Haven't been on here in FOREVER. Decided to say 'Hi' to all my followers and hope you and your blogs are doing well. I've been working on my latest draft of 'Starstruck' and with my two friends Bethany and Angela guiding me, I'm hoping to have it finished, hacked back up and trimmed back down to a sleek, shiny finish by the end of the summer.
My oldest is about to graduate high school and my youngest is about to enter. Which is a whole other set of ..."OMG's"...
Oldest going to college won't be bad. She's staying at home to save money as we only live about 10 minutes away from the university my husband and I both graduated from.
The youngest going into high school is what scares me the most. High school is hard as it is, but when you have autism and then anxiety brought on by having to live in the middle school world every day, it's become so much harder.
If any of you have any suggestions on how to help her transition into high school, please let me know. I'm open to any and every thing. Her anxiety has become so elevated, I've had to put her on medicine and now she's developed Trichotillomania. Which is an obsessive disorder where she pulls her hair, eyebrows, eye lashes and everything else she can out of her head. The habit has gotten so bad, she's pulled most of the hair out of her head underneath the top layer. We cut her hair shorter, so it actually helps hide it a little.
It's so frustrating to see your baby, who already has autism struggles have one more thing to deal with.
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ReplyDeleteSuzanne, I'm sorry I'm just now finding out about the big move up to high school! I should've been chatting with you about this all along. I wish I could offer advice, but we put our Aspie in private school the minute she hit 6th grade.
ReplyDeleteThere are a couple of autism websites I've always liked, and I noticed one of them has updated for 2013 with advice on high school transition: http://autismla.org/The-Autism-Journey/High-School.htm. I hope this can help some!
My daughter is about to *hopefully* get her first part time job ever and is supposed to start online college(put it off long enough...she graduated 2 years ago) , so we're about to be doing some major transitions, too. I'm so nervous.
You and I are going to have to cyber-hold each others' hands through this. You know my email addy if you need me... #goatwub you, Red! <3
P.S. One last thing: Your girlie already has something going for her a lot of typical high schoolers don't. And that's a parent who's on top of things and wants to see her happy. That's going to go a long way into helping this transition go smoother. Keep us posted on how things go! <3
ReplyDeleteHey, friend :) Yes, we will put that MS of yours through boot camp and get it whipped into shape!! :) As soon as I finish Riley's ms, I'm going to read the latest chapters I have of yours (looking forward to it!!).
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad Anita jumped in here regarding your daughter. Helping any child make the transition from middle school to high school is difficult; I can't imagine how stressful it must be when that child is autistic. But Anita is right, having parents who are dedicated and involved in the lives of their children puts your daughter at an advantage. :)
Thank you lovely ladies! What would I do without all your love and support??? You are treasured friends for sure.
ReplyDeleteMy heart's breaking for her! Transitioning to a new place is tough in so many circumstances. I'm not sure how her autism affects her, but here are some suggestions I've given to parents/kids in the past.
ReplyDeleteHas she visited the school? I think the first visit should be best after hours with you and one kind teacher. Take a camera so she can take pictures of the hallways, rooms, bathrooms etc. Ask for a map so she can see it that way. Let her take a video so she can revisit parts of it.
When the time is closer and the schedules are ready, go back again and walk through the halls, plan the routes. You can do that several times. if she will have a locker ask for the lock early and have her practice. Travel the route to and from school with increasing frequency as the time draws closer - get her used to the routine of going.
If she'll have multiple teachers, ask to meet them early - most are in their classrooms in the summer, so if she could meet them soon and then just before she starts again it would probably help.
A lot of kids use one color of binder/pencil case for the morning classes and another for the afternoon, so it's easy to keep straight what you need.
Hope at least some of those help you out - good luck!!
Thanks so much Jemi! Yeah...I'm planning on getting a meeting with her teachers ASAP before school is out. I hope I can catch some of them. I also want her to walk the halls so she can learn where everything is. My oldest daughter's cheer coach will be in the building she'll have most of her classes in, so that will help, I hope.
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