First Day of School - the Results

The results are in and, as anyone could have expected, they are mixed.

Alex did very well. Having a visual schedule helped him a lot in moving between activities. The main issue was in some last minute changes to his schedule. We'd spent a lot of time preparing him for what was going to happen but they changed some key points, like which door he was supposed to go in. He did very well on the tour of the school, not participating too much but not complaining and sticking with the group, which is a big deal for him.

I think there may be some challenges with integrating him into the classroom. Some of the other kids are distracted by the fact that he gets to hold a toy and can move around. However, personally, I think that's something that just needs to be handled honestly and frankly with them. Kids can accept a lot if it's presented in a matter of fact kind of way. With a little understanding and flexibility, I think he'll end up doing very well.

He's not that difficult a kid to deal with (although I'll admit that I'm biased). He has certain needs for how information should be presented to him, but once those needs are met, he's very flexible in dealing with his surroundings.

We'll see how things progress over the year. I'm still not entirely over my anxiety but it's good to have that first day over with.