Into Routines

Wow, it's been well over a month since I posted last.  I knew it had been a while, but it's been a month and a half.  I guess I need to start planning my blog posts and doing this more.  Things have been hectic here, between getting Kid Jedi ready for back to school, heading back to subbing for me and still looking for a full-time job, and, well, the normal things that happen with an Aspie in your life.

So, we've been back to school/work for almost a month now and Kid Jedi is getting into a routine, doing well with his homework, not calling out as much in class now and FINALLY listening to his teacher, so he's adjusted.  The wonderful thing about having a child with Asperger's is you know the beginning of each school year is going to be rough, and I don't mean you have to start getting them up earlier and they fight you and you have to settle into routines, I mean you get notes home that your child is talking when the class is told to do something silently and calling out in class and talking and not listening to directions and talking.  I find that as much as teachers are really starting to get to know about Asperger's, ADHD and ASDs, they still have a hard time understanding that as long as they stick with their routine, these kids will figure out the new routine and comply, it is all about rules after all.  They may need some modifications, like being sent on errands to get a break, or a more frequent reward system at the beginning of the school year, but they will work it out.

And Kid Jedi did, after having to stay in at recess one day because of the one day that he called out so many times he lost 2 sticks, then decided that when the class was told to get up silently from the rug to go back to their seats was the time to say hello to his teacher and lost another stick.  He tests, all kids do, but a neurotypical child knows when to stop, he tests boundaries until they break, or almost do then he becomes the rule follower who will tell his classmates that they are doing something wrong, and need to be reminded that he needs to worry about himself or he'll get in trouble.

The funny thing is, he loves school, loves his teacher, and loves his aide, but the beginning of school is always an adventure.  We're to the point now where he is getting his reward every day, and now his Behavior Therapist is looking at his other behaviors to help him socially...now that calling out is under control (they fixed this by giving him M&M's), they are working on him picking his nose which I really wish them luck on, I've been trying to get rid of this habit since it started at 4!!

We'll see...