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It’s been awhile since I’ve posted about Frank. He is doing well! He is currently in sixth grade and loving middle school. He spent six years at an elementary school in various self-contained classrooms, and we were very happy with that set-up. We intended to have him retained for a year so he could stay there an additional year before the scary (to his parents) transition to Middle School. However, we found out this past spring that his most recent teacher and both of the aides in her classroom were moving to the Middle School for the new school year along with most of the students in his class. We really love this teacher and her ability to somehow focus on both academics AND life skills while keeping Frank’s attention and interest, so we decided to make the transition with her. So he has the same teacher, same aides, many of the same students, and a new building and higher expectations. It’s been a really positive experience so far.

Frank will be twelve on Thanksgiving Day this year and has hit lots of physical milestones along the way. He walks, climbs steps, talks (a LOT!), and feeds himself. We are currently working on running, jumping, playing with a ball, and toileting. Academically he can count to ten and can identify letters and their sounds but is a long way from reading and doing arithmetic. But we are optimistic that he might get to a basic proficiency before adulthood. Our academic goals (always subject to change obviously) are that he can read road signs, read and write notes with family members, and read a menu, as well as have enough number sense to know how to use money to make purchases at local shops.

We are grateful for his strong social and verbal skills but are starting to feel anxious as puberty is setting in and still not much progress with the toilet training. We’ve said things to him along the lines of being a big kid, and big kids use the toilet, but apparently he has embraced his littleness because he just responds letting us know that he doesn’t want to be big. “I like being little!” All well and good, but we’re going to need a new strategy to motivate him because we’re not ready to give up on this goal!

His current favorite activities include lots and lots of tv and YouTube (sigh) also toy cars, coloring pads that use a refillable water pen, and playing with objects that have the two-tone reversible sequins, which are great sensory items for him. And his absolute most favorite thing ever is talking to people, in the house or via FaceTime with family, at school with friends, and in the community with friends, acquaintances, or even strangers (they won’t be strangers for long)!