Now I'm Really Feeling Better

Thanks to all my loyal readers for your thoughtful comments on my last two "Autism Funk" posts. I am feeling a lot better today! Your comments are one reason. This is another:

Hutton's preschool teacher called me this morning. She taught him for two years at his special education preschool. She's a very straightforward but easy-going woman, and Hutton did wonderfully in her class. He wasn't perfect all the time, but his teacher knew how to deal with him and got him to behave in class. Apparently, Hutton's Kindergarten teacher has contacted his preschool teacher A LOT this year. It boils down to, Kindergarten teacher (KT) wants to give Hutton back to Preschool teacher (PT). PT says, "No thanks, lady, that's not how it works. He did fine in my class, now he's ready for Kindergarten. That's your territory. You need to figure out to get the boy to behave."

PT told me that she explicitly told KT how to handle Hutton. That Hutton would test her, and that KT needs to just "get in Hutton's face, and tell him how he is expected to behave." That may sound a bit crazy to you readers, but believe me, it's not. That's what works with Hutton -- getting in his face. PT also understood Hutton's sensory issues -- he loves to smell everything and is usually tempted to eat things he shouldn't that smell good, like glue or playdoh, and he just gets a little too "into" smelly handsoaps, etc. So far, KT has written 3 notes about Hutton eating glue or playdoh, smearing handsoap all over his hair and the bathroom, and smearing peanut butter on himself if I send that as a snack. So, you'd think a teacher who deals with special education kids would have dealt with a child with sensory issues before, but I guess Hutton is just that extra special special kid.

But, after talking to PT, I now feel better about his placement in Kindergarten. PT told me the Transition Kindergarten is exactly where Hutton needs to be. The local contained class is mostly non-verbal kids, and Hutton will not have nearly enough stimulation there. And that Hutton going back to preschool isn't the right choice, either. He's in Kindergarten because he's ready for it. He's more than prepared academically, and KT just needs to get Hutton to behave. PT and I both agreed that Hutton figured out pretty quickly that he could get away with horrible behavior in Kindergarten, because the KT didn't handle it right off the bat.

I feel much better now about Hutton, and about my choice to put him in Kindergarten. PT told me to call her whenever I need to vent, ask questions, or anything at all, which was great. It's always good to have someone who understands the system and who knows Hutton to have my back. Word.