My DD has an autistic almost 10 yr old. Zach has seen an episode of Blue's Clues where Steve explains his absence from the show as he is going to go back to college(which he did in real life) So Zach has been going around talking about sending his mom to College! LOL But he has also said he wants to go to college but Mom has to go with him! He thinks right now that College is a city. We have been explaining it is more school. He pretty much understands it now somewhat.

My DD discovered this morning that Iowa University in Iowa City Iowa ( 60 miles from us) has started a program for autistic students to stay in a group home (on campus)situation with mentors who will help them stay on task and help them through their college life experience. It is an opportunity for high functioning autistics to get more out of life!! My DD is quite excited thinking Zach might benefit from this when he turns 18. He is a high functioning autistic and is always reaching to learn new things. He may now have an opportunity she thought was beyond his reach. That is if the program succeeds and is still available when Zach is 18.

We can only hope!! It is so inspiring to see that people are working to provide opportunities for autistic people.

She has been considering taking him to the local junior college (When he is old enough) and sitting in on some classes with him to give him the chance to experience some college courses. Of course online classes are an alternative also but she is wanting him to expand his social abilities also. Zach is in the happy position he is now as far as learning and being a happy child because she is a vigilant mother who researches opportunities for him all the time. They love to take the kids on trips and have taken them to a Buffalo ranch and in Louisiana they go to the alligator farms and other such learning experiences. He loves to go camping and loves loves to fish. He was fishing when he still had to be confined to a stroller(he would run and run if not contained)
She would put him in the stroller when he was 3 and 4( he didn't talk at that age yet but talks nonstop now!) and they would give him a child's pole and help him fish.

I am very proud of my daughter and her husband for the way they are raising Zach and the other two kids Joey 11 and Rachel 8.

Thank you for this post. I have a DGS that is Autistic. I sent this post to my DD. :-D

This is wonderful. I have studied much about Autisim and will definitly pass this along!

I also hope that this pilot program is successful!! And that it spreads out to more colleges too :D:D:D

It sounds like a wonderful program!

I LOVE to hear stories like this. Your family has done a great job in supporting him and helping him be all that he can be. If we aren't advocates for our special kids, who will be?

mmmm how far is Iowa from Toronto????

This sounds like a wonderful program.

Kyle is planning to go to the Canadian Military... let's see what the story is in 4 years when he finished high school.

Stephen has no idea what he wants to do, but I am going to look into this program more and see if there are any universities up here that are doing anything similar.

It's called The Reach program at University of Iowa in Iowa City Iowa

Hope can overcome many things. Zach is blessed to have a supporting famiy.

This is an interesting article on autistic kids and college.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/educati...-college_N.htm

http://www.momlogic.com/2009/05/aust...to_college.php

I worked with special children when I was much younger. I worked at a school, and also for Easter Seals. The one thing that I learned from these kids, is that they have more love for everyone than the rest of us could give. It is wonderful your daughter works so much with him. Some children are forgotten and don't get the opportunity to learn. This would be wonderful if the college is still available to him when he's 18. Will keep you all in my prayers. Tell your daughter she is doing a wonderful job.

Here is the link for the site for The Reach program in Iowa City.
http://www.education.uiowa.edu/reach/

More info
http://www.globegazette.com/news/loc...b5ed953f7.html

Thanks Katie I think she does a wonderful job. She uses laughter and silliness to distract him when he gets too stressed out or can't stop obsessing over something. She tries to keep it light and happy not yelling and screaming.

That sounds like a wonderful program.

So cool! I have taught many Autistic students. I also had an foster son for three years that had aspburgers(high functioning Autism.)
Sometimes his reasoning skills were unique. One rainy day he got wet on the way to school. At recess the teachers kept telling him to stay out of the water, later I got a phone call and he had to stay in for some recesses. When he got home I asked him what was up with that. He said he was already wet so he didn't need to stay out of the water.

He was totally serious, that is what he really thought. He was sooo mad at the teacher that made him stay in.

Have you heard of Temple Grandin? She has a great book; Emergence: Labelled Autistic. Her mother also wrote a book; A Thorn in My Pocket.

Temple is an interesting person and speaker. She's a professor at the Univeristy of Colorado.

Patricia

A movie was made about her did you see it? It ws good.

What a wonderful family. I hope all the best for you all!

My DD Sara has told me alot about her. Sara keeps me up on all the things she learns.

This is my son Stephen to a T...

We had a huge meeting at school today and several times someone had to point out to the teacher, does she think Stephen realizes that you can't make comments about people, do you think Stephen KNOWS what to do in social situations? The answer was no, I'm hoping by the end of it she's caught on!

Sara has had this same problem and continues to have it at times. Zach hit his aide when she made him do what he didn't want to do. So they took him to sit in the principals office. He didn't really think I'm not supposed to hit. I am in trouble. All he knew was that he got out of doing what he didn't want to do. There was no benefit or any teaching him in sitting him down in the office. It is hard for people to understand what their thought processes are. They don't see the world the way we do. Learning to fit in is so hard for them when they don't see things the same way we do.
Sara or I would have put him in a short timeout maybe 3 mins for hitting and then made him go to music class which is what he didn't want to do. Making him follow through is what teaches him to do what he has to do not putting him in disgrace because he doesn't understand disgrace. It is meaningless to him.