Monday 22 April 2013

My Little Star Won a Prize!

SO proud of my little boy today. He won an award in assembly for his writing skills. The teacher was so proud of him because, despite his autism, he was able to put himself into character to write a letter for their topic on Vikings. Here is the letter that he wrote:

Dear Mom,

How are you? I miss you so much but I'm having fun with Alfred. The farm here is full of cows. How are the cows at home?

My new friend King Alfred is a bit bossy and a good fighter. He has a very sharp sword which he keeps hanging out of his belt.

King Alfred still feels bad about burning the cakes. But he burned the deer meat.

You send me a letter soon. I cant wait to hear your news.

Ethlebert.

Wednesday 17 April 2013

Latest IEP

Every few months we have to fill in an Individual Education Plan, which outlines the schools targets for my son.

We have had so many issues lately that I was really hoping that a statement might be on the agenda.

No chance.

The teacher and SENCO had already printed off a list of arbitrary targets for him to work on, such as times tables and letter formations. Nothing to address his social and emotional problems, which were conveniently brushed under the carpet.

I was told that if I need help with his anxiety issues, I will just have to go back to CAMHS.

Waste of time. My son hates school and cries every morning about going. The local council is doing some workshops about SEN, so I hope I can attend one of them and get some advice.

Tuesday 16 April 2013

Why Baking Bread With an Autistic Kid is a Bad Idea...

My son wanted to know how bread was made. He is a curious chap and I decided to show him rather than tell him.

I got all the stuff together and we went into the kitchen to make our bread. The trouble is, I didn't think about the fact that autistic kids are hypersensitive to smells, textures and other sensory stimuli.

I put the yeast into the mixture.

"EW! What is that horrible smell. Eugh!"

"Its the yeast. You need it to make the bread"

"IT STINKS! IT STINKS! GET IT AWAY".

Anyway, I encouraged him to overcome his fear of the yeast and have a go at kneading the dough.

"EW! It feels horrible. Oh, it is stuck to my fingers. Get it off! Get it off!"

I finished up the loaf myself. He did eat it and thoroughly enjoyed it.

He says next week we will go back to baking cakes again instead.