The Next Step

“Ian, now that you’ve graduated, what do you want to do?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Schooling with a special needs child is demanding. Parents know little of how to deal with kids on the autism spectrum and learn as their kids grow. This means helping the child deal with interactions between peers, teachers, other adults and, too often, bullies.

Of course, there are meetings. Tons of them. IEP meetings, special meetings, preparatory IEP meetings, and all of them focused on the best interests of the child.

Everything is structured, from extended school year, what we used to call summer school, through each semester until, almost imperceptibly, the years slip by and Ian, like all his class is wearing a mortarboard with his graduation robe while he looks down from the top of the world.

That’s when the structure vanishes and we asked the question that could determine his life.

Ian wasn’t being entirely honest, although he intended no deceit. He wanted to immerse himself in his electronics where he could watch films and play games. We enlisted him in a county program, but, when he refused to cooperate, they dropped him. He didn’t care. His electronics kept him happy and we were unable to convince him of his need to be productive and contribute to society.

Until the day he discovered a goal. His ambition is expensive and can cost thousands of dollars, but he was determined. He re-enlisted in the county program, amazing the counselors with his change in attitude.

Last fall, he found employment with a major retailer as a cart pusher and stockman. More importantly, he’s discovered that he likes the job. When I pick him up after his shift, I always ask him the same question. “Ian, how did things go tonight?”

Ian grins. “Magnificent!”tt lives in Belton with his family.