January 2010 New Changes

After calling an emergency meeting with his teachers and explaining what was happening at home, it was suggested and agreed that Jake be taken of his mainstream classroom with 30 other kids and put into the resource room, (where he feels most comfortable), for the entire day.

It was clear to me the atmosphere in the big class with typical children was too large, too fast, and too much sensory stimulating plus too much everything over the top for him. I had to convince the teachers that this was an urgent matter because. I was honestly afraid Jake was close to a nervous breakdown if he was pushed any further at school . He felt extreme stress at school exhibiting daily: stomach aches and vomiting, hiding under his bed covers in the morning and not wanting to go to school, sleepless nights, significant meltdowns at home over the school day events, and other physical aliments. It was not healthy for him to continue on the same path at school, and I thought possibly I would begin home schooling him.

I felt that this was an up hill battle trying to explain this to his regular teacher. She has always been a teacher in a typical classroom, and did not quite "get" it. She seemed cooperative, but could not grasp the concept that he was not intentionally being naughty,and understand that my boy was just on overload within the classroom of 30 kids. Her complaints: He could not get started by himself on classroom assignments, he would loose focus very quickly, he would not have his Science book out and ready when it was Science time, he would forget to turn in assignments, he would not line up with the rest of the kids. Therefore she would take steps to punish him by taking away recess, or making him do over the assignments that were lost (in his desk). Jake just could not keep up with the rest of the classroom. She also did not understand why he was so stressed out and why Jake had anxiety about getting in trouble. Thankfully, I was trying to reiterate this to his special ed teachers as well, and they understood.

Unfortunately the teachers felt that I was pointing fingers at them, and one of the meetings ended with me in tears. I was frustrated and I guess I didn't convey myself as I thought I had with no intentions of playing the blaming game. It took a few meetings but in the end I was happy that Jake would have his own space in the resource room and have all his classes there because I think it will take all the stress of of him. He was comfortable with the teachers in there, and I felt that Jake's feeling comfortable with his surroundings was number 1 at this point. At the end of a month, the team would come back and re-evaluate Jacobs behavior at school and at home.