The Gifted One |Frugal Front Porch

My oldest boy IS gifted. Joey is funny and has one heck of an imagination. He tells the most wonderfully entertaining stories and I love him for it! It has proven to be a great tool for him in making friends and relating to others. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before but Joey also has some learning difficulties. He's in the second grade & will be 8 in a few weeks. We're working about 8 months behind everyone else in his class. Delayed speech, delayed motor skills, unfocused, frustrated, loner, mumbles, quiet, distractible, avoids eye contact, reserved, creature of habit, noise sensitive, loving, imaginative, affectionate , funny, inventive, creative, insightful, & happy are all words teachers & administrators have used to describe him over the years. We've been through lots of academic and some medical testing, Individual Education Plans (IEP), parent & school evaluations, etc. All in an effort to figure out how Joey learns so we can be better equipped to help him.

Thursday, Joey was officially classified on the extremely high functional end of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). His case is no where near severe. Joey does all the things a typical boy does but simply at a different level. I suppose his motor skills are about an early 1st grade level, academics-late year 1st grade, social skills remind me of a shy Kindergartner or early 1st grader. He doesn't experience seizures, medical symptoms or any "Rain Man"-like behaviors which made his case especially difficult to pinpoint. Thankfully, he's not ridiculed, bullied or made fun of and there are several friends (his age and older) who look out for him much like a big brother!

It's hard to describe the roller coaster ride of trying to help & teach someone who can't "get it" no matter what each of you do. If you haven't had to go through it yourself or know someone who has, I don't know you can fully appreciate how traumatic it is for EVERYONE involved-teachers, family & friends. I admit until Thursday, I HATED going to the school's evaluation meetings. (The meetings are used to discuss the observations and testing scores with the parents so an IEP can be put together. Usually there's a panel of people at the meetings which can include the parents, primary teacher, principal, special teachers (music, gym, library, etc), psychologist, counselor, speech/language, Occupational Therapist, Autism Specialist, Title 1, para-professionals, teacher's assistants, bus driver, etc.-anyone who interacts with the child in question.) By the end of the one hour or sometimes longer meetings, facing anywhere from 4 to 8 school staff members, it feels like a "Dump on My Kid" contest (which is why I NEVER let Joey sit in on those meetings).

I expected more of the same Thursday but, was pleasantly surprised. There were 9 other people at that meeting. We discussed LOTS of information (too much to share in this post) but the bottom line is we finally have a clearer path to help Joey not only academically and socially. This is all GOOD news. They also did a great job in bringing attention to his strengths which made me feel great! They love his funny stories and find him incredibly creative and inventive. (We all are excited to see how he may capitalize on these gifts in the future.) For now we're taking it day by day, finding the silver lining through whatever clouds may appear. Speaking of which, I must share with you the story they shared with me in turn, giving me hope for his future! (One of the silver linings I was talking about!)

Joey to Ms Nelson during a study break: Want to know something Ms Nelson?

Ms Nelson: What is it Joey?

Joey: Boys are smarter than girls!

Ms Nelson: Not always, girls can be smarter than boys!

Joey: NOPE! Boys ARE smarter than girls!

Ms Nelson: Joey, boys are smart but so are girls. Sometimes they're even smarter than boys.

Joey: Well, I am smart! Want to know how I know?

Ms Nelson: Sure, Joey. How do you know your smart?

Joey: Cause I got a big head!!!! (he says with a big Cheshire grin!)