Adam is an amazing responsibility. A responsibility that I believe I may have, in some ways, neglected over the past few years. All this pain, the losses, the financial difficulties, fighting depression... All have hurt the quality of the time I spend with him. Yet, despite that, he is making wonderful progress. We still get along wonderfully. He loves coming to my home, wrestling, watching Cartoons, working with the computer, eating, shopping at Wal-Mart (or Toy's r Us), and building things with wood we bought at Home Depot.
The problems begins with how I am, or am not, challenging him to develop the skills he needs. Cleaning his room, picking up after himself, doing his homework, doing chores around the home. Also the other requirements of a father of an autistic spectrum child, dealing with planning for his future, coming to team meetings with intelligent input, pressing the school system to provide all that will allow him become all that he can be...
My stated goal on Adam's IEP is that I will help Adam to get to a place where he can live without me. What does that mean... It sounds good. It sounds perfect, but I don't know how to get there. And I don't know how to start.
So, this Blog will not just be about the adventures of Adam, but also the evolution and implementation of the plan for Adam's future. I plan on being transparent, embarrassed, weak and foolish. I beg for input, Ideas, and honest sincere critiques. After all, it isn't about me. It is about Adam.
May I, one day, be the parent that Adam needs now- so that he will be able to live on his own without me, when that time comes....
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