So high school graduation happened in June 2012. We had the intensive in home support through the summer (remember they came in after Jess was hospitalized back in September). One of the best things they did with Jessica was to help her learn the city bus system. We live in a small college town so it was not like getting on the bus in Los Angeles where there is standing room only with all sorts of characters. Most of the time it is college students writing at the bus stops. Her support person rode on the bus every week with her and Jessica learned most of the routes and knew where every bus stop was on each one. Another of Jessy’s strengths is she has a good memory and a good sense of direction. She always catches me when I am about to go the wrong way or miss a turn somewhere!
Learning the bus was a huge accomplishment because it meant Jessica was going to be able to independently get herself places and one of the places she planned on going was to college. She applied to the local Community College and we got her all set up with the DSPS (Disabled Student Programs and Services). This is a must for anyone who has an active IEP at the end of high school. There is so much help and support in this program. They don’t have IEPs in college but they do honor the accommodations needed through this program. She was enrolled in three classes. I encouraged her to stick with two main classes and a fun class. Her advisor agreed and helped set Jess up with classes that were a good starting place for her as a college Freshman. Ready, set, go!
Her first year went without a hitch! She got herself up, got to the bus stop and took the two buses she needed to get to school everyday. One day I got a call from her saying she was going to be late because she got on the wrong bus. My heart stopped for a second. Then she calmly let me know that it was ok because the bus she got on just went to the next town and then came back, so she was just going for a ride. My next reaction was “Hooray! You got on the wrong bus AND you problem solved!”
Have you noticed that our kids these days don’t get lost or get off at the wrong exit, etc. They always have directions at their fingertips (thank you Google Maps), so they never have the opportunity to problem solve how they will get home. I remember being in high school and driving my co cheerleaders to cheerleading camp. None of us actually had directions, we just started driving in the direction we thought we needed to….it was the wrong direction. We had to ask directions in a really creepy gas station and we were 4 hours late to camp…but boy did we learn where not to go and to never leave somewhere without appropriate direction! That was back in the day before cell phones.
Being Jessica's Mom: Growing up on the Autistic Spectrum 