First Day of School

Boy, am I glad the first day is over. I can finally stop obsessing about it.

Today was Monster's first day of first grade. It was also his first day at his new school, his first full day of school, his first day in a mainstream classroom and his first day having to eat lunch in a cafeteria (well, sort of).

Overall, I give the experience two thumbs up. I'm fairly exhausted (I didn't sleep much last night) so I may not make a lot of sense and ramble ;)

Before today, Mr had been taking Monster to the school in the morning and walking him down to his classroom. They hit the jackpot yesterday and managed to hook up with Monster's teachers. Mr and the teachers got to chat for a bit in Monster's new classroom while Monster got to chill out playing on his iPod (Note: if you have a child with autism, I highly urge you to get an iPod touch or iPhone for him/her, it is a very versatile, useful). Mr. said that Monster gave one of his teachers a hug before they left.

Mr and I got up at 6:00 to make sure we got everything ready. We didn't need to be at school until 8 and we were actually rushing a bit at the end. Don't ask me why, but we were so stressed and bit insane that we couldn't hit a grove. Monster woke up about 6:30 and started getting whiny because Sesame street wasn't on yet (Note to self, set up DVR for Sesame Street). He wanted to start on the DVDs, but we didn't want that since it makes it more difficult to get him out the door when he starts (he will focus and obsess with watching the transition to sneak peeks on his Disney DVDs, he doesn't actually watch the movies once he starts, he doesn't like to be told to stop and this can initiate a major meltdown, especially if he was tired). We managed to get all of his various meds (supplements, etc) down him along with some corn puffs (his breakfast) and apple juice. One or two minor whines, but all-in-all it went fairly well. When I had him put on his backpack and go out of the house, he did so with a giggle and a smile.




Even though we were rushing, we got to school fairly early so he could play in the play yard. The school folks told us that, in general, the kids play for a bit after the buses get there before they line up for class. He was excited about being there (he had played there several times already), but everything had a coating of dew on it (Monster hates wet clothes, shoes, etc) so he didn't get to swing or anything. He seemed to be having fun, though.



During this time, I was able to meet with Monster's teachers. For background, Monster's new school has a different approach to special ed. Instead of a special day class, they use a co-teaching model. The class has one general and one special education teacher along with at least one aide. The special needs child is in the general education environment and integrated into the class as much as appropriate. It exposes the neurotypical children to neurodiversity and it allows the special needs child to learn and practice social interactions. For Monster, this is ideal because he seems to crave other kids. He doesn't know how to interact with them which causes him anxiety. It takes him a while to try new things and he prefers to observe something for a long time before trying it. This situation should give him the opportunity to observe other kids and get comfortable enough to start to interact with them (that's the idea, anyway ;)).

Back to the first day...other kids starting showing up, and eventually the yard got extremely chaotic. Still, Monster stayed in the middle of it fairly well for a while. I was playing with some of the other kids, trying to show him kids are cool. Eventually, he walked off by himself to lay down on a bench in a quiet corner of the yard. I was pretty happy about that, it showed he knew he needed some down time and found it.



During the chaos, I learned that the procedure for school is the student put his/her backpack in the line that corresponded to his class. Monster's line was No. 13, which for us is a lucky number (long story for another blog) so we took that as a good omen. Once I learned this, we had Monster walk his backpack to his spot in line, drop his backpack and go back to playing.

We cuddled for a few minutes in the quiet place before the whistle blew and my nerves really ratcheted up. Mr and I each took a hand and we started walking to wait in line. Monster resisted a bit, saying playground, but I think he was just pushing boundaries-he didn't try to break away and we were able to direct him to the line fairly easily. He didn't do that well in the line, however. There were a lot of kids and parents (the kid in front of him was crying in his mom's arms, poor baby) with his stuff in the middle of it. It reminded me of a semi-controlled mosh pit. Monster was wide eyed and I could feel his anxiety start to climb (up until now, he was getting overstimulated, but he wasn't really anxious that I could tell). He was very good about telling us he wanted his backpack off. Very adamant! He did keep it on, though, so I think he was pushing his boundaries again. We chose to bring him to the back of the line, where it was less crowded and waited until it was time for him to go in. After a few minutes, teacher started to take his class in. The special ed teacher came up and took his hand to lead him in and, with a sad little look over his shoulder and a shouted "I love you, Baby" from mom, away he went.

Mr was given permission by the teacher to peek in the window, so he did and caught Monster chilling in the bean bag (Monster also caught Mr peeking). No screaming, no crying, no meltdown (not even me). Phase one was complete, separation was achieved with Mommy having a tougher time than Monster.

About 2 hours after school started, I got a call from the school nurse. Everything was fine, but Monster bit off an swallowed part of a toy. Fortunately, that was the worst of the day.

Before school started, we had set up a system with the school for Monster if he started having problems. He would be given the option of talking to mom or dad on the phone, and if he wanted to go home he could. At lunch time, 3 hrs after he was led away from us and 3 hours before school would be out, Mr got the call. It was lunch time and Monster was asking for Daddy. Because lunch was going to be in the cafeteria, which could be loud and crazy, it was decided that Mr would pick him up and the day would end there on a positive note.

While picking Monster up, Mr got to talk to the principal and teachers again. The plan for tomorrow is for Mr and I to walk Monster down to his classroom, rather than have him line up. Afterward, we are suppose to meet with the "team" (we think the SLP, OT, Sped teacher, etc) for a bit. Mr is going to eat lunch with Monster to help him get through that tough place. After lunch, Monster will have the choice to stay for the remainder of the day. I think he will likely stay if he can get through lunch.

I must say I'm completely impressed with the school and the staff and have high hopes for the upcoming school year.