The danger when your special needs child is doing well, is sometimes people let their guards down. Today was a school assembly. Riley played the recorder up on stage with the whole third grade(front row, blue shorts, pink top). She looked so cute and proud. The concert was for the school kids, and tonight there will be another one for the parents, but since we live just a street away, and since Todd was home from work (on vacation a.k.a. knee surgery) we decided to go to the daytime one too.
Riley's inclusion class has two teachers, one regular, one special ed, and both were at a conference today so she had two substitutes. I'm sure they were given the lo down on Riley, but heck she seems so typical!
They lost her.
When it was time to exit the stage Riley got confused. She went the wrong way and then her classmates were yelling (all ramped up) RILEY! RILEY! RILEY! and motioning her to go the right way, and she thought they were mad at her, because they were yelling at her. She exited the stage, (as the next class was going up) and filed out of the gym but when her class filed back in through the other door to watch the rest of the assembly, Riley wasn't with them, and neither teacher in charge noticed. The substitute teachers sat back down with the group without her.
I got up and looked down the hall. No Riley. I went back to the teachers and asked where she was, and the special ed sub looked around, panicked, and then went searching for her. I looked in the sensory room, she looked in the bathroom, the principal looked down the kindergarten wing. Finally an aide found her sobbing down in the the library wing. She ran. It happens. She got overwhelmed. She has Asperger's.
How long would it have been before anyone even thought to look for her?
I love Riley's school, and I'm not out to get anyone in trouble. It is a good school,with committed teachers. Things happen. People are human.
The support we've received from the overwhelming majority of people who have learned of our service dog effort has been overwhelming. Our hearts will be full of appreciation forever. To the few who think a service dog is a ridiculous idea for such a high functioning kid, perhaps you might consider the possibility you are wrong.
15 comments:
I agree with you 100%. Bring on that doggie. You can't put a price on the peace of mind it will bring to you and especially to Riley - it is worth the cost of the dog 1,000 times over, you know? I'm sorry she was sobbing today. Sorry about knee surgery for Todd, too.
Oh, I'm so sorry this happened. Glad it turned out ok, though. Big wake up call for school, I hope. At the very least, they should assign a buddy to help her with some of those transitions. Caounting down the time til we get to meet her new doggie! :-)
Hmmmmmm, GOOD post. That last line is a zinger. (Who would think it was a bad idea?! Lame-asses)
Just yesterday there was a story on the news about a little boy with autism (4 yrs), who was LEFT on a bus, which was parked in THE BUS YARD. It seems he fell asleep, and no one noticed, and the fucking driver drove the bus back and parked it for the day! Luckily the boy was able to push the doors open and found an employee before they freaking locked up for the day. UNbelievable to me that the driver drives a special needs bus, and didn't seem to know who was on or off her bus! Grrrrr.
He should get a dog, too! It wouldn't have happened.
;)
praying for that special dog
Friend of mine had her kid lost twice. In one month.
IEP's don't cover everything, do they?
Bring on the pooch.
Well first off I'm pleased to hear Todd felt up to going to the school concert after the knee surgery. :)
I hate those heart in mouth moments and I'm so glad Riley hadn't gone further than the library. Can't wait for the dog but one thing occurs to me - will the school put too much faith in the dog? Hopefully the missing dog will be a bigger visual clue.
I'm so chuffed! I managed to pick Riley before I read where she was!
Wow - the fact that you can be at peace with this ..I'm furious about it and I've never even met Riley. The invariable rule here - is Momma knows her baby, including how to keep her safe and god help anyone who has something to say about it.
oh darlin, i am SO sorry for both of you. this stuff can be so hard and i can imagine what was going through your head as you searched.
the way you've framed this, making sure not to lash out, is nothing short of amazing.
Yes, perhaps. That dog is going to heighten everyone's awareness on many levels.
Oh, Riley. I can't wait for you to have that dog.
love and a big hug.
I am so relieved for a "happy" ending.
I'll never forget the day I arrived at the school for an IEP meeting and found Nigel, age 6, wandering the halls alone, confused and upset. There just happened to be an IEP meeting that day! That's the only reason I was there, and thank God I was, and I found him. How many times had that happened when I wasn't there? So glad you were there and could find Riley and she was okay.
I'm so glad you are calm. I read this last night, and I have been full of anxiety since! Bring on the doggie!!!!
I'm so glad you found her. I don't write much but this post reached out to me because the same thing happend to me last year only I was 17 years old in a special needs class where they didn't really want me because I'm so high functioning the teacher made a big deal of somthing I couldn't do and then left me to do it alone I had a panic attack and got out of the school four blocks away I eventually made it home because I sat on the cell phone my folks make me carry and I had forgotten I had. I called my sister over a hundred clicks away 'caus the teacher said I couldn't call my folks during school hours. sorry I'm babbleing. to make a long story short I didn't go back to school I'm in the process of getting a service dog He'll come home to me in late august early september. and what I really wanted to say is that Riley is really lucky to have a mom like you and lucky to be diagnosed early I didn't get the diagnoses till I was 14 and wouldn't wish it on any one. Good luck with your dog and give your girl a hug.
Chloe
Wow Chloe,
Thanks so much for your comment. Some people don't understand why a child so high functioning would benefit from a service dog. You explained it better than I ever could.
I hope your dog brings you much happiness and benefits you greatly. Thanks again for your comment. I really appreciate it.
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