Please Save Me From The Bloody Marys

I’m ambivalent. I’m so ready for two of my children to go back to school, and not so ready for the other two to return.

My son diagnosed with Asperger’s NEEDS to go back to the routine of the classroom. While his school year is not always easy, his emotional well-being is a little steadier with the consistency that school provides. I’m tired of his puppy-dog eyes – his following me around either complaining because he is bored or regaling me with sports and weather trivia.

My oldest daughter, diagnosed with both a cognitive impairment and mental illness, is regressing to the depths of aggressive behavior, behaviors which are usually more controlled with the structure the school year brings.

But for my youngest daughter, diagnosed with deafblindness, I am scared to death about the start of school. She is moving to high school – a campus style school instead of a school building.

She will have new teachers and aides – new nursing staff – new bus drivers – new classmates. For a child without disabilities, all that newness is difficult. But throw into the mix that she is deafblind, and the start of the new school year doesn’t look so appealing.

With just a couple weeks left before the busses start rolling again, I need to do whatever I can to prepare my youngest daughter for all the changes.

And I need your help. I need ideas and strategies. At the moment, a couple of Bloody Mary’s is sounding real good, but hopefully our readers have something a little more responsible to offer!

Deborah can be found writing here at 5MFSN every Wednesday, and can also be found at Pipecleaner Dreams.

In addition to her job as a computer engineer and her single parent responsibilities, Deborah is president of a state-wide family support group for families whose lives are touched by deafblindness, and is a tireless advocate for all people with disabilities. She writes at Pipe Cleaner Dreams and her writing has also been featured in local magazines and newspapers. Ashley’s story has also been chronicled in a book by Jonathan Mooney titled Short Bus Stories.

Deborah

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