Hello everyone!
It's been a while since my last post, but Michael has been doing amazing! I haven't seem him for the past couple weeks due to him/my mom being sick, but he's been doing really well for not seeing me for a long time. Even when I came home to visit a few days ago, he was never initially upset or jealous that I hadn't seem him for a while, and did not get upset when I left to go back home. This is a huge step for Michael, since typically he would be upset and pouty for the first 30 minutes of me seeing him, before he could show how happy he was.
For this week's post I wanted to get into some options that Michael has in life after high school. In a later post I mentioned how Michael currently attends a Transition program at a local high school. Michael technically didn't graduate with a Diploma during our time at West Hills-- instead he got a certificate, and completed units while attending the school. He has one more year in the transition program, where he's been transitioning into living in the real world-- exploring San Diego, vacuuming, and volunteering around town.
After this transition program, some of the students are able to work, and those who are in the severe spectrum can even work simple jobs (like packing cookies into bags, etc.). Due to Michael's communication skills, he most likely will not be working after finishing his transition program, but will hopefully attend a day program intended for adults with disabilities. These programs can even employ people like Michael, and provide them with resources to excel and overcome their own disabilities.
Thanks for reading! I'll be posting a new blog post sometime in the next upcoming week :)
It's been a while since my last post, but Michael has been doing amazing! I haven't seem him for the past couple weeks due to him/my mom being sick, but he's been doing really well for not seeing me for a long time. Even when I came home to visit a few days ago, he was never initially upset or jealous that I hadn't seem him for a while, and did not get upset when I left to go back home. This is a huge step for Michael, since typically he would be upset and pouty for the first 30 minutes of me seeing him, before he could show how happy he was.
For this week's post I wanted to get into some options that Michael has in life after high school. In a later post I mentioned how Michael currently attends a Transition program at a local high school. Michael technically didn't graduate with a Diploma during our time at West Hills-- instead he got a certificate, and completed units while attending the school. He has one more year in the transition program, where he's been transitioning into living in the real world-- exploring San Diego, vacuuming, and volunteering around town.
After this transition program, some of the students are able to work, and those who are in the severe spectrum can even work simple jobs (like packing cookies into bags, etc.). Due to Michael's communication skills, he most likely will not be working after finishing his transition program, but will hopefully attend a day program intended for adults with disabilities. These programs can even employ people like Michael, and provide them with resources to excel and overcome their own disabilities.
Thanks for reading! I'll be posting a new blog post sometime in the next upcoming week :)