What HE has been up too

I don't remember if I mentioned that I got Gabriel into a REALLY GREAT school. Dale Mabry was great while it lasted. He started going there when he turned 3. For me that as TOO early but because of his autism he needed to go. When I visited his class there for the first time and his teacher "Mr. Connell" let me know that Gabriel would be taking naps, sitting in circle time and standing in the corner, if necessary - well, I laughed! WOW! He doesn't know my son. Turns out he probably knew Gabriel better than me. Mr. Connell has a grown son with autism. He knew what it would take to make Gabriel "click". Gabriel not only did everything I thought he wouldn't in that class, he got "CARLITIS". Mr Connell's first name is Carl and he LOVES music. Most especially all the old stuff nobody else does. But that's okay because Gabriel did and he loved to sing with him. I was thinking for a while that I would have to start listening to a bunch of music I didn't like but that was not the case. Gabriel loves music PERIOD. Anyway, Carl was a great teacher. He barked out orders to the kids JUST LIKE someone who used to be in the service ...UHMMM, oh yeah, Carl retired from the service! So now when Gabriel gets in trouble, I just pretend I'm Carl and yell, "PUT YOUR NOSE IN THAT CORNER RIGHT NOW! I WANT TO HEAR YOU CRY!" If this sounds harsh- trust me it isn't. A lot of autistic people act like their deaf and unless you REALLY let them know you mean business, they will totally ignore you. Gabriel was so well trained that he would FAKE CRY, and get a tissue to wipe his non-existence tears!
As many of you know we moved last March and since we were no longer in the district for Dale Mabry elementary, Gabriel could no longer attend that school. The school he was zoned for SUCKED so I kept him home this school year. This has caused me to consider committing myself to the crazy house. Please remember that Gabriel is not a normal child. If you think he seemed OKAY the last time you saw him, well, let us just say his medicine works really well when I need it to. He has to be watched at ALL TIMES, otherwise he will do things like, pour out whole bottles of shampoo, use permanent makers to draw on new comforters, pour 120 load bottles of Downey all over the floor, eat all the binders off the Kat & Matt's book collection, get the gallon of milk in the fridge and drink out of it and then spit half of it back in, walk out the front door...ect... He LOVES to watch movies, but not the normal way most people do. He is THE MASTER of the DVD remote, which he refers to as the "DD-MOTE". If he likes a scene in the movie he will rewind it to watch it again- LIKE 35 TIMES. The movie NEMO has been banned in our house. DO YOU KNOW how many times those fish slap each other in that movie??? You would if you watched it with Gabriel, who WILL slap you each and every time the fish do. He got so aggressive watching it once at my friend Robyn's house that he tried to knock down her HUGE big screen TV.
Gabriel NEEDS structure and strictness. I really like the school but I wonder about that part. It's just for kids with disabilities of all types ranging from ADHD and beyond. At first I felt bad about sending him there. I still didn't want to think he was "bad enough" to go to a special school. Before I had Gabriel, I felt really uncomfortable being around people with disabilities. Now I don't, and I look at their parents with kinship and sympathy. It's tough raising kids that are different. You get lots of looks for either the way they look or (in Gabriel's case) act. It's even worse with Gabriel because he "LOOKS" normal (whatever normal is) but acts like the BIGGEST SPOILED BRAT. When your waiting in line and you get smacked upside your head or screamed out, people look at you like you are nuts to put up with it, the whole place gets quiet ect... It helps me feel better to say, "He has autism-". Some people don't think I need to explain myself but I feel better if I do.
OKAY! OKAY! The school, I know! I like it A LOT and he starts in August. I don't think these people have been in the military though so we'll wait and see...