Monday, August 17, 2009

7 Days & Counting.

I feel like I've been writing about Max starting Preschool for ages. Wait. I have been! Since March! If you're new to Fickle Feline, you may not understand why Max starting Preschool is such a big deal for me. It's a big deal because Max is Autistic. He will be 40 months old on August 23rd. It's time for him to finally move up into the room that all of the other kids move to at 30 months old.

We've waited to move him for a lot of reasons. The daycare changed ownership in the Spring, so we had to get the new owners up to speed on all that is Max. Then there were new teachers hired for the Preschool room, so they had to get settled in before we threw dealing with Max at them. Of course, it also took some convincing of all parties involved that Max was ready, that in fact, he was bored to tears in the Toddler room. I'll admit to fighting an internal battle about this move. It broke my heart on a monthly basis to read the Toddler Newsletter with farewells to other kids in the Toddler room who were moving up as Max stayed behind. The kids around him kept getting younger and younger, and as he grew, he literally towered over them on the playground. I tried to keep what was best for Max in focus, and not let my desire for him to be "just like the other kids" (because he's not), override doing what was right for him, but I struggled.

But it's finally time. He's ready. There will certainly be challenges. The biggest hurdle will be transitioning him back into daycare after having him out for the past 3 weeks - one week for potty training, and 2 weeks for an intensive therapy block of Therapeutic Listening, Music Camp and IBI (Autism) therapy at blueballoon. We've seen amazing progress in this past month, including Max getting potty training down faster than any neurotypical kid I've ever met, increased requesting, and a slew of new words. That doesn't mean it is going to be easy for him to go back to daycare (it won't be). And it certainly doesn't mean that moving into the Preschool room will be a cake walk. It's going to be hard on him.

To help Max through this big change, we're bringing in his IBI therapists from blueballoon for 3 solid days to make sure he feels secure through the transition, that his needs are looked after, and that the staff is trained in how to work with Max and 100% comfortable in handling his challenging behaviour. For the most part he is a lovely well-behaved little boy, but on his "off" days he can be quite something to manage if you've never dealt with him before. It will hit our wallets pretty hard to pay for his therapists to help him transition, but making sure we get it right the first time is imperative, so it's worth it.

And of course, like every other mom on the first day of school (be it Preschool or Grade 12), I am asking myself the question "Where did my baby go?".About This Post

It’s back-to-school time, and this year Sprite and TwitterMoms have partnered with bloggers like me to share back-to-school tips and tricks, advice, stories and more! Visit Sprite's back-to-school channel on TwitterMoms to get helpful ideas, learn how to survive the back to school rush, seek out advice from other TwitterMoms and join the conversation. You can learn more about donating your My Coke Rewards Points to support your local school, how to enter for a chance to win some Back to School cash, check out recipes, or even play some fun games. Here's to a successful and stress-free back to school season from Sprite and TwitterMoms!

4 comments:

  1. I am a newbie to your blog and this was an excellent post! This is a big day for you and your son as well! You sound totally prepared and organized for the transition. This should really help!

    What a cutie pie he is! It's amazing how fast they grow, isn't it? My son will be four in September and it feels like he was a baby yesterday...I've been following you on twitter and found this post. Looking forward to reading more from you! :)

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  2. You are going to be great as well as your little. It will come so quick and you'll blink an eye and he'll be in Kindergarten. He is cute as pie BTW. I'm new to your blog too!!

    Mine are headed to their second year of pre-school and I'm still transitioning..LOL
    When my button page is up and running I will add yours but in the mean time I will become a follower of your funny, cute, amazing and entertaining blog!

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  3. Anonymous10:33 a.m.

    Yay for Max! I think he may surprise everyone and transition really well. Who doesn't want to feel like a big kid?

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  4. Yay for milestones!! Celebrate them all-big and small!
    It will be worth the money and you're right in thinking that it will make a big difference to have it right the first time.

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