Apr 26, 2009

ABC-Autism Class Potluck Dinner

To be quite honest, there have been so many things going on in life right now, that I couldn't bring myself to write. I'm going to try to work through this over the next few days, and catch up here.

Trent has gone to school through the public ISD system since he was 3 years old. He turned 10 a few weeks ago. Thursday, was the ABC Class potluck dinner. They have this dinner every year, and we haven't missed one yet. My potluck contribution is the same, year after year. $5 Fast and Ready Pizza from Little Caesar's! Real creative cooking!

The ABC Class is the autistic or mentally challenged group of children. The cafeteria at the school was packed, so that tells you how many of these children attend our school. Children in our school district, but are zoned to other elementary schools attend this school for their special needs.

Next year, other elementary schools will open and have the ability to meet the children's needs. I am very sad to see the class of children that Trent has been with since he was three years old, split. All of us parents are stressed over the idea. The children don't realize what is about to happen. When they return to school next year, their worlds will have changed.

Families of all types have children with special needs. There are all type of ethnic groups, and economic groups that attend Trent's school. Since we live next to Texas A & M University, there are children from all over the world in our neighborhood. I have seen that professors and students from other countries that are attending the university are not immune to the autism disorder.

This year was the first year that I was able to watch the slide show presentation of our children throughout the year without crying. I choked back the tears for a brief moment, but was able to pull myself together. I question why I want to cry. Is it sadness for my own child, or sadness for each of these children.

I sat surrounded by other parents with the same battles as my own, but yet, it is still a lonely place to have a child with special needs. Perhaps it is lonely, because I feel the loneliness of my child. He has had some HUGE battles fitting in different places this year.

I watched the slide show and studied the children's faces, and the varying expressions. Some of the children are full of expression and smile, connection made. Others have blank eyes, looking at the camera, but holding no expression on their face. How come there are so many levels of autism? What makes one child with autism finally connect, and another struggle to do so?

The children have grown so much. It amazes me how much I know these children that I hardly communicate with, but isn't that somehow like it is with us and God? He knows his children even when we don't speak audibly with him. We know Him without words. We know his spirit, and his presence without a verbal word.

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