School was a big problem from the first day which was an absolute disaster so much so that he got up and left his regular ed. class walked down the hall to his homeroom which was a special ed class. He was screaming in the hallways and the poor guy just couldn't take it. And practically every afternoon that I pick him up he is in pieces and his TA and teacher will just not listen to him when he is trying to tell us why he is so upset.
Now he is in a special ed program with a very small class size and it is an occupational work/study type program where they actually make things to sell to the public to fund their field trips. It is a great idea if you have the right staff working who are fully qualified for the position. However the two TAs working with him have already made big mistakes. The first one for some reason that I cannot think of would be justified, threw away his drawings. I find it to be completely uncalled for and inappropriate for a person in a authoritative position to provoke a special needs child into rage without good reason when she could have set it aside and told him that he could finish it later. So he runs out of the room without permission and he gets in trouble for it instead of the real issue that antagonized him in the first place being addressed.
The second TA from his other classroom made a much bigger mistake and caused Griffin to ultimately be suspended. I had given his teachers food and drink for him to have during the day between lunch and going home because he had been having outbursts from being so hungry and he needs the oral motor stimulation too. One day I had asked her to get the cheese sticks out of the fridge to bring to me when she and Griffin met me in the afternoon by the office (inside the bldg.) . When I saw Griffin he was beside himself screaming at her and wanting the Capri Sun that she had in her hand and she refused to give it to him. He yelled, "You can't give that to someone else because my mom paid for it, it's for me!" I turned to him and said that no she wasn't going to give it to someone else and yes it was his. I then turned to her and asked her if that was her intent and she tried to whisper so that Griffin couldn't hear, "No, I was going to put it back in the fridge for tomorrow." I asked her in a firm voice, "Then why is that not what you told him?" Griffin had reached the end of the rope and ran out of the building and I don't blame him.
The next morning I get a call from the liaison from the district saying that Griffin had hit the TA and that they have it on tape and that he will be suspended. I calmly listened to her and then I told her that she needs to hear the entire story. And I asked her if he hit her then why didn't she tell me then and there? I did not disagree that he should have not hit her but in his defense she knew that she was pushing him over to edge to breaking point, then why did she do it and why didn't she stop before it reached that point? And why did she take the drink out of the fridge if she had no intention of giving it to him? That is emotionally abusive for an autistic child and completely out of line! Completely unprofessional! Of course she had no answer and she actually seemed shocked at what I was telling her . Then she said that it was a problem and a personnel issue that would be addressed. I said in a raised firm voice with great sincerity that if Griffin was going to be reprimanded then she has to be as well.
There is a meeting tomorrow morning with whom I do not know but I am fully prepared with all my accounts of what has happened the entire time that he has been there and what needs to change needs to be determined so that Griffin is comfortable and not antagonized so that he can have a positive experience in high school. It has to be figured out somehow because he wants to go to high school and make friends which he already has.
We met Sean the second day of school and he is so amiable and so well mannered, indeed a high functioning senior with autism. We went to the trampoline park with him and to Chick fil A but the only problem is that he doesn't really talk to Griffin instead he carries on conversations with me about things that he is interested in. That is okay but there is just so much going on right now that I had to decline on his invitation for Griffin and I to go to the movies and out to eat also because financially I can't afford it.
Griffin has been spending time with Will from the Autism Society and he loves Will so much. He is so good with Griffin better than anyone ever has been. They went to the fair together, they go to the library and print, to Barnes & Noble, he lets Griffin use his smart phone and no matter where they go they just have fun because Will is just so animated, young, and energetic. I love how they are together. He is truly a blessing in our lives.
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