Summer: Staycation or "Break?"
Each Summer, we ask readers to chime in on their children's Extended School Year services, or now that many of us have adult children with autism, their Summer as an adult.
Summer for many of us growing up meant a well earned break from school, a day or sleep over camp, perhaps a vacation (fancy or not) with family, picnics, a Summer job. Good stuff. Fun stuff.
The seasons can become a blur when you're caring for a loved one with autism. Tot, to teen to adult. Take the opportunity to tell us what you have, wish you had, need.
Two years ago, I wrote about my youngest daughter, who was at the end of her school career. Her road post-age 22 was terribly rocky. She aged out in September of 2022 after the hell of Covid closing her school, and wasn't accepted into a day program until mid-November. They kicked her out in EIGHT DAYS because their 1:1 program couldn't handle her behavior. And I can promise you, compared to many of the men in day programs, my daughter was a peach. They just didn't want to BOTHER to get to know her or work with her. They really wanted wheelchair bound individuals who were compliant or whom they could literally push around. Revolting. She's in a program at the same organization her sisters attend and she is thriving there. She enjoys her time, is surrounded by darn good people and my spies, I mean some people who might go there, tell me she is in a good place.
What is your loved one with autism doing for the Summer, the three month version, or the rest of their life version?
XOX
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I aged out of special education at 19 with a worthless "diploma" in 2009. I Rarely had jobs and received little support from the California Regional Centers. Special Education is a corrupt racket.
Posted by: Will | June 14, 2024 at 09:02 AM
My five-year-old will not receive ESY because the IEP "team" decided he did not need it. We are suing. At mediation, we learned that no school districts in our county offer an ESY summer program. How odd. Not a single child in the entire county is in danger of regression.
Posted by: Ronald Diebel | June 14, 2024 at 08:59 AM
Hello to all! Our son Sam is attending first session of summer school. He has good teachers and paras and comes home happy. We do worry about his post 22 age facility. He does require a lot of supervision and watching. So we have concerns that some places will not accept him. Trusting in the Lord that it will all work out. Blessings to all!
G. Martinez
Posted by: Gerardo Martinez | June 13, 2024 at 02:47 PM
Kim-I am glad to hear that all three of your daughters are happy in the same day program in Connecticut. My son aged out at 21 here in New York and the adult program he was supposed to start in didn't open for six months. He had to stay home while waiting and then he started to attend the program, which turned out to be a terrible program with staff yelling at all the autism participants constantly as I was there for one week to observe. I was very distressed and took him out of the program after a month. We then had to wait another six months for a new adult program to open with six adult men with autism. They did volunteer work in various stores, non-profits, hospitals and nursing homes. He was in the program for 12 years, but for three of those years the program was shut down and transferred to online Zoom program due to Covid, and he loved the program as they did very educational and fun activities and by then the program had 12 young men with autism. The program decided to re-open in service program, but to discontinue the Zoom option for my son and the few other young men who wanted to stay on it. Fortunately, one of the staff was able to provide the service through another agency after her day program hours and my son and the other few are doing very well with it every day. I also hired a wonderful tutor who has extensive experience working with the autism population and he comes every two days for two hours and my son is making gains in all areas and has shown a gift for math. I must say it has been a very rocky road and continues to be challenging for me and my family and we just have to keep hoping that the current services will last for a very long time. I thought this would be helpful for other Age of Autism readers just like your experiences about your daughters is. Good luck to all.
Posted by: Gayle | June 13, 2024 at 10:09 AM