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This morning I dropped off Nick at his first day of the new school year. Although he is 19 and we’ve done a lot of first days, this one still has some new elements. First, he is starting a new class with a new teacher. His school, which is exclusively for students with cognitive disabilities, has four classrooms and this year he starts the final one: “Transition Class.” His school also requires all students to eat cafeteria lunch, unless medically unable. It’s a great policy for overcoming picky eaters and provides a well-balanced lunch for every student, but this year we are opting out. Nick will take his lunch to school every day so that he can maintain a gluten-free diet which we started over the summer.
The 15th First Day
As a momma, the first day of school for a 19 year-old is a really complicated emotion to describe. We’ve been doing first-days for a long time. No other 19 year-old in our circle of friends is going to school today; they’ve all graduated. This is now my 15th round of goal-setting and skill-assessing for Nick, and if I’m being honest, the most basic skills still have not been achieved.
Source: Special Needs Parenting- Key Ministry[/column]
