September Lag

September lag is almost exactly like jet lag, only the time zone that you've traveled from is your own comfortable biological rhythm — if you and yours have opted out of summer camps and been fortunate enough to avoid regularly-scheduled-show-up-somewhere-early work. And the time zone you've traveled to is that one dictated by the clock discipline of the institution.

But the good news is that after last year's close encounter with the possibility of a 6 a.m. bus pickup for Sweet M, we've gotten the doctor-ordered "limited time travel" on her IEP. That means that she can only be on the bus for an hour. Beyond that, it's a violation of her rights to reasonable accommodations needed for a free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive setting — you know the drill! The tangible effect of this is that instead of having to get up at 6, as I've been doing with her for 3 years, we can now get up at 7! Imagine the luxury of one more hour of sleep.

Even so, getting up early and getting her on the bus by 7:30 has been a shock to our systems. Last night she fell asleep at 7, I fell asleep at 8:30, and Fathersvox managed to hold out until 9:30. Now, of course, I'm yawning . . .

But even in her somewhat sleep-deprived, September-lagged state of mind, Sweet M has been loving school. I guess that's the advantage of organizing a vacation your child winds up loathing.

To loathed vacations and awesome academics!

Keywords: autism • Asperger's Syndrome • ADHD • learning disabilities • speech-language disorders • parenting • family life • special education• education