Autism Awareness Month

Today is the first day of April, Autism Awareness Month. Many schools in the country are currently shut down or teaching remotely. How is this impacting the children with autism, or other special needs, who thrive on routine? Their routine has been altered, services often rendered have been stopped or are being provided remotely. Some children can function for a session of speech therapy provided via an online platform, but occupational therapy and physical therapy cannot easily be provided this way.

Every day, James is asking to go back to school. He giggles when he sees his classmates, teachers, and therapists in online forums. He struggles to maintain the focus he needs to get his schoolwork done, but he does it daily. Today I resorted to bribery, as he appeared to be lost in his own world. It had taken almost an hour to get through 11 math problems converting improper fractions to mixed numbers. At 7:23 pm, I looked at him and told him if he completed the remaining 10 problems by 7:45, I would give him 50 cents. If they were done by 7:35, I would give him $1.00. At 7:35, he handed me his worksheet with all 21 problems done correctly and asked "Where is my dollar?"

Earlier today, he read the newest picture book about himself - "I am James" on video.. This book is the twelfth in the series about him, and most likely will be the last of them. The reason this one is one of my favorites, is that he selected the pictures and he helped with much of the wording. Included in this blog post is the video he made earlier today.