Home » Blogs » Parent's Voice on Autism

Parent's Voice on Autism

Christy Reinhardt lives in Dutchess County, New York, with her husband and two sons. Since her son Crew was diagnosed with autism as a toddler, Reinhardt has been learning all there is to know about life on the autistic spectrum. Along the way, she created Crew's Voice, an organization to help other parents raise children with special needs.

Your name:
Comment:

Daymare

March 01, 2010

I have this horrible recurring nightmare where I’m back in high school. I find myself in a classroom and I am told I have to take an exam for a class I’ve never attended. The anxiety sets in and I wake up in a panic.

As an adult with an autistic son, you can just substitute the classroom exam for an IEP meeting. This is a daymare where you stay awake for the whole thing.

Here’s the story: Crew will be entering in middle school in September. The IEP meeting is to discuss the value of making some heavy-duty future-altering changes to Crew’s educational path. We are considering shifting Crew’s focus from academic work to more functional learning opportunities. I always look for some guidance. But nothing in the books I’ve read gives me any help on how to choose the best educational path for Crew. The heck with schoolwork, I think. I don’t care how much information my son can memorize if he can’t make any friends or go into a restaurant and order food. Or find his way to a bus, make a phone call or get assistance if there is an emergency.... The list goes on.

The only thing that seems to matter today is how to make sure that Crew has the skills to live in the world, because that’s what he deserves from me. “Make sure Crew has skills to live in the world.” This will be my mantra for the meeting. I will let you know how it goes.