The First Day of School

Today was the first day of school for both of my girls. My 4 year old is in her second year at a preschool through the intermediate unit that is a class specifically for kids with Autism. My 2 year old just started at a typical preschool in the two year old class.

It is kind of bittersweet to see my two year old. She seems to really excel and I think she will do really great at this preschool, but in the back of my mind I always think back to how we tried to do a typical 2 year old preschool with my other daughter. It did not go so well.

We attempted to start my 4 year old who was 2 at the time at a local church preschool. We only made it about a month and it was a terrible experience. Instead of even making the effort to get her to participate they would just stick her out in the hall with the teacher's aide. I ended up going with her the last day we were there and we both basically stood out in the hallway while they had circle time. They were alright with letting her do the free play but once it was something structured she was cast out to the hallway. They did not even give her the opportunity to try. We ended up getting locked in the stairway while we were out in the hallway, I had went down to the stair well since she was singing in the hallway and I did not want to disturb anyone. They did not even come to let us out of the stair well until the end of the school day which was about an hour later. That was the last day I sent her there. What is the point of sending her to a place that has no desire to even attempt to get her to participate.

The worst part was that when she was given her diagnosis I called them up to let them know and they assured me it was not a big deal and that they could accommodate her. I really wish that they would have been upfront with me about not even wanting to try. We ended up sending her to the Intermediate Unit preschool about a month later when she turned 3. I was so scared that we would have another horrible experience but instead it was great. They knew how to handle kids like her and were able to see her potential. She is in her third year there (the first year was only a half year) and she is doing great. She really enjoys school and looks forward to going there. This was a nice change to the crying and fighting me to go into the other preschool. We had only been going there for a month when we quit and she already hated it. I am really glad that she is in the right place and that she is happy there.

Now back to the my current 2 year old. She did pretty well, only a little bit of crying when the parents left the room. The other kids were all crying as well and they said that they expect that. She is very social and I am sure she will make friends easily. It is such a change from our last experience where going in I had "that" kid. You know the one who isn't potty trained, who doesn't talk yet, and cannot sit still. It was nice to not feel like all of the other parents are judging you, but also bittersweet.

I am too tired to proofread so I apologize if there are a ton of mistakes. Thanks!

Crazy Schedules

I have not written in awhile. It is mostly because things have been really crazy around here. It seems that around the time that the start of school comes around life just takes on a new level of insanity. You have to go and school shop, get backpacks, haircuts, shoes, ect. Then you  have to go and meet with new teachers and change around your schedules for the support staff you have for your special needs child. My two daughter are only in preschool so I am sure the stress will only increase as they get to grade school.

It is all so overwhelming; then add to that I have had this cold that does not seem to want to go away. My cold started with a simple cough, which turned into bronchitis, seemed to get better, but then got bad again. I am still wheezy and coughing but I really do not want to go back to the doctor and spend another $35 in copay. I have been there twice now so I am just going to ride it out at this point. =)

We still have not heard anything about our new house. I am really hoping it will be ready around mid Sept since driving Elizabeth to school everyday will be hard since I work everyday. I will also have to drive Samantha to school but at least I have arrangements made for her to be picked up the two days a week that she attends.

I am really hoping that the girls transition well to the new house. I think we may try to do another round of potty training with Elizabeth. What a great way to break in a new house with new carpet right?!? Any potty training tips or suggestions for kids with Autism please feel free to leave a comment. I can use all the help that I can get.

I have also signed up Samantha for a dance class. It is amazing how easy it is to find activities for children without special needs. I would really love to find a dance class for Elizabeth but I want something that is geared towards children with special needs. We have tried other things that were not and usually they want to stick us in the Mommy and me classes where its all little 2 year olds and us. I think that this point Elizabeth is too old to be in that type of class. I want to find something for her that is geared towards her needs and understands her. We did do gymnastics over the winter and spring but we were doing private lessons and while it was nice they get kind of expensive. So if anyone knows of a special needs dance class near Pittsburgh let me know!

Sorry if this post is sort of rambling and has a ton of grammatical errors.