Thursday and Friday were our last two days on the trip and we went back to the high school both days and did some exploring of our own.
Thursday at the school we got to see the special simulation room in which they had bean bags and pillows and it was dark, just in case the kids needed somewhere to relax. There was also another side to this room that was filled with work out equipment bikes for the kids to use to burn off excess energy and to get a little exercise. Almost all of the kids were not in shape. In the room, we had a ten minute break with the kids where we got to ride the bikes and dance to the radio. This was a blast and the kids love to dance and get energy out.
Gage was one of the students who was turning 21 on Friday and he has autism. He is fun, but he is a big boy and was dancing all around like crazy. His part that he was having was a surprise party being put on by the high school for him, which is great! It was going to be a sushi-zombi party is what he told us. Although we didn’t get to stay for the party, it sounded like a lot of fun.
On Friday we went on a field trip with all the kids to different places. I went to the pet store with Sarah and Chris. These two were very difficult to work with and this was when I started getting uncomfortable and had some problems. It was hard to work with these kids because they already knew the teachers so well, that they would really only respond to them, and that was even only sometimes. Sarah’s most popular thing was to run off, and she ran off a few times in the store. And Chris loved the cats! It was so cute.
Some of the things at the school to keep in mind were that:
- There is 22 paras, about one for each student
- Most of the students are not in the school district, they just go there because it provides the right facility and equipment
After a long week, we had to say goodbye to the kids. This was sad for us and them and you could really tell that they made a connection with us and that just being there made a huge impact and difference on their lives. It definitely makes you feel good! J
We took some personal time to go watch the KU game, tour the Coors brewery and explore the stores around Boulder. We saw Mount Zion and went to the very top.
The Coors brewery was very interesting as well and afterwards we went for a nice home cooked meal at one of the girls in the trips Aunt’s house. She cooked us dinner and we got to see how she lived in the state of Colorado.
Overall the trip was a great experience and I learned so much about kids, not only with autism, but also kids with downs syndrome.
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