Hello blog peeps....yes I know, it's been a long time since my last post. Once again, "life" has kept me busy and as a result keeping the blog current has dropped on my priority level and list of "things to do"....sorry about that.
We survived the holiday season and the festivities of New Year's Eve. We've been doing our best to navigate the speed bumps of puberty as we travel down this road called Autism. Although Taz has had transition issues and a few other quirks here and there, it appeared as though he was settling into the new school & program and we were on the right track....things were finally getting back to "normal" (or whatever "normal" can be when dealing with Autism). Oh silly mommy....haven't you learned by now? Never get comfortable....do not drop your guard or allow yourself to get lulled into a false sense of security. Because you know, when that happens, Autism turns around and bites you in the butt....it finds some way to remind you that yep, it's still here and the roller coaster ride is far from over. Silly mommy.....when will you learn?
Yep you've guessed it, we've been dealing with more issues. First, everyone got sick with the flu crud that has been going around. We've had crazy weather thus far this winter....sunny and in the 60's one day, then a snow or sleet (or combination) with bitter cold winds and freezing temperatures the next. Toss in the joys of puberty, growth spurts, a full moon, and the quirks of Autism...sigh, you know the drill. Taz seemed to be calming down, settling into the routines of his new classroom, and having less behavior issues both in class and on the bus. Thus I dropped my guard and became a little comfortable....big mistake. This past week, the behavior issues returned and Taz took things up a notch by deciding to throw items whenever he became upset. First it was a book, then his pencil....then either his desk or chair. (Can you see where this is going?)
Yesterday he became upset in class....not sure what was the trigger at this point since I've been given very little info thus far, and have had to try to piece things together based on what info I did receive. Short version, apparently Taz asked for his water bottle (he was thirsty) during an activity. He wasn't given his water bottle and was told to "wait 5 minutes"....he waited and still didn't get the water, thus he became upset. That triggered another student to have issues and a meltdown, and while that kid was in the middle of his meltdown....Taz had one. Apparently all of the adults were focused on that kid and NOT on Taz....big mistake on their part. Taz picked up his chair and threw it. The chair hit one of the classroom adults in the back. Mommy got a phone call to come pick Taz up.....he is suspended for one day, and now we will be having another meeting to determine where to go from here.
The questions I asked thus far that haven't been answered: (1) What triggered the behavior issue? (Perhaps it was the adults denying him the drink of water?) also (2) How is it that he was able to pick up a chair and throw it when there were 4 yes FOUR adults in the room....WHERE WAS HIS AIDE? And question #3....if he was getting upset, what did they do to follow his IEP and behavior plan? Obviously they didn't allow him to get a drink of water....and they obviously didn't remove him from the classroom/situation when they saw he was becoming upset....thus the chair toss occurred. He has tossed items before when he was upset, thus why couldn't anyone see what might be coming next and be a little bit proactive with the situation? Ok, Taz can be quick at times....but not that quick....if there were 4 adults in the room, where was his aide? How is it that Taz was able to pick up a chair and throw it before someone could stop him? He is suppose to have a one-on-one aide and said aide is suppose to be with him at all times. So where was the guy and why wasn't he able to stop Taz from throwing the chair? Sigh.....here we go again.
So, since I'm waiting for the ISD rep to call, I decided to update the blog. The other thing about this that is driving me nuts.....Taz can tell me what it is he did (chair toss), he is concerned about the adult that was hit by the chair, and yet he can NOT grasp the severity of his actions nor understand why he is suspended from school for today. Sigh....he's asked several times when he can return to school. He asked several times last night and this morning what time his bus would be arriving to take him to school today, etc. -- he just didn't get it....he didn't understand why he was suspended....he's just not making the connection. (insert mommy's scream of frustration here) It's like the toaster is plugged in, but it's not working to make the toast.....sigh....yes this is what it's like dealing with Autism. And just like that movie with the killer shark....just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water....nope, here comes Autism -- ready to bite you in the ass once again. Just when you thought things were calm and you could relax a bit....nope, not gonna happen.....sigh....well that's all I've got for now peeps.
