So summer is nearing and I’m dreading the transition. I know that all kids can have a rough transition from school to summer (and then again from summer to school) but my kids have some major issues. My daughter graduates from preschool next week – it is so great to see where she was when she first started preschool three years ago and where she is at now. She has been in the same classroom, with the same teacher and the same paraprofessionals for all three years of preschool. Next year she will be at a different school and she’s nervous. She told me last week she didn’t want to go to kindergarten. She knows that once preschool is over, she has summer break and then she knows new school, new teacher, new classmates, etc.
My son is who is most affected by transitions. School doesn’t let out until May 21 and I’m trying to come up with some ways to make the transition easy for him. One of his compulsive behaviors is picking a spot on his scalp. He’s done this for about a year and a half and has avoided infection all this time – until this weekend. Sunday evening it hurt and was a little red. It turns out that he has a MRSA infection. The good news is that because it is super tender, he isn’t picking at it. The bad news is, once school lets out he is likely to go to town on it. I’m hoping that I can come up with a way to ease his transition and maybe give him something else to do besides pic his scalp.
Right now, I’m not sure if we’re going to do anything organized for the summer. The problem with camps and other activities like that, especially for Alex, is that he is a nervous wreck prior to the start of the program and then he has a hard time transitioning out. If we just have laid back summer of fun with family then there aren’t additional transitions. However, he doesn’t always do well with unstructured time.
Sooooo, what are you all planning this summer for your kiddos that are on the spectrum?
Photo by Dan4th
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I’m already planning for the summer. This will be the first summer without extended school year, and ABA therapy. Yeah!!! Here is a short list of some of the major goals/plans I have for my son this summer….
1. 2-3 weeks of summer day camp through the city recreation center
2. swim lessons
3. visit to LegoLand
4. camping on the beach and in the mountains
5. practicing flash cards for addition/subtraction to 20
6. Learning how to ride 2-wheel bicycle
7. socializing as much as possible and having F-U-N!!!
That sounds like a summer of fun! We went to Legoland a few years ago and it was very “autism friendly.” We’re probably going to go camping with extended family for a weekend and I would love to get either of the kiddos on a bike.
Have a great summer!
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