Lunchtime for a 12 year old (7th grade),pros & cons of parental support at middle school
Hello. I am the parent of a fantastic son who has been diagnosed 2 years ago with Asperger's Syndrome. He is somewhat shy,likes to play alone,and is somewhat disturbed by crowds & loud noises. He has 2 or 3 friends,but is genuinely friendly to others if prompted. Last year, at the end of 6th grade,his Vice Principal called to say that he had been in a fight at lunchtime.My son told us that 4-5 boys have been picking on him for weeks. They pushed & poked at him subtly in the slow crowded lunch lines. They frequently called him delusional over&over. One of the boys that day pinched him hard,and my son pushed back,hard,not controlling his strength. All involved served a detention.For the rest of the school year,I came to visit at lunchtime,standing in line with him,eating lunch with him,going outside playing catch or walking with him. The new year has started this week,and he has asked me to have lunch with him again. This is the third day,and the Autism specialist at school today asked me to reconsider coming to school at lunch time. She reminded me that this is social time,a crucial period in which bonds are made. My son says that he wants me to eat lunch with him.What are the pros & cons,beside the obvious. I don't want to hold him back,but I don't want him scarred either. Help! Sincerely,B.Norment-Anderson.
Posted by:
bsna
Reply from:
Rose Garrett
Date: Sep 5, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Reply from:
dkzody Date: Sep 6, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Does your school have a group of special needs children? Or, is your son the only one in the school? If there is a group, perhaps they can eat together and other students from Leadership or clubs could join the lunch bunch each day. We have something similar at our school as we have a large group of special needs students. They love to interact with kids yet they need some protection, and they need to feel safe. The Leadership kids and other club members help them get lunch, sit with them, talk with them, and then help clean up. Because these kids are some of the more popular kids on campus, others who might bully the special needs kids know better. As the year wears on, the special needs kids become part of the campus culture and more and more kids look out for them.
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