can first. Master Rob said that he understood, and that he had resisted pharmaceuticals for his own son, who has ADD, until sixth grade, when he thought the transition to middle school had made them necessary. He said also that he was curious about Martin’s regimen in order to give him as much help and support at taekwondo as possible.

Good enough for me.

Cancellations, Delay, Need

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Last Saturday, Adrian and I had plans with another couple, close friends, a minister and lay person. They have a teenage son, Jacob, whom they adopted years ago, after the boy had suffered neglect and horrible abuse in foster care. Predictably, their son has lasting behavioral and emotional challenges, which our friends have weathered with grace. The day before we were set to go out, I received an email from the minister half of this couple, offering regrets that he needed to stay home because their son was bolting again: running away when he sees the chance.

I wrote him this note, which seems appropriate to share here, with permission:

Friday, when I saw an email from you arrive, I knew before reading what it would say. I’ve written the same email so many times these past six years—“I was really looking forward to our lunch, but Martin’s having a tough day . . . ,” “I can still make dinner, but I have to miss the movie. So much anxiety, he won’t go to sleep unless I’m home . . . .” Your cancellation, not unexpected, got me reflecting on our children, and what they’ve meant to our paths and relationships.

I never expected parenting to be the burden that it has become. Burden, yes. I mean the word without the negative connotation, or at least without only the negative connotation. Burden the way completing an education is a burden, or getting up to go to work is a burden. We carry these burdens in order to build a life. Some are heavier than others. Upon Martin’s diagnosis, parenting became heavy. Too heavy, sometimes.

People tell me that God makes special children for special parents, or that one day I will understand why Adrian and I were “blessed” with a child with autism. No way. I will never believe that a loving God afflicts children in order to test or to uphold their parents. Instead, I think our kids suffer the sins of this world. In Martin’s case, we have corrupted the food supply, toyed with earth’s natural abundance, believed we can overcome sloth with science, and set aside worldly order until we triggered sick kids, lots of them. Jacob’s tormentors—addiction, abandonment, abuse, neglect—are less modern but no less man-made. Autism and PTSD didn’t “just happen”; in both cases, our sons are left to absorb the sins of others.

—Which of course means that we as their protectors and caregivers are left to clean others’ messes. We chose parenting. We did not choose this parenting. But that, I suppose, is the nature of sin: Once we engage (as we must) with the world around us, there lurks evil. The Christian’s job is to fight back, and for whatever reason, you and I have Jacob and Martin as both the incentive for and the locus of our struggle. I wish it weren’t that way. I hate autism. I wish sin would have left my son out of it. Alas. For now, I try to be grateful for the weapons I’ve been given for the battle.

I’m not saying much with this note, and certainly not preaching to the preacher. I just wanted to share these thoughts, and through them to share my unceasing appreciation for your friendship and example.

Needlessly Suspicious

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Another post along the lines of “Terrified.” Sunday morning at church, during children’s time when the kids gather around the chancel for a few minutes, the pastor asked if anyone knew who Martin Luther King Jr. is. One girl answered but confused Martin Luther King Jr. with Martin Luther. (Understandable. We’ve already started commemorations for the 500th anniversary of the Magisterial Reformation, and that was where the pastor was heading, eventually, with the discussion.)

Next, Martin raised his hand. Raised his hand! Good work! When the pastor called on him, Martin launched a soliloquy on MLK’s birthdate, major accomplishments, “I Have a Dream” speech, assassination date, and the holiday honoring him. Indeed, Martin held court at some length, monopolizing children’s time and oblivious to the pastor’s attempts to segue from MLK Jr. to Martin Luther, Reformation Leader.

The congregation seemed to love Martin’s facts. They always do. As Martin was carrying on, and then when we passed the peace, and again after church, adults complimented me on Martin’s MLK Jr. fact base. No one mentioned him usurping half of children’s time from the hapless pastor.

During coffee hour, one parishioner asked me where Martin is in school. I replied that he’s in second grade at our local elementary. She said, “His teacher must be really good.”

Now, reader, what would you think she meant?

I went right for the worst: She must be asking where we found a teacher who can handle Martin’s interrupting and talking past his turn, habits that clearly flummox our pastor.

I asked, “What do you mean?”

She replied, “He knew about Martin Luther King when none of the other kids did. She must really be teaching well!”

Oh. Of course.

The following morning, Monday, Halloween, I brought Martin to the bus stop in his costume. (He was an astronaut.) After the kids got on the bus, as the parents were saying goodbye, one remarked, “See you at the parade!”

The parade? What parade? “The Halloween costume parade at school. You have to go—all the kids look for their parents, and Martin will be upset if he doesn’t see you.”

I had no idea.

“Didn’t you receive an email from your class parent?”

No. Come to think about it, I haven’t received any emails from our class parent all year, despite adding my name and email address to the class list at open house. No wonder I’ve been in the dark about different events, and occasionally blaming Martin for not telling me in advance.

Now, reader, why would you think I haven’t received any emails from the class parent?

I went right for the worst: The class parent knows that the high-need child is mine, thinks he usurps attention from other pupils, and is subtly excluding us from activities.

After the Halloween parade, it turns out, there was a classroom event with parent volunteers. Even though I wasn’t on any volunteer list (because, well, I had no idea . . .), I weaseled my way into the classroom event, where I spoke with the class parent. “Tell me your name again?” she asked. “Oh, yes! Yes, my emails to you keep bouncing back.” She pulled out her mobile phone and asked me to double-check my email address in her contact list.

My email address in her contact list had a typo. Although the error was obvious—@yahoo.com was written @yhaoo.com—it seemed unintentional error, not aimed at excluding the special-needs family. Still, I needed a little more confirmation.

As if on cue, the class parent around and asked, “So, which child is yours?”

Terrified

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Martin is doing taekwondo now. He’s breaking my heart. He’s supposed to be playing ice hockey. We’ve invested more than a year in skating lessons and hundreds of dollars in hockey equipment. It’s no secret that I reproduced primarily to give the world another hockey player. Hockey, hockey, hockey.

Alas, apparently Martin has a will of his own. Weeks ago, we had a (parent-and-school-administrator-arranged) play date with Spencer, one of the cooler kids in Martin’s new class. Spencer is close to earning his taekwondo black belt. He showed me and Martin some of his moves, and a video of him breaking boards with kicks and punches. Spencer’s family also invited Martin to Spencer’s taekwondo-themed birthday party at the local dojang. You can guess what happened next: Martin announced that he no longer wanted hockey lessons. He wanted taekwondo.

The dojang’s introductory package comes with two private, one-on-one lessons, followed by two group classes to decide whether you want to sign up for good. Martin’s first lesson, with a teenaged black belt named Brian, was kind of a disaster; Martin preferred checking himself out in the mirror to following any actual instruction. (Just like two years ago when we tried karate.) The second lesson, also with Brian, went much better; Martin was more focused and worked with Brian on the kicks and punches. (One of the dojang masters remembered Martin from the birthday party and made a point to say hi and encourage him. I think that motivated Martin.)

So it was time to try Martin’s first group class. As the class was 11:00 a.m. on a Saturday, Adrian brought him, and I received this hearsay account:

The class had one master (the one who’d said hi to Martin) and three assistant instructors, probably teenage black belts like Brian. At first, Adrian thought an assistant was specially assigned to Martin. Subsequently he realized that the assistant instructors were for the whole class but, unsurprisingly, spending more time with Martin. As Adrian observed, he texted me that he thought taekwondo could be very good for Martin.

Twenty minutes into the class, the other dojang master asked if he could have a word with Adrian, in the office.

“I was terrified,” Adrian told me, later. “I thought for sure he was going to say, ‘No more,’ or, ‘Just not the right fit for Martin’.”

“And? What did he say?” I asked, not terrified, but not terrified only because Adrian was speaking calmly, indicating no reason to be terrified.

“He said he thought Martin is going to do well there. He said they have a lot of kids like Martin—he didn’t mention ADD or anything like that, but we both knew what he was talking about—and that martial arts help a lot with focus. He contrasted it with sports where kids can get away with just running around, like soccer.”

Or hockey, I thought, before shunning the thought.

Adrian continued, “The master guy said that his ‘day job’ is as a special-education teacher at [S—] School.” That’s one of the local elementary schools.

“This sounds wonderful,” I said.

“I think so.”

“I would have been terrified, too.”

“I know.”

Having a kid with autism, or ADD, or ADHD, or (I imagine) any range of challenges entails constant fear of rejection (and sometimes, rejection realized). Last Friday, I had arranged an evening play date with a boy in Martin’s new class (Lucas, whose mother I’d talked with at the open house). We planned to meet at a playground. Friday morning the boy’s mother texted me that it was supposed to rain and so we should reschedule. She didn’t suggest any particular time to reschedule. Instantly, I was terrified. Had the classmate found out his play date was with Martin and declared himself unwilling to attend? Did he not want to hang out with the weird kid? I texted back and suggested Tuesday afternoon instead. The mom responded sure, and that she would be in touch Tuesday morning.

I wondered whether she really would contact me Tuesday morning.

I hope she would.

I feared she wouldn’t.

She did. Tuesday morning, she texted asking what time we wanted to meet.

The play date was kind of a bust. The other boy (himself kind of immature, with some challenges, though not at Martin’s level) played mostly with a pre-schooler who happened to be at the playground. Martin wanted to swing, as he always does. The other mother and I made scattered attempts to facilitate interaction, fruitlessly.

Still, later she texted me, “Let’s do it again soon!”

Disaster averted. Nevertheless, we’ve suffered enough rejections and setbacks along the way to keep the terror real, and present.

Second Day, Not So Great. Or?

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Martin’s school year started Friday before Labor Day. With the long weekend, the kids had three days off between the first and second days of school. Weird, right?

Labor Day weekend, Martin’s cousin Mandy was staying with us, because her school didn’t pick up until the following Wednesday. Martin and Mandy had an exhausting visit. Friday afternoon they attended a birthday party at one of those “inflatable party zones”—basically, a warehouse filled with bouncy houses. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights Martin and Mandy built blanket forts in our family room and insisted on sleeping in them (which meant not sleeping much). Saturday afternoon and Sunday afternoon we had guests. Although it was cool and rainy, Mandy dragged Martin into our swimming pool. Repeatedly. Monday my father and I took the kids to an indoor fun park with trampolines and climbing equipment, and then Adrian took everyone out to lunch. In trying to accommodate both kids, I let Martin have more sweets than usual: juices, fruits, homemade cake and ice cream.

More or less, it was the last great party of the summer.

When Tuesday rolled around, we received the bill for all that fun. I could barely rouse Martin, he was crabby at breakfast, and he refused even to say hi to the other kids at the bus stop. He ended up isolating himself: sitting alone on a rock, running back and forth, checking out. (Mandy, meanwhile, stood next to me and chatted amicably with the other moms.)

When the bus came, Martin clung to me and said, “Mommy! Mommy!” but then boarded without additional delay.

I escorted my father and niece to Port Authority to catch their bus, and then I returned to my home office, because I hadn’t worked all weekend and had to play catch-up. I was glad to have work to keep me occupied; I couldn’t shake the feeling that Martin would have a tough day, being as tired as he was and also thrown into such a new situation.

I arrived at the bus stop early and waited ten minutes before any other parents showed up. When the bus came, Martin disembarked with the other kids and hugged me. He seemed okay. We walked the five minutes home, where I eagerly pulled his binder to check for any notes from his aide.

I found a note. It said: “Martin had a good day.”

I’m a Wreck

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Get used to this: I’m going to post about Martin’s newest adventure, general education. I’m going to post and post and post and post about Martin in general education.

At age two, Martin received center-based Early Intervention services in a six-child, seven-adult setting, that is, one-on-one.

Ages three and four, Martin attended pre-school in a self-contained special-education setting, where he was deemed too unfocused for a 12-child, two-adult classroom. He was placed instead in an eight-child, five-adult classroom, i.e., eight kids, one teacher, two assistant teachers, and two aides.

Martin attended kindergarten, first, and second grade in a self-contained special-education setting, in a classroom with 10-to-12 children and four adults, i.e., two teachers and two assistant teachers.

Two weeks ago Martin started second grade (again; he’s repeating) in our local public school, mainstream classroom, with an aide. That means 21 kids and two adults, i.e., a teacher and a teacher’s assistant, who is designated to assist Martin as needed.

This is a remarkable leap for Martin. For the first time, he will attend school with typically developing peers, and he will have to manage with far less classroom support. He will walk with me to the bus stop—in a 2016 suburb, I’ve learned, an eight-year-old does not navigate two blocks to the bus stop alone—and ride a regular school bus: no more short-bus pick-up and delivery directly to our door. He will eat lunch in a big cafeteria. He will be cast out upon the playground without any planned “social awareness activity.”

He may learn that not every child in his class is his friend.

He may get hurt.

The first morning unfurled with great fanfare. Martin chose to wear a t-shirt bearing his new school’s name. Adrian stayed home from work. He and my mother-in-law (still visiting) and I accompanied Martin to the bus stop, where we found five other families, some we knew and some we didn’t. All the other moms and dads had come to the bus stop, along with an uncle and a couple nannies, so we made quite a crowd. Martin greeted the twins from across the street but otherwise kept to himself. When a parent suggested a first-day photo, all the kids lined up and smiled, and Martin lined up and smiled with them. He even posed and managed to smile toward the cameras. When the bus came, he hugged me and Adrian and his grandmother good-bye—this was appropriate; all the kids were giving hugs—and boarded the bus without hesitation. The assembled adults remained, waving as the bus headed schoolwards. Adrian and I stood in the crowd, waving.

My mother-in-law and I had tickets to the U.S. Open that day. We went, only for a couple hours. I was a wreck, checking my phone constantly. I don’t know what I expected. Maybe a message that Martin was having a meltdown? Maybe a call from the school administrators to inform me, in hushed and apologetic tones, that they’d made a mistake, and Martin wasn’t the right fit for general education?

Our district offers us the services of a behaviorist, Darlene, who has worked with Martin weekly (or so) for more than two years. God bless Darlene. Knowing I would be nervous, she decided to visit Martin’s school that first day and observe him. Early afternoon, she sent me these text messages:

Doing great. When I walked in kids were sitting on carpet. It took me a few minutes to find him. He blended right in. Aide was sitting on the other side of the cluster from him. Teacher said he needs a lot of structure but responds well to it. Said she noticed that he thinks his thoughts out loud but we can work on that. He is participating in discussions and is doing well.

Recess he tends to like the swing. I spoke to Mrs. I [the aide assigned to Martin] and we gave him some small tasks. (Find someone from class, go say hi, go down slide, etc.) Then he could come back and swing. Will explain more later what I’m thinking of how to structure re essential while teaching social skills. Heading to another school! All good though!!

I responded, “Thank you!! This is awesome!”

My mother-in-law and I were home from the U.S. Open in time to join Adrian at the bus stop, along with my father and my niece, who arrived that afternoon for a visit. Martin alit the bus all smiles. With prompting, he told us about his new classroom and teacher and friends.

Day One was in the books.

I was optimistic. Still, as I told my friend Stacey, if this general-education placement doesn’t work out, that won’t mean we’ve failed. It will mean only that we moved too fast.