The Magic Almond

Ah, four glorious days without school! I can't tell you how lovely that was. No fear of restraint, no fear of the phone ringing, just bliss.

Nathan was with Grandma for Monday and Tuesday. He loves being at Grandma's, and has never had a melt there. Grandma and Grandpa are his peaceful haven. Therefore, they are mine as well! God bless them. I don't know how I would have survived this long without them. (I am unbelievably fortunate to have wonderful in-laws.)

Wednesday wasn't so great, at least in the morning. No full blown meltdowns, thank God. But he still struggled. But think about it. Wednesday was basically a "Monday" because it was his first day back after a long weekend. He made it through without exploding, and without being dragged out of class, and without being held down! That's definate improvement. Perhaps not perfect, but it's still an improvement.

The BEST news came late Wednesday afternoon! I received an email from the woman on the Autism Team that had been working with Nathan last year! She had been out on maternity leave, and has returned. YAHOOOOO!!! She was so good with Nathan, even after witnessing one of his meltdowns. She never seemed to hold any of his melt aggression against him, the way most people do. And she did so much to help him, and to improve his situation at school! She was one of my godsends last year. And she's BACK!!!

She told me that the Autism Team was observing my son again on Wednesday. FANTASTIC!! I've been hoping they would get more involved. I've given their reports from last year to Nathan's doctor, and the doctor was impressed with all of their ideas. His only recommendations was to elaborate on one or two points with the teacher, and expand on what the A Team had started. Not changing their ideas, but just explaining them better so the teachers will have more precise directions on how to implement what the ATeam suggested. It was very cool to have everyone in agreement - something we don't experience very often.

I had asked for copies of the A Team's report for this year, several times now, and have not gotten a copy of it. Very frustrating. The woman from the A Team simply asked for a fax number or my address. YAY! I'll be getting it, in time for the doctor appointment next week!

I explained some of what we've been going through lately, including the frequent restraint, the chair that they have in the principal's office (used to restrain my son) that has been nicknamed "Nathan's Chair," the teacher telling me that the only thing Nathan needs is consistent discipline, and the school's denial that he has sensory issues and that his autism is not the problem here. The woman from the A Team was very empathetic, and said they would work on educating the school staff, clarify certain aspects of the IEP, and (my favorite part) discuss the dangers of prone restraint. I could have cried, I was so happy to hear this.

Thursday and Frday were terrific as far as school is concerned. What a relief!

Nathan and I have a new solemn custom. The Magic Chocolate Covered Almond.

I have this, um, addiction. It's chocolate covered almonds. They are a passion of mine. I can't resist them. I had been out shopping with Dh and Nathan, and they were picking up little snacky treats for themselves. They like cashews, which are not my favorite nut, and stuff like that. I spotted a can of chocolate covered almonds. As I said, I can't resist these things, so I bought a tin. Nathan had seen me pull it out of the shopping bag when we got home, and immediately started begging for one. I reminded him that he had his own treats, and handed him his can of cashews. But he had fixated on my can of almonds, and repeatedly asked for one, with me selfishly defending my precious splurg, and saying "no."

Well, I really wanted to give Nathan every possible chance of having a good day on Thursday. Wednesday had been a little rough, and I didn't want it to continue over into Thursday. Plus, some kid had jumped Nathan in daycare the night before, hitting him, and he was still a bit sensitive about that. So I opened the can of almonds, making a big production out of the whole thing. I offered him "A Magic Chocolate Covered Almond. These almonds are so special, they have the power to turn any day into a good day." Nathan's eyes lit up like Christmas trees. He happily gobbled up his almond, and practically skipped off to school. That night, I got an email from his teacher, saying that he had had a great day. So I had to pull out the Magic Almonds again, to celebrate. Nathan was delighted. I repeated the ceremony on Friday morning, and got the same response. All hail the Magic Almond! heh heh heh

(Hey, if it puts him in a good mood, and helps him through his day, I'm all for it!) I think it's those little gestures that make a world of difference to him. After all, most of the day he is surrounded by adults and peers that think he is naughty, weird, a bad kid, and a pain in the neck. Sometimes just knowing that there is someone out there who thinks you're special, and deserving of magic almonds, even if it is silly, is just the thing you need to get you through the rough spots.

I'm heading out today to buy a case of Magic Almonds.