Autism & Assessments

Now that Finian is in his final year at school, we're going through the process of figuring out adult services for him.

Progress is slow.

The lack of certainty is anxiety-inducing for him.  We can't tell him where he's going or what his day will look like.  We can't tell him how he'll get there.  We can't tell him who he'll be spending his time with.

His need for reassurances that we can't give him is exhausting for us.  I can only imagine what it's like for him.

The wheels are in motion.  Emails have been sent to faceless people with officious job titles.  We've already had meetings with psychiatric services and occupational guidance services.  We're awaiting a cognitive assessment.  We keep hearing "it takes time".  They're not wrong.

His assessment of needs was tough.  The man who carried it out was kind and sensitive, but it was impossible to sugar coat his level of dependence.  To us, Finian is our funny, sweet, infuriating dynamo.  To disability services he's a set of deficits.  

I understand it's nothing personal.  They need to score him to match him with services.  I guess that's the hurtful part of it...... it's nothing personal.  Charts and checklists miss the beautiful, surprising soul who makes me my Best Self.

It's intriguing that difficult, sometimes painful, processes can help us to grow and see life through a clear lens.  His simplicity and lack of falseness are traits to aspire to.

It's a strange system where humans, especially vulnerable kids, can be reduced to a number on a score sheet.