As stated many times throughout my past posts, my brother thrives on routine. Now, you can only imagine the worry my family and I had when we made the decision to move to Virginia.
In Florida, Callan had adjusted to his typical daily routine. It goes as follows:
Monday-Friday
5:45 AM- Wake up, go to the bathroom, get ready for school. Lunch is already packed and the outfit for the day is already picked out.
6:00 AM- Aunt Ash takes him to school.
6:30 AM- Arrive at school. Visit all the teachers and talk to them about the different things they have in their rooms, such as movie DVDs and different colored paper.
7:00 AM-3:00 PM- Attend school. At the same time every day, go to speech therapy, recess, and lunch.
3:00 PM- Go home with Ash.
3:45 PM- Arrive at home. Eat a snack, then take a nap.
5:30 PM- Dad comes home. Wake up and ask him what’s for dinner.
6:00 PM-8:30 PM- Eat dinner and take a bath.
8:30 PM- Wish everyone a good night and go to bed.
Saturday and Sunday
6:00 AM- Wake up, go to the bathroom, and ask dad to go and get coffee.
6:15 AM- Drive with dad to Dunkin Donuts to get everyone in the house their morning coffee.
6:30 AM-12:00 PM- Return home and give everyone their coffee, then get back in the car and drive with dad to run errands, drive by the beach, and see animals in the woods.
12:00 PM-5:00 PM- Eat lunch while watching the iPad, then take a nap.
5:00 PM-8:30 PM- Eat dinner, then hang out with everyone.
8:30 PM- 9:30 PM- Take a bath, wish everyone a good night, and go to bed.
As you can see, there are specific times in which he would do things, such as wake up, eat, and nap. He thrives on this repetition. If this routine is compromised, it can really upset him and cause him to act out. I’m sure you can now understand the worry we had when it was time to move.
Thankfully, Callan seemed to adjust just fine. Dad made sure to continue to take him on drives and implement the same order of his day. There are, of course, small changes, such as who takes him to school in the morning, who he sees at school, and what he does at school. Callan was slightly alarmed with this at first, but he has seemed to embrace this new journey of his.
I’m sure the question you currently have is “Okay… If he adjusted well to this big change, then what’s the big deal?”
I’m glad you asked.
Ultimately, what people fail to understand is that moving is a big change for anyone…adding the stress of taking care of your special needs child’s emotions, mental state, and overall education and wellbeing is an even larger challenge. This is, often, the struggle my family faced while talking about moving.
We decided to take the chance after a lot of research regarding the school districts and special needs education and resources in Virginia. Through this research, we found that Roanoke County had the best options for Callan and my little sister Quinn.
After living in Virginia for two months, my family is over the moon with how wonderful the school system is for both of my siblings. Callan has been able to participate in activities outside of his school, such as volunteering with Meals on Wheels and Goodwill. Additionally, he was able to participate in Special Olympics for the first time.
I can truly say that there are only good things to come from this move and new journey for my family. Callan, along with everyone else, is happy, healthy, and thriving.
The process of doing a puzzle can take a lot of time, be confusing, and even be frustrating at times. Maybe you’ll have to find a new strategy than you’re used to in order to get it done. However, in the end, you will have a completed puzzle with a beautiful journey you made along the way.