On This Last Day of Second Grade...

For those of you who follow my blog, this picture may look
redundant, but it is only similar.

Did you know that this year there has been a secret in the classroom?  One we thought long and hard about to decide whether or not to share?  Did it need to be shared, or should we just wait and see what might happen if no one knew?  After all, it was a new school and no one knew him.  I think for the most part, our silence allowed for a lot of amazing things to take place during this year in second grade.  Wonderful friendships and interesting conversations that sometimes didn't make sense.  A chance to dance on the wild side and experience the world in a different way.  A chance for your child to unknowingly, yet wholeheartedly, befriend a child with Autism.  I Have Autism ... What's Your Story Pamphlet (Please click here)
If you are unfamiliar with Autism, it is, in the most basic sense, a neurological disorder that affects communication, social interactions, and imaginative play.  The current CDC estimate (although it is already several years old) is that 1 in 88 children will be diagnosed on the Autism spectrum.  1 in 54 boys are eventually diagnosed, and boys are 4 times more likely to be diagnosed than girls.  Okay, that said... it is very likely that your life has already been touched by Autism in some way or another.  There is a saying in the Autism world that if you have met one person with Autism, you have met one person with Autism.
If my son is the first child you have met with Autism, then I welcome you to our wonderful world!  Our world is full of laughter and love. It is also full of intense therapy (35-40 hours a week) geared to teach him things that come naturally to other children.  He is always learning, tweaking, refining, and improving.  Throughout the year he has told wonderfully touching stories at the supper table about his friends at school. I admit that today, the last day of school, after being with your children all year, he still only knows about 1/3 to 1/2 of your children's names.  He does, however, know that he is part of a wonderful group of friends and will miss everyone tremendously over the summer.
I welcome any questions you may have.  I will talk to anyone, anytime, about anything, so they may understand and appreciate my amazing little man for who he is.  You can get a clearer view of just who he is by reading other entries in this blog.    If you would like to contact us over the summer, we are on the class contact sheet (blue page) that came out at the beginning of the year.  Have a wonderful summer and we, as a family, look forward to continuing on to 3rd grade with more wonderful experiences.

It is hard to put a value on the friendships that have been made this year, but
James' wealth has increased 1,000,000 fold, so we thought we would share!