Today is a big day for little monkey, although he doesn't know it. It's his final day in the infants class at his special school. He's been there for 3 years and in that time he's been transformed. When I took him there aged 4 he was very small, with a huge floppy fringe and babyish looks. But he was also angry, barely verbal, hyperactive and out of control. He would frequently bite, kick and scratch people for no apparent reason. He was still wearing a nappy 24 hours a day and toddler reins whenever we left the house to prevent running away. I felt like he was a little Tasmanian devil, over which I had no control. We didn't have a diagnosis, I didn't understand him and I was angry with him much of the time for his appalling behaviour and my inability to do anything about it.
Three years on we still have problems but they're nothing in comparison to the way they were. He is now a happy, calmer more loving child. He can wait, he can listen, he can talk in short sentences. He can complete 'jobs' like hanging up his coat and putting his shoes on. He can use a knife and fork, and put his clothes away when reminded. He will use the toilet some of the time and he has blossomed into a really lovely little boy. Gone are the baby-face looks and the chubby thighs, instead I have a lean, strong, happy 7 year old ready for junior class.
Of course not all of this is down to special school, but without their help and guidance we would have been lost. While I was struggling, with nowhere to turn, they got on with it. They took no nonsense from the start, ignoring the biting so that in 6 weeks it had completely gone away. They were also incredibly strict with him, with a sort of "you may be disabled but you still have to get on with it" attitude, which has served us all well. Best of all they didn't just teach little monkey, they also taught us how to cope with him. How to accept him for who he is and how we can manage his behaviour if we follow their lead.
This week I took all the staff thank you cards and the nicest cakes I could find, but it doesn't really show the depth of my gratitude to them. Without the teacher and the TA's in that class we would have been sunk, and I can't thank them enough for the help they have given us all.
