School’s On!
Summer school, that is—-Charlie’s first day of Extended School Year is tomorrow. (Yes, we’re back in Jersey, courtesy of a red eye to Newark Airport.) His last day of the regular school year was last Thursday so he’s only had a few days off. From experience, this very brief break is the best thing for Charlie, who’s most at ease when things are orderly and routine. I wasn’t surprised that he missed his dad and home (and that he tried to walk back to Jersey, all the way from California). I think it’s important to “shake things up” occasionally or the routine becomes like a box that we can’t get out of, and Charlie grows a little with each trip and the change it entails.
One inevitable change of visiting the west coast is the time difference. Since our trip was just for a few days, Charlie and I did not really settle into “California time” which is as well, since the bus is coming at 8.35am Wednesday morning to take him to his first day at ESY, at the middle school with his new teacher. Charlie actually spent a good deal of time on our trip sleeping: He’d wake up around 6 or 7am, lie around, jump into the bigger bed I was sleeping in, pull the sheets and blanket around himself tightly, and doze off till noon (or probably later, but we woke him). Guess he’s been catching up on his sleep after a very busy school year.
And come September, Charlie will have to be up even earlier than he was last year, as middle school starts at 7.45am instead of 9am. In contrast to what a recent study says about delaying an adolescent’s school start time by one hour as having a positive effect on his or her cognitive performance, I’ve been thinking that the earlier start time might work out better for Charlie. Too many times last year, he woke up around 6am (sometimes earlier) and full of vibrant energy, talking a lot, and generally to get going. Often he’d get dressed on his own and was clearly dismayed that (as Jim and I told him) he’d “have to wait.” Too many times Charlie would start dozing off just before he was due to go get the bus and those moments when he was alert and rarin’ to learn were missed.
Anyways, the earlier start time is for the fall and, ESY or not, summer’s the time to stay up a bit later, go for twilight bike rides and fast runs to the beach, and just hang. It’s still summer and we have to make sure we’re up enough to have some fun.
But we’re all glad that school will soon be back on.
Tags: Airplane, asd, asperger, autism, autism blog, California, disabilities blog, Education, Family, family blog, kids, kids blog, New Jersey, Parenting, pdd-nos, school, Sleep, TravelRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Adolescence, California, Education, New Jersey, Sleep
10 opinions for School’s On!
sharon
Jun 17, 2008 at 7:34 am
I really wish we had ESY for our kids. They can never find enough teachers to teach all but the most severe.
School’s Out. (Or is it in?!): June Channel Theme Day
Jun 17, 2008 at 7:55 am
[…] Chew of Autism Vox wrote: School’s On! Summer school, that is—-Charlie’s first day of Extended School Year is tomorrow; he does best […]
ange
Jun 17, 2008 at 10:19 am
Oh so true: “I think it’s important to “shake things up” occasionally or the routine becomes like a box that we can’t get out of…” As an adult, I am constantly pushing my own boundaries, growing each time, whether it is meeting a new person, putting myself into a new environment. Same with my boys.
shell
Jun 17, 2008 at 10:33 am
Wish my son had ESY too. He did last year automatically same as all the students in the autistic early childhood classroom. The teacher felt that ESY was important for consistency. This year our district changed their policy and the children in his class had to qualify based on certain, stricter criteria. Only one student qualifed in his class, so I guess they can save some money this way. There are no programs for children under 5 at any of our park districts or Easter Seals, etc. So, we’re doing our own thing…hope to find activities next year.
Linda
Jun 17, 2008 at 11:43 am
You know how I feel about food especially for boys 10 and up (food, lots of food, food after lunch, food after dinner. food at night and during the day). Same for sleep. These are the growth years, 10-18 and beyond. They need their sleep. What was once seen as slothful, lazy teens is not true. They need their sleep.
Regarding school start time: they need to start early in high school to get into training for the college 8:00 a.m. classes!
Karen
Jun 17, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Hmm, here I thought all sp ed kids were offered ESY. Here, kids with severe disabilities (and I think what qualifies are kids in multiple-handicap classrooms) get one week off after the regular school year and then one week off before it begins again. Kids like mine have one week off and then back on for 5 weeks for ESY, then about 3-4 off until school begins again in the fall.
I guess that’s one more reason for me to feel lucky about our school district.
Bonnie Sayers
Jun 17, 2008 at 6:22 pm
The floortime therapist we had a year ago would like to shake things up on Matt and change the routine a bit.
This Thursday is the last day here. In years past when his almost no more elementary school was a year round one he would have a few days off and then camp and then two days off before school started. It worked really well, except for the month of Jan he had off with nothing to do. this is why he has to have a school that follows the traditional calendar. They want him to go to one that has off in Sep and Oct and again in March and April (April for ESY for four weeks)
Kristina Chew, PhD
Jun 17, 2008 at 7:20 pm
@Bonnie, interesting—was he in year-round school?
I’m very very grateful that Charlie gets ESY—he would struggle mightily in the fall without it. We know a number of families who have children with as Asperger’s diagnosis and who do not receive ESY services; Charlie does have a “more severe” diagnosis and we’ve never (in New Jersey) had to ask for ESY. So very grateful—very.
Yes, lots of eating and lots of sleeping seem to be constantly called for for Charlie now. His teachers told me that he was about 80 pounds last year when the school nurse weighed him—-he’s over 100 now.
Bonnie Sayers
Jun 17, 2008 at 7:52 pm
Yes the school was year round, they changed two years ago. Most elementary schools in Los Angeles are no longer year round, but the middle schools are, not sure about high school.
I am going to print out that sciene daily article on later school time to proove what I am saying for Matt to get the school that starts at 8:30 vs 7:24 AM.
NIck is past 100 pounds and Matt is about 80. He is very lean, although weighed almost ten pounds at birth. Nick just finished almost 30 min on ex bike since homeschooling he does not really get PE.
Happy Autistic Pride Day and Happy Birthday
Jun 18, 2008 at 5:37 pm
[…] be celebrating here by doing “the usual”: It’s Charlie’s first day of Extended School Year and of us getting back into the usual routine. We will be baking a cake—Charlie sighted a […]
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