Why Me?

With two boys that have Autisim, I am often faced with challenges not only daily but long term. One such challenge is reading. It comes up at every parent teacher conference and it is going to be something both Garrison and Mason will struggle with long term. Garrison has issues with problem solving. If he reads a story about a day in a dogs life and is then asked "if you were a dog, how would you do...ect" Garrison could not answer the question. The reason, he's not a dog. He can't think in an imaginitive way like that. He see's life in black and white. In one way this is very good for me because he is a rule follower and doesn't like to get in trouble at all. The negitive is that he thinks everyone else should be on the black and white path. He gets very upset when others break rules, especially when they get away with it. But reading comprehension is a skill that he doen't have and will have to continually work on. His fifth grade teacher found an amazing way around this by simply asking him if he was a tiny person on that dog shoulder, what would he see or tell the dog to do. Garrison can figure that easier than putting himself in someone elses shoes.
 Mason has reading comprehension problems too but in different and more extreme way. Mason's teacher told me that Mason can read 78 words a minute. That's fast for an 8 year old. But when asked to go back and remember the words he just read, he could get 17 of them. 17! I have to say I was floored. Basically Mason is an in one ear out the other reader. After discussing this little hiccup, his teacher and I came up with a plan that we hope will work. But it is hard and alittle frustrating for both of us. Instead of Mason going and reading by himself, I now have to sit with him and quiz him after just two pages of the book. The first book we tried this new process on was "The Story of Ferdinand the Bull." The first two pages said where the story took place and what the name of the bull is. I asked Mason the same two questions. He looked at me and said he didn't know. I wanted to hit my forehead on the table... repeatedly! Now we barely finish a shorter book because we have to stop so often and sometimes go back so he can re-read and answer the question I asked him. He gets very frustrated with me because I have to push him so hard. The harder I push the louder his humming gets and the harder he hits his head. It hurts me that I'm putting him through this every day but I know it's helping a little. But after everyday helping him read and listening and helping Garrison with his emotional ups and downs, I feel exausted. Then Garrison will come through the dining room with Bree on his back, making her scream with laughter and Mason reminds me that his name today is Pizza Server and I'm invited to his beauty parlor. I know I was ment to have these two wonderful boys in my life and I'm learning from them everyday. And I smile.