Did Ya' Go to School?

"Did ya' go to school?"

This is Reiss's new saying. It could be for this week. It could be for this month - who knows. Even on days like today when he did not go to school, there were times when just out of the blue he would get a big smile on his face and ask me, "Did ya' go to school?" He means that he went to school but, as is the case with many children with autism, he has what is called "pronomial confusion." It's when a child gets his or her pronouns like "I" and "you" mixed up. Because we have been asking him for the last few days, "Did you go to school?" he says it back to us, rather than saying, "I went to school."

With two days of developmental preschool under his belt, I think Reiss is making a very good transition into a more structured setting than what I am able to provide here at home on some days. Although he did cry both days this week, I am told by his teachers that it was not for very long and that almost all children go through this because it is a new environment and they have to adjust.

I would like to report that I have photos of the big first day of school, but being the schlep that I am, it was only after I got everything all loaded up, the kids all buckled in their carseats, and the SUV out of the garage, down the driveway and turned around (we live on a cul-de-sac), that I remembered that I should have brought the camera to record the moment. By then, I was scared to death that we were going to be late and that just was not the impression I wanted to leave with Reiss's teachers on his very first day. Now I'm chalking it up as it just wasn't meant to be and that the photo of Reiss's real first day of school should be when he shows up to mainstream (as in, not developmental) kindergarten. I can hope.....and I do have confidence that he can still be mainstreamed - or even homeschooled....but maybe this is where I should slow down so as to not get too far ahead of myself.