Serving 100 in a school of 600? How high will that number go?

               Last week was registration night at the junior high and it was a chance for parents and kids to come in and investigate which electives to take for next year. Great event by the way for parents to get involved and kids to really understand what they could sign up for. My daughter had two classes in mind and I will say I was impressed with her choices. One was sign language and this class does count as a foreign language credit for college. Her second choice was peer tutor and this is being involved in the special needs program working side by side with the kids to get there work done. One of her new awesome friends had chosen the same classes and sometimes going in with a friend pushes that decision along so I was thrilled with the choices of classes and friends.

                We spent some time in the special needs room speaking with the teacher and my older son is already part of the peer tutor program. I will tell you my son wasn’t thrilled to be a part of the program and felt at the time I had requested it for him. Fear of the unknown or a discomfort with the differences was an issue for him so being a part of it was exactly what he needed. Odd he would feel that way when he lives in a home with autism but I think sometimes he forgets his little brother is in fact disabled. Being around him everyday has had a desensitized effect in regard to him being different. Not a bad thing at all but I think sometimes he doesn’t realize just how different little Phillip really is.

                The teacher asked my daughter if she had any experience with a special needs person and she told the teacher her little brother was autistic. The teacher was pleased to hear she might have someone in the room who understands some of the challenges that come their way. Then she asked my daughter if she knew any other students who had been a peer tutor and my daughter said her big brother was already in the program. The teachers jaw dropped, literally, and she said to us that my son had never mentioned to her he had a little brother with autism and she continued on to tell us my son was one of the best peer tutors she has ever had in her class. We were given an ear full on his level of patience and care for the students he works with and how well the kids respond to him. I couldn’t have been more proud at that moment but my son is a tricky young man so I knew he would never want me to know this. He has a reputation to uphold and I knew he would never admit to the amazing praise coming his way. I also know little sister has made a mission out of trying to do one better than her older brother so the praise was in fact inspiring another excellent peer tutor for the following year. To be clear my daughter would be excellent at it no matter what but knowing her brother was doing so good at it is just a bit more motivation for her and always has been.

                Spending time with people who are facing the daily challenges of autism is the best way to create the desensitized effect. That understanding that creates the patience and care that is needed so badly and I love that the school gives all the kids this opportunity. It has be hard to not be closely involved with your peers and having one of them sitting next to you during your day must bring a feeling of being part of what you see all around you. The teacher told us the kids react better to their peers than the teachers and I can imagine the reason is simply being closely involved with them student to student.  The program is not just an elective but also community service that carries over with the student right along with knowledge and discovering these kids are much more than what they see at first glance. I am very proud of both of my children for making an impact on their lives and their own lives because it’s an important one on both sides.

                To end it today I asked the teacher before we left just how many kids the program serves in regard to any kind of special needs and that included a learning disability and her answer was shocking. In a school of just over 600 kids her answer was around 100 kids. A program that is mostly suited for autism. What I forgot to ask her as the 100 was surprising to hear was how many did they served when she first began because she was in her retirement faze. I know that number would not have been nearly as high and I hope to get another chance to talk with her because I may not rest until I know. It becomes more and more clear to me as time goes by something is happening to our children and I know I am not the only one wondering what that something is and it’s not as simple as getting a fever while pregnant or a simple genetic difference. What it is doesn’t haunt me like it used to but often times it is difficult to ignore what we really do see happening at such an alarming rate.