2007-09-16

The first weeks

Another special ed teacher told me once to expect that the first few weeks of school will be hell. You have children with autism transitioning to a new setting, behaviors that surface, imitation of behaviors, kids you don't yet know how to handle, etc. If you brace yourself for the worst, you'll get through it.

I've thought about this advice a lot in the past few weeks. One student points his finger at adults' faces and yells gibberish with a British accent daily (it's funny unless you're trying to teach when this happens). I flip to the visual hanging from my beltloop that says, "No yelling" and then "Quiet." He actually responds, which is good.

Another student with autism thinks this behavior is hilarious and has started imitating it when he doesn't feel like doing what I've asked. He thinks it's a game for me to flip to the visual, so I can't use it with him. He has started throwing tantrums to get out of doing work or going to lunch, so the other day, I waited him out for an hour and fifteen minutes before he complied with my directions. This isn't quite as bad as last year when he would hit me on a daily basis. Hooray for progress, right?

Another student cries every afternoon because she wants to get on the computer. This works at home, but not in my room.

Then, of course, there's the coup de grace: a student whose mother admits that he has been spoiled and that he is able to use tantrums to get what he wants. Tantrums include kicking, hitting, biting, scratching, you name it. We've had to physically restrain this little bugger twice in one week. This means five adults taking turns for forty-five minutes. It takes three adults at his head to keep his arms tucked under and his mouth away from our arms.

So by Friday, I was completely fried and wondering why I came back this year. It takes me until Sunday morning to recoup, and I'm still having constant pain in my shoulders from the tension.

Still, there are bright spots. I have an adorable little guy with Asperger's Syndrome who has trouble writing his name. I've started having him trace the letters in shaving cream, which is always fun.

The kid who yells in a British accent and is more or less nonverbal at other times will work for potato chips. All I have to do is show him the bag before we start an activity, and he's all mine. Last week he surprised me by writing his words in cursive. Low functioning, my foot.

I've got a very active, loud, and interesting class this year. At times, there are seven kids and five adults in a very small classroom with no windows, so I need a sensory break during the day. I think that as long as I keep my evenings and weekends quiet and go to bed early every night, I will do all right.

susabeth at 7:59 a.m.

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