I wish I could say that things for my Joshua Blake have gotten better, but they haven't.  If anything, things have only gotten worse.

The kids continued to bully him when he was in school, and the teachers, sad to say, didn't do anything to put a stop to it.  My husband and I, as a result, were forced to pull him out of public school, and now I am teaching him here at home.

Joshua has autism.  He doesn't relate to people all that well.  I guess it's because he's been teased all of his life, and it's damaged his emotional state.  It doesn't help that he has a known disability that is beyond his control.  When calm, he is a very sweet, loving little boy; however, when he is stressed out in any way, upset, or angry, he will throw violent temper tantrums that can last for hours.  It's really horrible when he loses control!

I wish something could be done to help him, but not much has been done except the fact that he was in a class for students with special needs, and even then, he had serious problems.  The teachers embarrassed him more than once by making him sit in front of the classroom and have the other kids point or laugh at him whenever he made a mistake.  That really angered me; this was another reason why we pulled him out of public school.

Joshua seems to be a little happier since I started teaching him here at home.  He completes his work, and he enjoys getting to spend time with his four rabbits, who are his world.  He adores his rabbits, and he takes excellent care of them.  His rabbits are named Brownie (the teddybear-brown one), Blackie (the solid black rabbit), and Patches and Peanut (the two black-and-white ones; they're brothers).  He talks to his rabbits all the time.

When Joshua grows up, he says he would like to be an animal doctor.  I wouldn't put it past him.  He is very smart, even with having autism; he is a quick learner.

If only his social skills matched his academic talents: he'd probably be in the Gifted/Talented class at his school!

I am enjoying having Joshua home.  That way, I don't have to keep worrying about how the other children are treating him, and I know where he is at all times.  I know he enjoys not having to put up with the teasing at school.  It works out well for the both of us; this was a wise decision my husband and I made.

He will also make new friends with the homeschooling group that we recently joined; our first get together is this Saturday, at the park, where we will have a small picnic while the kids run around and let off some steam/energy.  We are really looking forward to it!

Well, Joshua is signalling that he wants to eat, so I'd best feed him (mac and cheese, his favorite) before he tries to take the table apart.  I will write in here again soon; until later, take care and God bless!

to be continued.