Back to School 2011

Last week was Puppy’s first three days back to classes after the long holiday break.  Each day was a bit of a struggle for him to get back to his routine and classmates.  Well as it appears Puppy had too much time away from school and classroom rules that he wasn’t able to keep his focus on the instructions during class.  His focus was on his obsession with his wallet.  The wallet is on his mind 24/7.  He will touch his pocket to reassure himself the wallet is there; he will take it out and look at the outside cover; he will pull out all the cards and place them in order over and over; and he will open and shut it over and over to hear the slap of the tri-fold sides close to prove to himself the wallet is not over stuffed with cards, pictures or receipts.

Last Friday he was at P.E. class and playing with his wallet.  When the coach tried to get his attention, Puppy got upset and flipped him the bird.  He picked this gesture up last year and has been pretty comfortable using it anytime he is bothered.  Well, his homeroom teacher felt that the disrespect to his coach was reason enough to take the wallet away from him.  I would agree with her as I have many times before when using this tactic to follow through with ABA therapy.  But what I didn’t agree with was that she decided to keep his wallet over the weekend. 

Friday evening Puppy had a slight meltdown on the way home after I picked him up from daycare.  I usually ask him about his day and he began telling me that he didn’t have his wallet and continued asking me why the teacher kept it.  It was too many days for him to accept and manage without the wallet in his possession.   Even though Puppy was able to tell me step by step the reasons he didn’t have his wallet, he still did not accept it and was again filled with anger at the teacher instead of trying to understand that he had done something disrespectful and improper.  Puppy is observant of others and flipping the bird is an action he’s seen way too many times from other students.  He also sees that these other students are not reprimanded for their actions.  It’s difficult to explain some things to him and some more than others.

We are in for a rough weekend.

Claire