THE DREAM IS STILL ALIVE

THIS WEEKEND BEGINS MORE HOPEFUL THINKING FOR THE CENTER. I HAVE A MEETING TO ATTEND TOMMORROW WHERE THE CENTER FOCUSES ON "RDI "  WHICH  IS A RELATIONSHIP BASED LEARNING FOR OUR KIDS. A FEW PIECES OF TEXT THAT WAS SENTTO ME IT SEEMS VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT I HAVE BEEN FORMULATING  N MY HEAD FOR YEARS--ALSO THE TARGET AGE IS MIDDLE SCHOOL WHICH IS AMAZING BECAUSE SO MANY OF THE RECENT PROJECTS ARE HOHNED IN ON YOUNGER CHILDREN  ITS GREAT TO SEE THAT FINALLY A FEW PEOPLE ARE REALIZING THAT THE OLDER KIDS ARE NOT LOST CAUSES--AS A MATTER OF FACT I ACTUALLY BELIEVE THAT SOME OF OUR KIDS  ARE JUST GETTING TO THE POINT OF BEING ABLE TO ABSORB AND ACCEPT SOME ACADEMIC CHALLENGES WHEN THEY GET THRU THEIR PUBERTY--IF YOU THINKABOUT IT WE ARE ALL SO ANXIOUS TO GET OUR KIDS OUT THERE AND IN THE MIX WITH REGULAR KIDS AT A YOUNGER AGE  THAT I THINK WE MISS ALL THE QUES THEY GIVE US WITH BEHAVIORS TANTRUMS AND REFUSAL TO CO-OPERATE --TRYING TO TELL US THAT THEY ARE HAVING A HARD ENUF TIME TRYING TO DIGEST JUST BEING ABLE TO COPE WITH ALL THE OTHER STUFF SCHOOL THROWS AT THEM. THE MORE I THINK ABOUT THIS AND THE MORE I  WRTIE ABOUT IT AND REFLECT ON MY EXPERIENCE WITH MY SON IT MAKES SENSE . OUR KIDS HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THE DYNAMICS OF BEING IN A STRANGE PLACE WITH STRANGE PEOPLE WITH STRANGE SIGHTS,SOUNDSAND SMELLS --THEY ARE PULLED AWAY FROM EVERYTHING THAT FEELS SAFE AND FAMILIAR TO THEM AND THEN WE TRY TO THROW AL THIS ACADEMIA AT THEM --HOW CAN THEY COPE??? THEY THROW A FIT AND THEN WE ARE UPSET BECAUSE THEY DONT FIT IN AND THE "REGULAR" CLASSROOM  IS TOO CHALLENGING AND ALL ALONG WE KNEW THEY WERE AUTISTIC  HOW DARE WE EXPECT SO MUCH OF THEM,??? MY THEORY IS THAT IT TAKES OUR KIDS POTENTIALLY YEARS TO ACCLAMATE  TO NEW SITUATIONS AND UNTIL THEY FEEL SAFE THEY CANT POSSIBLY ASBORB ACADEMICS MUCH LESS LEARN THINGS LIKE HOW TO SIT APPROPRIATELY IN A CLASSROOM , HOW TO MAKE IT THRU LUNCH WITH OUT LOOSING THEIR HEAD  AND OH MY GOD WHAT ABOUT THAT STRANGE BATHROOM ???   HOW CAN THEY POSSIBLY FIGURE OUT 2+2 WHEN THEIR HEADS ARE BURSTING WITH ALL THE SOCIAL QUES AND RULES SCHOOL REQUIRES??

SO THINK ABOUT THIS DO WHAT YOU CAN AND CERTAINLY CHALLENGE YOUR CHILD BUT LIKE WITH MY SON  I AM JUST NOW SEEING HIS ABILITY TO GRASP AND EMBRACE  ACADEMICS  BETTER THAN I HAVE IN ALL THE YEARS HE HAS SPENT IN SCHOOL --  PERHAPS WE ALL NEED TO STEP BACK A BIT AND GIVE OUR CHILD THE ABILITY TO SHOW US WHAT THEY NEED ----  SURE IT WILL BE IN CODE    BUT MOST OF US SPEAK IN COIDE TOO!!!!!