Good news.

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A few weeks ago, I wrote about my son and how lost he was in the world. Thanks to a brilliant individual from a supported employment agency, my son is starting back at school next week, doing certificate 3 in IT! This guy has taken a real interest in my son, and developed a great rapport. The agency has put in place loads of supports for John, including a mobility allowance which means he doesn't have to catch the bus to get to college. The bus trip to school was one of the reasons he dropped out of school only a few weeks before year 12 exams. He developed such high social anxiety around that bus trip and nothing we could do or say actually helped at all. I can't tell you how proud I feel today. I think this will have a huge impact on his life, his level of self care and especially his self esteem. I don't know what magic the staff member from the agency has, but I've stayed very clear of this relationship, as part of a larger plan to get John doing stuff independently.

It's really hard to be tough on our young adult children. There's a lot at stake. I'm keeping very quiet about this whole thing, trying to just be normal, when all I want to do is jump for joy! This is the first glimpse of the light at the end of a very long tunnel for a very long time. Fingers and toes crossed that this is just the beginning of a new journey for him.

While you stay nice and composed anni, will you allow us here at wrongplanet to jump for joy for you? Sounds like this will be a great opportunity for your son



cutiecrystalmom

Congrats to you both ! I am glad WP can be here to to hep you celebrate.

Thanks to both of you.. my son has been in a truly awful place for the last 18 months or so. I can't tell you how incredible to see even a smidge of enthusiasm in him. I really want to make contact with the employment agency, but I also want to respect my son as an adult. I'm just itching to know how he convinced John to go back to school. He was so emphatic that he didn't need to go to school and had no interest in school at all.

Perhaps he just needed to hear it from someone who is an objective 3rd party. After some time has passed maybe it would be OK for you to make contact with the employment agency jsut to satisfy your curiosity but maybe it also could be some good insight into how you might help him if he encounters other obstacles down the road. I think I would feel the same as you have described!

Well done Anni and John.

I do know how you feel, I have a 21 year old recently diagnosed. Unfortunately he wont attend his DES appointments or any appointment for that matter without me. He'd just started to go by himself with his last worker (took along time for C to build up a rapport with this fantastic very empathetic guy) but then this worker left and he now has a new one. We are now back to square 1.

Can I ask where in oz are you?