Badly-neglected blog gets a new post! Really, that should probably be the post title here. I have been so lax in keeping up with this blog I started 8 years ago (yes, 8 YEARS!) that I likely have no right to even claim it any more. Things have certainly changed in those 8 years. My goal in starting this was to have a place to vent, to record what was happening as we navigated this journey called autism. We haven't left autism behind, but what did happen was life. Real life. And I'm happy to say good life. We still struggle with autism-related issues, but lately I feel like sometime in the last 2 years autism issues became more like teen issues. Many of the things I see Sam struggling with now remind me of similar experiences I had when I was his age. Lots of them are social- fitting in, wondering who is a friend and who is not, how to arrange, get through and enjoy social encounters, etc. Nothing there that is specifically autism-related, although it does put a spin on things.
Middle school for Sam has been a time of huge personal growth. I would probably go so far as to say that 6, 7, and 8th grade were his best school years so far. Placing him in the right program did wonders for his ability to handle a mainstream classroom, regulate his emotions, develop self-esteem, and learn to navigate the social world through trial and error. The fact he has had the adult support of some really great caring professionals has given him the wings he needed to succeed. They knew just when to push and just when to pull back, resulting in across-the-board success and readiness to take on the next challenge.
We have been preparing for the next phase for 3 years or so. A move out of our home of 24 years to a new town, new school district, new program, new set of circumstances. New school settings are nothing out of the ordinary for Sam, only now he will be transitioning to a district-based program as opposed to the caring arms of a BOCES program located within a larger district. All of us will have to get used to living without the BOCES hand-holding we have grown accustomed to. The elementary and middle school experiences we've had have prepared us for high school and beyond. I'm thankful that Sam seems poised and ready to take this step.
It's always difficult to leave the known and go to the unknown. I'm sure there will be some tears and sad thoughts as we say goodbye to a school experience that has proven to be so rewarding and trans formative.
In the end, though, it's the natural order of things, and one can't be disappointed with the normal transition from middle to high school.
