Friday Finds & Check-ins, Volume #601

Because of Covid restrictions, everything has to be “hands free” for these students. All have severe Autism and are non-verbal. I know most of the students from past years, which is why they asked me to come in (a familiar face makes a huge difference). The activities had to be changed (no more riding a stationary bike, doing bean bag tosses, etc.) and so the regular teacher set up a circuit for them that is all hands free and works on balance, co-ordination, etc. and we do this every day. The kids are all accustomed to checking their schedules (picto-gram type pictures on velcro) and this has always been the way in their classroom and in the gym but the activities have had to change (in class too – they can no longer go to the grocery store to choose items for their cooking/baking day, can no longer go swimming, etc.). One student is severely affected and he’s not a little kid (these are teens and a few 20+). His regular teacher is punched and head-butted regularly (as in numerous times per day) so he is quite a challenge but a bicycle (really a tricycle) was specially built for him and it arrived just when I started and it’s a god-send. He enjoys gym class now, the other students in the class aren’t terrified and in tears during gym and the EAs don’t have to keep chasing him (he escapes the building often but this seems to be getting better). He’s over 6 feet tall and he’s a teen so when he runs, we have little chance of catching him, but I’ve suggested we try running the other way or not running at all so that he will want to come back to us and it doesn’t seem like a game (other staff in the building are on “high alert” just to place themselves in front of exterior doors but in a neutral type position if they see him taking off down a hallway). It seems to be working but there’s a huge concern about his safety.

As for my own kids, the lockdown here has been extended at least to the first week of June. Two of the 3 are near enough that when the lockdown is lifted (whenever that will be), we’ll be able to see one another but my older son is on field exercises in “Middle of Nowhere” (actually Wainwright), Alberta, and will be in the process of moving there for the next few years – not his choice, obviously – so even if we fly out to Edmonton (if/when we’re able to fly), he’ll still have to drive 2 hours to see us though apparently a lot of the soldiers stationed there do this very thing for the weekend to go somewhere with a bit more excitement than a town with one movie theater and a WalMart. Once he’s back from the field, at least we’ll be able to do face-time type calls with him, though.