Fearless Folks … autism and beyond …

Meghan’s weekly update was interesting.  Remember how I mentioned that she had a little “cheeky” fun with the teachers during the last few weeks? Remember how she wouldn’t get out of the van; she would just lie across the seat or lie on the ground and the teachers would have to carry her away? Well it seems she has decided to not get out of the van permanently!  All week long she’s sat in the van from the moment it arrived at school in the morning, until lunchtime, when she would then jump out and proceed straight to the cafeteria.  And how would she know when it was lunchtime?  Well through her stomach, of course, and she was usually right on the money, too.  Hey, chowtime is serious stuff!! 

The interesting issue (if this is an issue?  More like a phase) is that Meghan’s non-compliance isn’t due to her being upset; she just thinks it’s funny.  But since she is requesting to do her work all the same (um, just in the van), then they are allowing her to stay put and giving her her work (in the van) while the (very confused but probably very flattered) van driver leaves it running so she can have, um, air conditioning so that she is nice and comfortable while not complying!  Hmm?  Still with me?  Now I’ve heard of choosing to work outside, sitting under a nice-big-beautiful-shady Oak. You know the kind that dangle and twist and almost seems to whisper to you while resting against its chunky trunk, enjoying its lively branches churning in the wind … Ahhh, nice!  But a van?  Meghan has chosen to do her work in a “van.”  A smelly-old-vinyl-sticking-to-your-sweaty-ass van?

Hey, whose daughter is this anyway???  The girl’s got the power, but, baby, she sure don’t know how to use it!!

But one unfortunate day Meghan’s stomach was just a little bit off and she missed lunchtime in the cafeteria, so they had to have it sent to the classroom.  (And if I were one of the teachers, I would’ve been chanting to myself, oh this could be trouble…holy hell, let’s hit the deck!!)  So when Meghan showed up and realized what had happened—that her stomach-clock had defied her!  NO!! Mind you she loves her food, but not as much as how she likes to control what she’s getting and how much extra food she can trick the easily charmed lunch ladies in giving her! (uh-huh!!)  So with the food delivery and the revelation that she would have to settle for lunch in the classroom, she started to charge toward a teacher to “aggress on her” (attack her) but at the last moment she stopped and tossed herself into a nearby chair and immediately showed that she was going to use her “Good Hands” (Good Hands is the terminology used at school to remind Meghan not to hurt herself or others).  The teachers were extremely impressed by her self-control and problem solving (and so is her mom!).  Actually as Meghan started to lose control, they were all thinking that this could be the day she would break her excellent 3 months of NO HOLDS and perfect weeks record.  But no go, still good!! So hooray for Meghan!

Let me also tell you (um, brag again) because I’m a proud mom (I know, but just let me do it, I get very few of these Gold Star moments!) that a few day later she started to bite her hand and pull her hair because the room she was in wasn’t quiet enough (sounds of the other girls sometimes overwhelm her—sensory issue), usually the teacher will ask her if she needs to leave the room, and she usually does, but not this time, this time she said No, while showing good hands and working it out on her own.  No more hand-biting, not more yanking at her hair, no aggression toward anyone else, she got through it on her own and was fine.

Are you saying, Oh my God! How Amazing?  Well I am!  And to tell you the truth, I just want to sing hallelujah or something… but I know Nick would run away scared since I can’t hold a tune!  So I’ll just give my kudos to the teachers and say, this kind of progress would not have been achievable if she were still living at home, it’s just not possible—not for Meghan.