Of Two Minds

Next month I will officially enroll Love Bug in kindergarten. Yikes bikes! It doesn’t seem possible! We are going to a special registration where Love Bug will be evaluated regarding his ASD diagnosis. And I will be sitting on pins and needles holding my breath. I am of two minds here. On the one hand, Love Bug is smart (latest smarty pants moment – he wanted to know what time he would be picked up for his “special school.” I told him a little after 11. He can’t tell time yet, so he asked me, “what am I doing at 11?” so he could figure out when it was 11, thus when he would be getting picked up.) and, with the help of a TSS worker, I think he could manage being in a traditional classroom. I think he should be challenged to learn what the other students are learning and I don’t think it’s fair to toss him into another classroom without even giving him a chance to see how he manages. But…. On the other hand, the school is not there just to meet the whims of me and Love Bug and it isn’t fair to allow Love Bug to distract the other students in his class. He might also manage better in a different classroom tailored to the needs of children with the same diagnosis. I am not a teacher. I’m not an expert in early childhood education. But, I am the Love Bug expert. And, I’m not in favor of mediocre just because it makes someone else’s job easier (not that I’m saying the school is either). I’m sure ultimately, Love Bug will get into the right classroom. I’m just a little bit on edge until it is all worked out. I want him to have a good start to school and I worry that some of the stuff that tripped up his sister might be repeated with him. And this time around I won’t have the county making the ultimate decision. Love Bug’s mobile therapist has brought it up to me again, this idea that Love Bug might be in a specialized classroom setting. The teacher for the school preparation class he has been taking has emailed me asking for him to attend for more hours. She wants him to be there when more staff is available to work with him and help with the on-going evaluation. I feel like Love Bug has been undergoing a lot of evaluation and, other than getting a TSS worker and starting this class, not much seems to be happening to help him (and me) learn to change the difficult and disruptive behaviors. I am nervous about school starting and this school year hasn’t even ended yet!