Last night at our parents support group the topic of Kindergarten came up. A couple of the parents that were there have kids heading to kindergarten either this year or next. Autism services are reduced for kids when they start kindergarten, and then stopped altogether for kids as they head into grade one. It's a big deal. But honestly, it's not even on my radar screen right now. I said as much and the other parents tried to impress upon me just how close it actually is. It actually *is* still 3 years away, and to tell the truth, I'm not even sure we're going to send Jesse to public school. I'm of the mind right now that home schooling is definitely an option.
But beyond that, I don't see Jesse still having a diagnosis by the time he's five. (No, I didn't mention this to the other parents at the support group.) I may sound like I'm in denial or have my head burried in the sand, but the fact is, some children diagnosed with ASD at a young age eventually move off the spectrum. Jesse's developmental pediatrician has suggested that she thinks this will be the case with Jesse. And with the gains he is making in speech and communication, I'm very hopeful this will be the case.
I've always said that optimism was over-rated, but my views on that might be starting to change. And truly, it's difficult not to be optimistic about Jesse's development. The kid is blowing us away every day.
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