The A-man really made me laugh tonight. He was telling me about this "Getting to know you" game they were playing in his Drama Class. The teacher had them write five things about themselves on a piece of paper - things like "My hero", "One thing I don't like about myself" and "What I'm good at" - that sort of thing. They then had to fold the sheet of paper up in to a paper airplane, and throw it across the room, and while the paper was in the air, they had to say as many of the things they wrote as they could before it touched the ground.

The A-man told me that most of the kids were able to say about three of the five things before their planes hit the floor. I asked him what things he said, and he said "That I don't like having Tourette Syndrome." Now, if you read like I do, you just read that sentence relatively quickly. But, if you were to hear it spoken by the A-man, it's more like, "Th-th-tha-that, that, that, I don't li-li-like ha-ha-having T-T-Tourette Syndrome." Not quite so fast that way, huh? So when he finished telling me he said that, I asked him what else he said, and he just looked at me and stated plain and simply, "That was all I had time to say - the plane hit the floor. What can I say? I suck at making paper airplanes!" I burst out laughing! He didn't blame it on his stutter, he blamed his skills (or lack there of) on making paper airplanes! There is hope...he is not going to let this define who he is - and I am SO proud of him!

Last year - Grade 8 - was terrible for him and the stutter. He even had to do tongue exercises, but nothing really helped. The only time he didn't stutter was when he was singing (badly) or if he was yelling at his brother. Sometimes when he was doing a practised reading, it was fine, too. He pretty much lost the stutter over the summer, but he still has some trouble from it now and then. Waxing and waning of tics. What a strange disorder this thing it.

I think there were only a few kids that tried to bug him about it last year, but his teacher quickly dealt with it. The kids he went to school with last year have known him since he was 7 - and since he didn't start to stutter until he was 13, I guess they all just got used to it when it began to develop. So, now that he is starting with a new group, I guess he's decided that he simply won't let it be an issue for him. Self-advocacy. What a great kid I have there!

I had to spend some time helping S with his math homework tonight. He knew the work, but he just got himself in to such a state when faced with the written aspect of it. Once he realized that I was not going to let him just leave it, he somewhat resigned himself to it, but he would try the old "cry and get all upset" routine. Yeah, that didn't work. He was able to complete both sides of the math sheet in about 45 minutes or so - maybe 10 of it was spent in avoidance tactics. He just gets himself all worked up, and gives up because he is afraid to try. The thing I found funny - when looking at fractions, he knew the answer, but he couldn't tell me how he knew. He was correct every single time, but when I would say, "How'd you know that?" He would say, "Uh...well...I just guessed, okay?" He is able to see the answer in his head, but doesn't know how or why he 'sees' it. How do you get a teacher to realize that he does know the answer without being able to explain how he knows it? At first I thought he was guessing, but after about the 6th correct one, I knew he wasn't that good at guessing. Visual and verbal - those are his strengths. Don't ask him to read something though - that is just all bad. (Unless it's his Nintendo Power magazine - he loves to read that... )

I'm also working on getting him a bit more organized. He never remembers things - so tonight, when he said that he would ask his teacher for something the next day, I had him write it in his agenda - RIGHT THEN. Of course, he would roll his eyes and tell me that he'd write it later, but I kept telling him that if he wrote it down as soon as he thought it, he wouldn't have to try and remember everything the next day. He now has three circled notes that the teacher will see tomorrow, and my bet is that he will have forgotten all about writing the notes! I'm a note writer - I take notes on everything. And I love to make lists - for everything. I guess that is why I do what I do - nothing like getting paid to keep everyone else on task.

A project has come home with S tonight. Not sure when it will be due, but I am pretty sure we are going to have to establish a game plan for that one on Saturday. Time to get out the old graphic organizer book, I guess. I'm so glad I have the Internet - you can download so many things!

Only 201 more days till summer holidays. The first few days have gone well...here's hoping!