What Happens After High School?

[Guest guest]

I have never posted anything before but want to share information with parents

who have children graduating high school soon. Our son Nick has Aspergers; a

learning disability in math and a low IQ along with symptoms of OCD. He went

through our public school system as a regular student with remedial help. When

Nick began his senior year we started worrying about what he would do after

school. My husband started researching universities that have " special

programs " . Let me tell you there aren't many. He visited one in Illinois and

was very impressed, so he kept looking. In February of his senior year he & Nick

visited Eastern New Mexico University at Roswell. My husband was impressed with

the director's compassion and her assurance that their program would help him

two ways: 1. He would leave with a job skill and 2. He would learn to live on

his own. At that point Nick had never spent more than a week away from us and

to decide to send him over 1,400 miles away to school was a little unnerving to

say the least. But we applied and in August of 2007 we put him on a plane

(something else he had never done on his own) that would land in Dallas. He

would then have to transfer to the plane that would take him to Roswell. I

would be kidding if I said he made it entirely on his own, or that he wasn't

neurotic about doing that, but he called his dad and my husband who flies a lot

walked him through every step of the way. The first year he lived in a

dorm-like setting and took the stock & inventory program. Our hope was when he

finished he would be able to find employment at someplace like Wal-Mart or Sam's

in our home town. Fast forward to today. He asked to do a third year and the

Ace Hardware he did a practicum at has hired him, and he and his first year

roommate now live in an apartment on campus. They are responsible for buying

groceries and keeping their apartment clean. They must pass weekly checks in

order to keep their privileges. He has made the Dean's list every semester

which has helped him to have faith in himself. When he returns home next year

my husband & I are certain he will find a suitable job and eventually be able to

live on his own. My point in sharing this information is to say, there is life

after high school! If anyone would like the list of the three schools we found

please let me know.