[Borderline Intelligence] At that time, it wasn't just my son and me who were crying...
My son suddenly stopped being able to go to school after the Golden Week holidays in the fourth grade.
At the time, I was so desperate dealing with myself and my son that there was something I didn't know.
Actually, there was another boy in the same class who had also stopped attending school.
I learned that fact for the first time yesterday.
Now, my son goes to a support room three times a week, which is a classroom for children who don't attend school.
There, there is O-kun, a classmate of my son.
I remember clearly the first time O-kun came to the support room.
That's because as soon as my son saw O-kun, he overreacted and suddenly bolted out of the classroom.
Perhaps my son remembered that they were in the same class in the fourth grade.
He might have felt terrified, thinking, A kid from my class came in!.
For my son, interacting with children from regular classes seems to be nothing but terrifying.
But once he realized that O-kun was a fellow non-attender just like him, my son felt at ease and started playing.
Recently, they have become friends who enjoy playing games like The Game of Life and cards together.
O-kun often talks to me.
I thought talking about future paths was taboo, but O-kun brought up the topic of junior high school himself.
I don't think I'll go to the local junior high school. I'm thinking of going to a school with diverse learning options.
he told me.
Oh, right! There are schools with diverse learning options.
As someone looking for a place for my son in junior high, I knew about them, of course.
It's just that they are far away.
Even now, I drive him to an elementary school that is so close by. (Partly because I find walking a hassle.)
So, I had completely ruled them out, thinking there's no way he could commute by train.
But if O-kun is going, maybe my son will say he wants to go too... A ray of hope has appeared.
O-kun and I have become even closer since we played Old Maid together yesterday.
He shared a lot of personal information, saying things like, "I live here," and "My mom is on Instagram, so please follow her."
And when I got home and followed O-kun's mom on Instagram,
Ever since he started elementary school, he had trouble going to school, and after that, we had developmental testing and found out he has uneven development. Then, in the fourth grade, he stopped attending school.
was written there.
I was so desperate with my son, but
at that time, there was a mother crying just like me, so close by!
We were in the same class and stopped attending school at the same time, and my son, O-kun, me, and O-kun's mom—we were all crying.
Writing about these days of non-attendance on Note and receiving empathy and comments has become my encouragement.
Because, honestly, it's hard to find people in real life who truly understand.
But perhaps...
The day might come soon when I can share this with a mother from the same elementary school in real life.
I'm feeling a little excited now, and I'm also preparing to cry by bringing a large bath towel.
In fact, O-kun's mother and I met in person afterward and talked about many things.
During our conversation, she told me that O-kun also has borderline intelligence just like my son, and that after he started refusing to go to elementary school, he took a developmental test and they discovered he also has ASD traits.
Hearing her story, I feel that it is not uncommon for families to become aware of their child's developmental traits triggered by school refusal or reluctance to attend.