It’s no secret that these past couple of years have been very difficult with Adrian. But you’re a parent. You suck it up and deal with it. So we did.
But then Adrian began asking to go to school… as soon as he got off the bus in the afternoon. And he’d ask to go to school all evening. And first thing in the morning. And all weekend long….
It sorta hit me all the sudden one day that his message wasn’t just ‘school’. He craves the structure, the predictability, the schedules, the activity, the constant attention,… I realized that we just can’t offer him what he needs here at home and it’s a big part of why things can get so rough around here.
So I began investigating residential schools.
Now, stop right there. That’s such a simple statement to make and yet it was an unphathamable thought right up until my epiphany. See, we’re do-it-yourself parents. We’ve always been heavily involved in Adrian’s education – we don’t rely on the school to handle it all. I’ve driven him to school myself for the past 13 years. We homeschool our other 3 children. We just aren’t in the habit of handing over our kids or any part of their education to anyone else. No matter who else is involved, it’s still our responsibility.
This was a huge step for us. After looking into it all, making some visits, speaking to some experts and thinking hard on the idea for a bit… we came to the conclusion that it was undeniably in Adrian’s best interest to pursue this.
Just a few short months later, the process is moving ahead. There’s still the potential for a hiccup here or there, but chances are pretty good that in a few months time, Adrian will be moving to a residential situation at a school not too far away.
*GASP*
While I really don’t want to count chickens before they hatch, I’ve also come to the realization that I do need to spend some time considering what this all means – what things will look like and how we will live.
Because, folks, this will change EVERYTHING. It’s nothing short of moving to an alternate reality…. and if I don’t spend some time getting used to the idea, I may very well have a breakdown when it happens.
Utter Autism 