11th grade. DS has one day a week of a job with a job coach thru this school this year (sorting mail and using mail machines in the faculty room of a local college). He tried the whole program out over the summer and he LOVED it. He asked to go back to that school, so we transferred him. In fact, he's been asking me if he can "work" 5 days a week! This from a boy who fairly recently told me he was never going to grow up and get a job! He has also started to talk a lot about his adult Special Olympics teammates whom he knows work in the community at regular jobs. He loves to go to McDonald's to say hi to Eddie and Target to see Matt. I've told DS that when he's 22, he can work 5 days a week, too. I have to say that Special Olympics with older teammates has been a HUGE boon to both my son and me. We BOTH get role models there.
My district has also FINALLY arranged for DS's extra work after school with a Lindamood-Bell reading teacher doing their Verbalizing and Visualizing reading program. IDEA 2004 REQUIRES that schools use research-based, peer-reviewed techniques to help ALL kids make progress. It took awhile to find someone who could do this specialized program, but we're now set up and it should start next week or the week after. That will mean DS goes to school from 7:45 to 1:45 and then gets taken by bus to our local library where he will do 2 additional hours of reading work every day. Hope he can take it. Hope the TEACHER can take it! Will keep you posted.
This is great - so comforting - sounds like his quality of life and prospects after high school are good. Very happy for you two :)
If he completes 11th grade he'll have one more year of HS than I did
Your son is blessed to have you. You have brought him a long way at a time when parents were not as informed or have the kind of resources available today. Kudos to you Tzoya and to your wonderful son, he certainly has a positive attitude towards life and the future, a lot better than some "typical kids" out there. Thanks for educating us.
Concernedpa.
Good luck and hope the year goes well! Congrats!I hope he has a great year. It's very encouraging that he is excited about a job. It sounds like your experience with Special Olympics has been great. I think it's awesome for kids to have other role models besides parents.
Good luck I hope you have a wonderful school year. Thank you for sharing your good news, tzoya!You sound giddy with delight. I'm happy for you all. Day went well. Son came off the bus smiling. Nothing less than I expected because he has always loved school. I would love to hear about others' first days.That's great! It's great he is so excited about his job!! Mason had a good first day yesterday...second day, not so good...but tomorrow is another fresh start...I'm staying positive!That's great tzoya! It's neat to hear experiences of those of you with older kids. My son starts preschool tomorrow. We had orientation yesterday. Can't wait to see how he does. We hired an aid (one of our VB/ABA tutors) to go with him. I 'm sure she'll tell me everything.I'm so glad to hear about so many positive things in your son's life. Thanks for sharing this.