Assistant Principal for a Day (and a little Autism Awareness too)

I must admit that when I bid on the “Pal around with A Principal” at our school’s annual SPTO dinner dance I had more than one agenda in mind. First I thought what a great way for Josh to feel important and special for a day. Second I thought what a great way for an administrator to spend an entire morning with Josh getting to know who he really is. Not that he wasn’t already known, our school is K-8 with only about 450 students in the entire school. And the cherry on top was that our Assistant Principal, Michael Pascento, is one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. He truly does care about the well being of the students in our school. You immediately get that feeling when you meet and speak with him for the first time. I knew he’d make this a day Josh would always remember.

It was April and how appropriate as it was also Autism Awareness Month. And as Josh prepared for his special day he could barely control his excitement. I’m pretty sure this stemmed more from missing class than anything else though. We bought a new dress shirt and tie and he was ready to roll.  I have to confess I was a bit sad to be missing this very special day for him (oh to be a fly on the wall…). At this point my anxiety levels were much higher than his. Thankfully I had spies set up around the building with smart phones and cameras ready to go. And with the technology today I was able to get pictures almost immediately, thank you Facebook!

The night before Mr. Pascento had given me a heads up to just a few things he and Josh would be doing. First on the list was a Dunkin Donuts beverage. Apparently the day can’t start without it… Attending the SPTO meeting and also visiting a former, and I must say much beloved, 4^th grade teacher’s class for a classroom observation were next. And don’t worry Mrs. Jansen he’s still giving you two thumbs up! Later there would be a trip downstairs to visit the middle school. This would be a good introduction to the teachers he would be having the next year (bonus!).

When you ask Josh what his favorite part about that day was you might be surprised by his answer. No it wasn’t missing class; it was receiving a ‘Principal for the Day’ certificate. Just the day before he said, “you know mommy I don’t think I will ever get an award. I’m not really good at school and I’m not really good at sports. You have to be really good at something to get an award.” I wanted to cry. Oh wait… I did cry! How sad that he was feeling this way. But wait… during the SPTO meeting he was presented with his certificate or as Josh said “my very first award ever!!!” Mr. Pascento sent me a picture of Josh with his certificate. I could barely recognize him. I don’t think he has ever smiled so BIG before. Way to make a kid feel special! J

Now I’m going to talk about my favorite part of that day. The school was aware of an autism walk we were doing in June and they were also aware that Josh knew all about his diagnosis of Aspergers. Since it was April it was also suggested that Josh help plan our school’s first annual autism awareness day. I spoke with Josh and he was all for it! The two sat down and sent an e-mail to all the teachers. April 30^th would be “Light it up Blue” day at the Sherman School. All were encouraged to wear blue that day to help create a sea of blue through the halls of our school. Josh would even be selling blue Autism Speaks bracelets for the occasion to help raise money for our walk in June.

I was told that day, April the 30^th, you could see the pride on Josh’s face. He had helped to do something that had never been done at the school before. Although after being interviewed for the local paper about it I think it went a little to his head. I would like to share a response to a question Josh was asked with all of you though.  When asked what do you hope your fellow classmates and teachers learned from “Light it up Blue” day? He replied “I hope they learned about what autism is and that they should be aware that people with autism sometimes need special help. It’s nice for kids to know it is okay to have friends with and without autism. I’m really not that different. There’s nothing wrong with how my brain works, it just works a little different.” As a mom of a child on the spectrum I can’t tell you how important it is that he gets that!

The awareness doesn’t end there... I have been reassured that from this point on the Sherman school will continue to acknowledge autism awareness month, and "Light it up Blue" each year!!!

 

As always I thank you for giving me a moment of your time.

Ann

 

 

 

 

 

Friends Helping Friends

Last Friday night was my monthly get together with an awesome group of ladies who know exactly what it’s like living with and raising a child /children on the autism spectrum. Just like the FB page it’s great to have people to laugh and share with, and more importantly get another perspective on what someone may be going through.

A friend was bringing her son with her and I was more than happy to have him come and hang out with Josh. However, he is 4 years younger and not very verbal. Not a problem…  Josh and I spoke about how the little boy has autism too, but he may not answer back when spoken to. Josh replied “That’s alright mommy I remember learning about the different kinds of autism. Remember we watched a video about it?” I love when he remembers important information like that!

Personally I think it’s extremely important for kids on the spectrum to know their diagnosis and to understand it the best they can. Since eight years old Josh has know he has something called aspergers/autism. He didn’t know what that was but by just introducing these words to him was a start. As the years go by he becomes more aware and is able to comprehend more on this subject and how it pertains to him. As he learns more about this disorder he also learns, and understands, that some things like obsessions are out of his control. He no longer blames himself or calls himself stupid for seeing the world differently. He understands it’s the disorder not him… His brain is wired differently. He gets that.

It was great to watch him in action with this little boy too. He was able to put aside what he really wanted to do, play Xbox, and instead he kept the little boy occupied. Not a hard thing to do since the young man has just discovered Lego’s and we have LOADS of them in the play room. That, with a Toy Story movie marathon running in the background He was all set! It was a very proud moment for me. Just watching him put aside his obsessions/preoccupations to help another, younger child with autism, showed me how much he is growing up and understands! J

I’m beginning to realize the importance of those on the spectrum, especially a high functioning autistic like Josh, becoming well educated on all the autism spectrum disorders. And as Josh’s mom I take educating him on this a very serious responsibility. Being well informed will not only allow him to continue on through life as his own best advocate, but he will hopefully be quick to stand up and advocate for another on the spectrum who may be having a harder time finding his/her voice to do so themselves.

At the end of the evening, when all was quiet, I noticed Josh stimming quite a bit. Running up and down the hall and humming mostly. I tried to get him to go to bed but he said, “I’ve been thinking about Xbox all night and I can’t go to sleep until I finish thinking through the next level of my video game.” He also said, “I really liked playing with the little boy tonight. It was a lot of hard work though! He didn’t talk that much but somehow I think I knew what he wanted to do. It sure is hard watching after a kid with autism!” He seriously said that, and thanks for noticing buddy!!!

About an hour or so later he was FINALLY asleep! Not much rest though; up at 6:00 a.m. ready to begin the new level of that Xbox game he had been obsessing about the night before. And so began another “typical” Saturday in our house…

 

Thanks again for giving me a moment of your time,

Ann

 

“Thank You” 

It’s been awhile since my last blog post. Life took another unexpected turn when my mother passed away on August the 18^th. After a LONG trip down south for the funeral, with eight of us packed into a Tahoe, and Josh starting middle school the day after our return home I wanted to focus on making sure he was prepped and ready to go. I’m pretty sure he’ll be fine; after all he has been at the school for nine years already. I’m the one having the “middle school” anxiety! Then last night before going to bed I checked in on the new Facebook page I created, Me and “My” Professor (shocking…I know). I have found this to be a wonderful place where I can share what I have learned about Autism/Aspergers while learning from others as well. It’s off to a slow start but little by little I am connecting with other parents of children with Autism/Aspergers as well as individuals with this disorder themselves. I have received numerous messages from parents and adults on the spectrum encouraging me to continue on. I thought I would take the time this week to write a little “thank you” note to these individuals and to the autism community for offering me such a warm welcome!

First I would like to thank all my Facebook family and friends for putting up with all the “Josh” posts through the years. When he says something funny and insightful I just can’t help myself. When I come across information on Autism/Aspergers I am compelled to share and I’m sure at times it’s annoying. I wouldn’t be surprised if some have hid me from their newsfeed, LOL! That is why I decided to create my own page named after this blog, Me and “My” professor. It has become a place where I can FREELY post about Autism/Aspergers and share some of what Josh has taught me both past and present. Thank you to all my friends and family who hadn’t already hidden me from newsfeed and *LIKED* and shared the page. This is where it all begins.

Next I must thank ALL the other Autism pages that have *liked* my page and shared it with their followers. It’s an amazing feeling when I receive a message from another person on the spectrum telling me how they can see themselves in my Josh and that even though they have endured some difficult times they turned out more that okay, they turned out AWESOME! It’s a great feeling to know I can now, at any time of the day, ask an ASD related question and get feedback from those who have gone through it, are going through it and made it through . I trust you all completely and it’s comforting to know that I am not on this journey alone, none of us are, although at times it will still feel that way.

There are still those who don’t understand why I do this, many of which are family and close friends. To them I say, educate yourself on Autism/Aspergers. Until then you won’t understand. I am doing all I can do through this blog and the FB page to help, the rest is up to you!

I’m making this short and sweet today but I’m also making a promise to myself and all of you to try and blog at least once a week (emphasis on TRY). There are so many topics to dig into these days… He’ll be twelve in twelve days and I have slowly been having “the talk” with him. I guarantee a good blog out of this one! Just last week during one of our conversations he said, “STOP I’ve heard enough for now. My ears can’t handle it and my stomach feels like I’m going to throw up!” All done in very dramatic form, and that evening he did throw up! This from a child who hasn’t done that since he was three. Coincidence??? Hmm… I’m thinking first a blog on how he handles the death of loved ones. For someone so young you’ll be amazed how mature he is. (Just a couple of teasers for you.)

I’m closing with a final THANK YOU to all of you again. I’m hoping to reach 250 *likes* on my page by October 1^st (Josh’s Birthday). With everyone’s help I’m sure to get there and will continue my never ending journey of educating myself and others on Autism/Aspergers. I already have more *likes* on my ASD page than I have FB friends on my personal page. I’ll consider that a small accomplishment, for now. J

 

Thanks for giving me a moment of your time, and until next time take care! J

Ann