HOW do you explain to the high school what the grieving process and accompanying depression is like (on top of all that Aspie stuff) for our Junior in HS who is dealing with the death of his emotional support animal?
“***” was not just a pet but a true family member and only friend our son had, as he doesn’t interact with other teens outside of the HS classroom setting. His cat-best-friend was so loved and confided in for the last 7 years (he got her when he was 10). She was such a gift to have in his life during critical developmental years!
Sometimes he doesn’t go to school b/c he’s depressed, angry, etc. His psyc said this grieving may be similar to grieving for a sibling.
Well, you know people on the spectrum can have attendance issues. And schools follow state laws about the % of days/time students are in classes. We were barely in compliance until this very difficult development.
HOW do we work out the seemingly impossible task of... not penalizing the student for situations not intentionally created by him and that he continues to have very little control over... and helping the school address the now complicated requirement of having him in class when he wont go b/c he's struggling to work on schoolwork while working through the ebb and flow of his grief?
HOW can we keep moving forward and stop our exhausting work to convince him to go to school on a particular day?
HOW, help, thoughts?
“***” was not just a pet but a true family member and only friend our son had, as he doesn’t interact with other teens outside of the HS classroom setting. His cat-best-friend was so loved and confided in for the last 7 years (he got her when he was 10). She was such a gift to have in his life during critical developmental years!
Sometimes he doesn’t go to school b/c he’s depressed, angry, etc. His psyc said this grieving may be similar to grieving for a sibling.
Well, you know people on the spectrum can have attendance issues. And schools follow state laws about the % of days/time students are in classes. We were barely in compliance until this very difficult development.
HOW do we work out the seemingly impossible task of... not penalizing the student for situations not intentionally created by him and that he continues to have very little control over... and helping the school address the now complicated requirement of having him in class when he wont go b/c he's struggling to work on schoolwork while working through the ebb and flow of his grief?
HOW can we keep moving forward and stop our exhausting work to convince him to go to school on a particular day?
HOW, help, thoughts?
