School holidays - the home stretch

[elliejjtiny]

How is everyone getting on? I'm ready for them to go back now although nervous about my youngest starting for the first time. We've done ok though, managed to leave the house a few times with the help of grandparents and today we made it to the disability session at the trampoline park. Only one meltdown (near the end thank goodness) and no toilet accidents so I'm counting that as a success.

I made the mistake of looking on facebook yesterday which was full of people doing things that my boys would find impossible which was a bit depressing. Trying not to think about what other people are doing though and focus on what we have been able to do. I find low expectations helps a lot. We have had a few days with no toilet accidents so I'm trying to remember that is a great achievement and not thinking that most 4 and 5 year olds are dry 100% in the day and many are dry at night too. So many "normal" things are really hard for my boys but we have managed some of them, with help and at our own pace.

Next challenge is trying not to throttle the next person who says "but what will you do all day?" with accompanying shocked face when they ask when I'll be going back to work and I say not at the moment. Hopefully I will one day on a very part time basis but not now with appointments and meetings twice a week on average and the school ringing me and asking me to pick up 10 year old ds2 mid meltdown again which can happen several times a week near the end of term.

Ellie the home stretch! I understand re school calling twice a week, that’s my life too!
I’m excited nervous apprehensive and scared about ds going back to school. We’ve had 2 months off with ds being poorly also before the holidays so I’ve forgotton what it’s like to not be with both my dc.
I’m worried about reintroducing the concept of school with my ds who is 10 and severely autistic - I’m going to go with leaving school bags out a bit more and the new visual book we’ve been given and hope for the best.
One week to go. Nearly there. Eeeek

We have got in better than expected. Still a battle to go out for more than an hour but getting there

I can see his anxiety starting to creep back up again with a week still to go so have a feeling this will be a tough week. I made the mistake of discussing School dinner with him the other day (trying to get him to agree to go to packed lunch as he now won’t eat anything on the dinner menu!) which caused a massive meltdown. I think we have agreed on a packed lunch of carrot sticks and crisps!

Sirzy we also have the packed lunch dilemma. So far DS has just agreed kiwi.

Last term he was having rice cakes too, but he won't eat them anymore. He won't have anything like sandwich, wrap, pasta, sausage roll, crisps. And won't contemplate school dinners. It's a tricky one to be sure.

Last year he had tuna jacket potato every day. But now both tuna and potato have gone off his acceptable foods list hence having to go back to packed lunch!

He has said he will have bagels which is great except he wants them toasted, and warm

Summer holidays have officially finished so just the weekend and one inset day to get through. And my washing machine has decided to give up on me [cries] which isn't good in the house of wet pants and poo. My youngest has the opposite food problems. He will happily eat almost anything but will also eat mud, gravel, Lego and any other small object he can find. I worry about him going from his special needs preschool where they are geared up for small children who put things in their mouths to a mainstream school where all the other children can be trusted not to do that. I imagine there will be more toys with small bits in the reception class.

2 of mine need to go back for the routine. One I want to keep home for ever as I have had 6 weeks with my lovely happy funny little boy and I don't want to lose him back to my stressed and angry school time boy. His brother has his asd/adhd assessment coming up but I'm pretty sure he won't hit to criteria for diagnosis despite spending every minute at home naked all holiday because clothes are 'horrid' and having meltdowns multiple times a day because he has no emotional regulation at all. Any tips re comfy pants anyone ??

We've had a summer holiday full of shit - literally as they returned from the in-laws with the younger child absolutely constipated up to the eyeballs so we've spent most of the summer trying to disimpact her bowels and constant crapped in pants. Great when she's going into Y1 with not at all an approachable teacher.

We hit the top of the waiting lists for OT and SALT just at the end of the academic year so I've spent most of the holidays driving across the city to get the youngest to all of that - poor eldest's spent a lot of time sat in the corner of offices with an iPad to keep her amused. OT were fantastically useful... SALT has been beyond shit with her just whining about not wanting to do that clinic and trying desperately to get us to agree to not having the course of sessions she was down to get - we're having to go private to get some actual support for her as the NHS one has now managed to get the actual appointment time to something like 15 minutes completely taking the piss out of what she's actually entitled to be getting.