The Highs and lows this week...

I'll start with the lows.  Things kicked off the usual  busy Monday afternoon after school with a household of three children but all seemed relatively stable.  Until 4pm when Holly's piano teacher knocked at the door.  I opened it to the nice calm lady who was looked straight past me to something else to which she jumped appearing slightly alarmed with a 'hello' over to Joel standing by the bathroom totally naked apart from his school top on with what only can be described as a beacon appearing below which also alarmed me!  She ushered herself into the piano room and I ran over to Joel and asked him to put on his trousers and pants.  I reminded myself to put it in the communication book to his school for Joel to learn about putting his trousers on after going to the lavatory.  Phew!  He also does not know how to use the lavatory paper yet which will be another task to master with the help of his school.  I am explaining this because I know it's taken for granted with a child of this age but with Joel everything has to be taught and broken down into steps so that he can learn this task.

He's not getting any smaller and he has no awareness like a typical nine year old boy about being naked.  So after swimming on Tuesday he took off his trunks and showered in the lady's shower and I somehow thought this was not appropriate any more but inside I'm thinking he thinks it's totally normal and I left it .   I will have to think about him showering in the mens from now on but then he'd be alone and I would be waiting for him wondering what he was doing.  See this is just one thought of a parent with a child with autism.  It's just an additional worry which I will have to cross when I get to it and in the mean time not get too alarmed about Joel growing up.

The highs are that he saw his Granny Maggie this week and gave her an almightly welcome and we went to his wonderful school to see the opening of a bike area and senior school play ground.  It's amazing and all funded through a charity called the Wooden Spoon Society.  Please look at the website about the new senior section at Joel's school which currently goes up to age 16 :- http://www.stepbystepschool.org.uk/news.html
I was at the AGM yesterday for Joel's school and they can only cover the running costs and the staff costs.  There are 37 staff to 22 children. The staff are not paid a fortune and so the school relies heavily on charitable trusts therefore things like the school bus and the playground are all from grants and charities.  There is a new bus which cost £17,000 which was through a parent who managed to get a grant through a client - how amazing is that!

Step by Step are currently looking for funds for two interactive whiteboards totalling £3000 so if you're thinking of raising money or doing a marathon please think of this little school stuck on the East Sussex borders in a converted dairy farm and think of these amazing tutors working so hard to help these autistic children. 

There are amazing people out there who want to help. 
A plaque was put up and commemorated yesterday for Steve Cairns who sadly passed away in April 2012. He was one of Step by Step's original heroes, raising money over the years through the East Grinstead Rugby Football Club Sunshine Sevens to help the school. The staff will be forever in debt to his commitment and generosity towards the school. An amazing man who is sorely missed.  He basically was driving past the school one day in it's early days (it's now 10 years old) and saw the sign and went in and asked what was needed.  He raised thousands for the school and raised the money for the first school bus. 

I had an idea at the AGM to set up a parent fundraising party called Friends of Step by Step so we can raise money for the school and have just spoken to a parent friend who loved the idea and is calling round to see if we can meet to discuss how we can raise money for two interactive whiteboards.  I'm thinking of asking a curry house in Lingfield who have supported the local Young Epilepsy school and hoping they may support Step by Step.  When I last went it was only £10 for a delicious curry and this went to the school and now I have something to focus on am going to try to organise this!  It's people like Steve Cairns who inspire me and there are more on the website too but thank you Steve for thinking of these children like my boy Joel and I know your legacy will last for years to come.