Challenges of school system
Mood:  mischievious
Now Playing: Patrick's childhood
Topic: the school years
I enrolled Patrick in a special education Pre-school when he was 2 and half, I knew he needed lots of
stimulation and kids around him. The teacher(S) and
Patrick did not mesh even at that young of age.
He was and is stubborn,willful,and energetic.
Patrick loved school, and wanted to go, even when
he was sick, then that changed over the years,
and aggression and non understanding teacher(s)
made going to school impossible.
I had more run in's with teacher's about my denial
of his being Mentally Retarded \Emotionally Handicapped I can't even give a number. They thought
that my saying he was Mentally Retarded ,my view of
his schooling would change, little good that would
of done them for me to have said it to them.
I wanted them to do their best to teach him
self help skills, caring,involvement,and speech,
Teachers just keep saying I needed not to be
in denial of his problems. They never really tried to get a program to fit him, teacher's said he had
to fit their class, not the class to fit him. This
always seemed wrong to me. As I always had to sign
a IEP(indiviual education plan).

This went on until I changed his school in second
grade and he traveled to Wickenburg and was in
a different type special education self-contained
room, he still had trouble but not every day, and
I was not on campus as I was at his old school.
Nadaburg, as I worked there also, things were rocky.
At his new school he found teacher's and aides that
did care and he really liked, he also encountered some that did not like or want to teach him.
He went to school in Wickenburg from 2nd to 9th
grade.

Progress
Mood:  cool
Now Playing: Happy and healthy
Topic: Adjusting to new home
Received e-mail from Patrick's home, he is doing well and adjusting to his environment. He has been watching his NBA and basketball on Cable. He loves B-ball. He knows were everything goes and can find just about anything in his new home. He has been taking walks on cooler days, and playing with the manager's dog. Pat's asmtha is doing better since he gets out more.

New Home
Mood:  crushed out
Now Playing: 30 days +
Topic: Ride to new home
On August 2, 2004 Patrick was picked up and taken to his new home,(this process took over two years, of failures) He was very excited and happy to be traveling in a Bus(he loves buses). Connie and friends brought her red blazer. He helped put his belongings in Blazer, and got himself into backseat. He waved goodbye. He was happy, but his anxieties were in great abundance. He loves new things but gets anxieties and panic attacks. He waved one last time and was gone. I tried to keep my emotions intack and not let him see how very upset I was. I managed to wave and take pictures. Then when the tail end of Blazer was out of sight, I let myself feel.

Family
Mood:  hug me
Topic: Special Needs Child\Adult
My Son Patrick is now 20 years old, at the age of 18 I had to make a decision of if he should live at home with me, or live in a group home. I decided because of his behaviours that a group home was the best.