High School

The title does not need further explanation, my parenting adventures on the Autism Spectrum are now leading me to High School Information nights complete with glossy pocket folders filled with various pieces of paper designed to "sell" me their school.  This is not my first "rodeo" - a few years back I enrolled my half British/half Canadian kid into my former high school in Northern Ontario (and his peers thought he was an exchange student) - which added to his element of cool.  This experience is quite different.

I remember my days in the mid 1980's roaming the hollowed halls of my secondary institution, and it was filled with the "cool kids," "the jocks," "the geeks," and the "outcasts."   John Hughes' portrayed it well in the 1984 hit, "Sixteen Candles," and I think I was more Anthony Michael Hall than Molly Ringwald (I was the theatre geek).  So within this class system that has been around for generations, where will my Autistic kid fit in?

I don't think it really matters how many articles I read, books I pick up, professionals I consult - the "T" word (Transition) is a fearsome one for parents with any special needs child.  Relying on John Hughes movies isn't recommended either.   One piece of advice that I have taken to heart (and from an educational professional) is to listen to my kid.  What is his choice?  What is his opinion?  As parents we become managers and we need to release some of that control and give them the authority to control their lives.  We are heading to our second tour tonight - and I will try to remember to listen to the words of my son (not mine), and to ease my stress and fear,  perhaps a binge watching session of John Hughes movies might help.