Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

I generally don't like change.  I think most of us probably would prefer to stay in our comfort zones.  While I don't like change, I like to think that I am fairly flexible and can adapt to change fairly quickly.  Change to the routine is not something that is readily welcome in the world of the child with autism.

My son's two week break from school is just about over.  In the past, the summer session always started on July 1st.  One of our family traditions is to go to the Bowie Baysox baseball games on July 4th for the game and fireworks.  Thankfully, this year the summer session at my son's school doesn't begin until July 5th, so we will be able to take him to one more game before the session begins.

Yesterday, we received a letter from the school regarding his upcoming classroom assignments.  When he first began attending the school, he was assigned to the Pre-Vocational Class #2.  He has absolutely loved his teacher and his one-on-one aide in that classroom, and they have loved him. His new classroom assignment is the Vocational Class #1, without a one-on-one aide. 

My mother in law, who has experience with the school, says that the fact that they are moving him to Vocational Class is an indicator at how well he performed in the other classroom.  His yearbook had all of the classes grouped by their level.  They actually passed him over the Life Skills class level to put him in the Vocational Class.

On the one hand, we are pleased that he is advancing to another level in the school.  We will miss his current teacher but we are sure his new teacher will be just as caring, though we are concerned with how long it will take for him to adjust.  Our biggest concern is the lack of a one-on-one aide, as it is something we feel he really needs.