Where can you find kids playing sports without caring who wins or even what the score is? Where can you find parents cheering for all the kids on both teams? Where can you find coaches with the patience of saints? At Challenge Sports, that's where! Zack started soccer today with his group of teammates who all have special needs. Most have Autism, Asperger's Syndrome, or Downs Syndrome. The coaches are parent volunteers. High school kids, earning Community Service credit, come out to give one-on-one support to those who need it. It's a great way for our kids to experience team sports. Without it, they would never know how it feels to make a goal, coordinate with a teammate, and practice good sportsmanship. At these games, you rarely see a fight amongst the players, they don't give up on themselves, and they encourage each other no matter what team they're playing on. It's a great opportunity for learning sports skills and social skills.
Monday was the first day of this fall's Ensemble class at Sacramento Theater Company. Zack is the only autistic in this class. He was involved with this company last year and it went very well. The instructor has experience with kids on the autism spectrum and does a really good job helping Zack reach his acting potential. The other children in the class don't really know what's up with Zack, but they treat him kindly, giving him fist-bumps and high-fives for good acting. They seem to know he needs a little extra support. The class teaches improvisation skills and how to deliver monologues. They also learn a short skit with at least one other actor in the scene. Last year, Zack started out over-dramatic with big sweeping arm movements and exaggerated facial expressions. By the end of the year, he had toned it down a bit. It will be interesting to see how he progresses this year. It is something he really loves.
I meet with Zack's certified teacher this week to go over his work. I need to turn in grades for each subject. Math and Science are easy to grade since we do the traditional textbook/workbook/exam method. Drama and Art are more difficult, since I don't test him on his work. And, English includes so many categories it makes me dizzy: grammar, spelling, writing, reading, vocabulary. There are very few tests that I give for these subjects, so it just comes down to scoring his daily practice. He's doing great work, and I see that he is progressing and learning. I wish I didn't have to give a grade at all, but that's part of our educational system. I get that it measures how much a student has mastered a topic, but I wonder what it really proves about a student's true success.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
Hip Hop and Head Colds
I enrolled Zack in a dance class called Move and Groove. Yes, it's a Hip Hop class! It's a great way for Zack to get exercise, and he actually has some talent in being able to remember choreography. I had enrolled him in a similar class several years ago, but had to pull him out. The teacher was very soft spoken, so Zack couldn't hear anything she said. And, there were too many kids in the class. At that time, Zack wasn't very good at knowing how to stay in his "space" and he would bump into the other kids. The other kids were getting angry with him. I didn't think it was important enough to stick it out, so I bailed. Zack said he didn't mind.
Now, Zack is so much better at judging where his personal space is and where the other person's space is. Plus, the teacher is excellent. I haven't told her that he is autistic. I was going to, but there were already other kids sitting with her when we entered the room, so I just decided to let it go and see what happens. I usually feel it is a good idea to tell the teacher right away, so that she isn't surprised by Zack's strange comments, or by his immaturity, or by his anxiety. It's one of the reasons why I dread signing Zack up for a class, because I worry about the conversation I need to have with the instructor: "Zack has autism, but he's really high functioning. He has a lot of language, but he gets easily confused. You may have to repeat instructions. He sometimes speaks out of turn and will talk about seemingly irrelevant topics....." It's not that I mind advocating for him, it just makes me feel uncomfortable. I don't know how the teacher is going to respond. I've always been a shy person, just wanting to fit in, not wanting to cause any problems for anybody. Having a child with autism has forced me to come out of my comfort zone and speak up. It has gotten easier, but it is still stressful.
We didn't do school today. Zack has come down with a cold. Bless his heart, he was willing to take his Algebra test, but he looked so miserable. He got about half-way through, and I told him he should go back to bed. This is one of the reasons why I decided to home school. When Zack was in kindergarten, he got sick every month. He would have a cold for three weeks, be healthy for one week and then start the cycle all over again. I'm the type of mom, that if my child is sick, I do not want him to be around other people, especially other kids. One time, I kept him out of school for four days because he had a fever and the school nurse called me to see if she could help. She couldn't understand why I was keeping him out for so many days. I don't believe in medicating with over-the-counter drugs to get through an illness. I let the body heal itself with the help of herbs and homeopathy. It takes however long it takes, but the healing is more effective. (But that's another blog, I guess.) Anyway, it's nice to be at home where Zack can do work if he feels up to it, even if he's sneezing and coughing. And, if he's too sick to work, he can make it up on a Saturday down the road. He doesn't get others sick, he can heal at his own pace, and he doesn't get behind in his academics. It's a win-win-win!
Now, Zack is so much better at judging where his personal space is and where the other person's space is. Plus, the teacher is excellent. I haven't told her that he is autistic. I was going to, but there were already other kids sitting with her when we entered the room, so I just decided to let it go and see what happens. I usually feel it is a good idea to tell the teacher right away, so that she isn't surprised by Zack's strange comments, or by his immaturity, or by his anxiety. It's one of the reasons why I dread signing Zack up for a class, because I worry about the conversation I need to have with the instructor: "Zack has autism, but he's really high functioning. He has a lot of language, but he gets easily confused. You may have to repeat instructions. He sometimes speaks out of turn and will talk about seemingly irrelevant topics....." It's not that I mind advocating for him, it just makes me feel uncomfortable. I don't know how the teacher is going to respond. I've always been a shy person, just wanting to fit in, not wanting to cause any problems for anybody. Having a child with autism has forced me to come out of my comfort zone and speak up. It has gotten easier, but it is still stressful.
We didn't do school today. Zack has come down with a cold. Bless his heart, he was willing to take his Algebra test, but he looked so miserable. He got about half-way through, and I told him he should go back to bed. This is one of the reasons why I decided to home school. When Zack was in kindergarten, he got sick every month. He would have a cold for three weeks, be healthy for one week and then start the cycle all over again. I'm the type of mom, that if my child is sick, I do not want him to be around other people, especially other kids. One time, I kept him out of school for four days because he had a fever and the school nurse called me to see if she could help. She couldn't understand why I was keeping him out for so many days. I don't believe in medicating with over-the-counter drugs to get through an illness. I let the body heal itself with the help of herbs and homeopathy. It takes however long it takes, but the healing is more effective. (But that's another blog, I guess.) Anyway, it's nice to be at home where Zack can do work if he feels up to it, even if he's sneezing and coughing. And, if he's too sick to work, he can make it up on a Saturday down the road. He doesn't get others sick, he can heal at his own pace, and he doesn't get behind in his academics. It's a win-win-win!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Week One of 9th Grade
Although this is my eighth year homeschooling Zack, I have a daunting feeling about getting through high school. Can I provide the best education for him? Will he get the most out of his high school experience? I enjoyed high school so much, I feel like I'm cheating him out of the social experience by keeping him at home. But then, I have to remind myself that social experiences aren't the same for him as they were for me. For him, being in a class of students is not exhilarating or exciting. Sitting next to your "best friend" or the "cute one" is not motivating or enticing for him. All he hears is the noise and all he sees are the distractions. The anxiety in him builds and builds until he is in tears. He begins telling kids to "shh," and "pay attention to the teacher." Of course, he's right! The kids should be quiet in their learning environment. But, it doesn't make Zack a popular student. Kids don't like to be told what to do by other kids. "And anyway, what's wrong with that guy?" I imagine they think to themselves. Not all classes are stressful for Zack. He enjoyed the Mad Science classes I enrolled him in. But he still tried to control the class.
After talking to the counselor at Visions in Education, the public charter school I home school through, I am convinced that this is the best option for Zack. He can pursue his interests in drama and cartooning, and get the one-on-one academic teaching that is so important to him. After receiving his STARS scores, I feel confident that this is working for him and that having him graduate with a diploma is a feasible task.
This first week went great. I had some apprehension about taking him to the gym for his daily exercise. New experiences are often very difficult for Zack. If the "picture" in his mind doesn't match up with the reality of the experience, it can cause a meltdown. A meltdown for Zack is heightened anxiety displayed by pacing, verbal sounds of agitation, and eventually tears. However, when we walked into the gym, he didn't make a sound and he had no problems getting on the treadmill. We started at a slow 1.5 mph pace until he could adjust his balance and get the hang of the feeling of the earth moving beneath his feet! He had his MP3 player which has recordings of Disney movie theme songs. The music always calms him down. Before the end of 30 minutes, he had increased the speed to 3.5 and was even jogging a little. He enjoyed the exercise and we went back the next two days.
All other academic topics are about the same as previous years. We are continuing with Saxon Math. This year it's Algebra. Since reading is still a challenge for him, I got The Phantom Tollbooth on CD. He follows along in the book and then completes comprehension questions. He's a strong science student, so Earth Science shouldn't be a problem. Other than that, he will be taking a drama class again, and he is working on his cartoon drawings. After getting the first week under our belt, I'm feeling less angst about it, and am looking forward to another year of teaching Zack.
After talking to the counselor at Visions in Education, the public charter school I home school through, I am convinced that this is the best option for Zack. He can pursue his interests in drama and cartooning, and get the one-on-one academic teaching that is so important to him. After receiving his STARS scores, I feel confident that this is working for him and that having him graduate with a diploma is a feasible task.
This first week went great. I had some apprehension about taking him to the gym for his daily exercise. New experiences are often very difficult for Zack. If the "picture" in his mind doesn't match up with the reality of the experience, it can cause a meltdown. A meltdown for Zack is heightened anxiety displayed by pacing, verbal sounds of agitation, and eventually tears. However, when we walked into the gym, he didn't make a sound and he had no problems getting on the treadmill. We started at a slow 1.5 mph pace until he could adjust his balance and get the hang of the feeling of the earth moving beneath his feet! He had his MP3 player which has recordings of Disney movie theme songs. The music always calms him down. Before the end of 30 minutes, he had increased the speed to 3.5 and was even jogging a little. He enjoyed the exercise and we went back the next two days.
All other academic topics are about the same as previous years. We are continuing with Saxon Math. This year it's Algebra. Since reading is still a challenge for him, I got The Phantom Tollbooth on CD. He follows along in the book and then completes comprehension questions. He's a strong science student, so Earth Science shouldn't be a problem. Other than that, he will be taking a drama class again, and he is working on his cartoon drawings. After getting the first week under our belt, I'm feeling less angst about it, and am looking forward to another year of teaching Zack.
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