"But I'm an A Student!!" and When did This Happen?

I always have known that James was smart.  Even when he wasn't talking and couldn't be tested, there was something in the way he paid attention.  He was always observing even if he wasn't looking.  Somehow he picked up on what was going on in the world even if he was stuck in his.  Anyway, fast forward to now.  James is in the 5th grade. He has an aide but in a typical classroom.  He keeps up and is doing very well.  His teacher is amazing with him, and for the first time James has someone who understands him as a kid with High Functioning Autism.  She expects him to do classwork like all of the other kids but allows homework to be modified for our sanity.  It is in his IEP so... James has recently taken up using his "Free Homework Passes" for his spelling.  Not really sure why spelling continues to be so targeted in school because every device he will use has spell check.  Anyway... So as you can probably surmise... He didn't do well on the spelling test this past week (I believe if we use metric and take his 42 and convert it from Celsius to Fahrenheit then it magically goes from an F to 107.6 degrees which is definitely an A with extra credit for creativity!??!)   Well, James was obviously upset over his grade.  He told his aide that he couldn't get an F because he was an A student.  His aide talked to him about making better choices with his homework passes and studying more for the tests. 

A very rare picture of the Laughter Mum but this kid makes me 

smile!!

Usually when James gets upset, he packs his things and "moves out." He did it the day before in school when he moved to the principal's office during a new typing skills class.  He has moved out of our house many times but usually just as far as the living room, where he gets engaged in something and then forgets why he wanted to move out.  This time, after the devastating grade, he announced to his aide that he needed a walk and asked if she would take him!  YEARS, we have spent YEARS on asking for a break appropriately!   Wow!!! Two lessons learned in one day and on a day! LOVE this kid!!!