School- Why is it SO Hard?

We are in a messy middle trying to figure out how to make school work for my 12-year-old son with Autism, ADHD, Dyscalculia, a sleeping disorder, and a few other things.
The public school he attended last year is not going to take him back and really, the IEP (Individual Education Plan) team are all in agreement that he needs something that they can’t provide there. The question is-

What does he need to be successful?


The problem is that none of us have a crystal ball that will predict what will make him want to go to school and participate. And those are his biggest barriers right now.
His sleep disorder is a huge hurdle. He has tested negative for every sleep disorder that they have tested him for. It’s not a preteen, he needs more sleep thing. He has been dealing with this issue off and on since he was about 5 years old. This kid can fall asleep in the middle of class on a cold hard tile floor with kids erupting all around him and he is out cold. Once he’s asleep it’s nearly impossible to get him to wake up. Getting him up in the morning really takes two people and it’s usually just me in the morning. Some days I can’t get him out of bed until 3 or 4 in the afternoon.
When you add to that that he doesn’t want to go to school. . . He is figuring out how to use his sleeping disorder to avoid school. He’s 125 lbs and 5ft something. I can’t physically make him do anything anymore. We have been unable to find anything that entices him to go to school.
We’ve toured 5 different private schools and researched others in our journey to find the right fit for him. We settled on one called New Horizons that we are going to try. They have a lot of clubs and electives that are of huge interest to him. He’s even asked if he can go to bed early (he already goes to bed at 7 pm, this means we are looking at 6 pm) so he can make the bus in the mornings.
Will the clubs and electives be enough to entice him out of bed and into school every morning? Only time will tell. But in the meantime, we are praying it does because the next step will be a Therapeutic Boarding School.

2 thoughts on “School- Why is it SO Hard?

  1. It is a parent’s nightmare trying to find the best fit for their special child. My sister has done this since my nephew was just months old – he’s now 42. My thoughts and prayers are with your family and sending positive thoughts that this school works out.

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