Snow Days Throw Routines Way Off

Snow days---my school district is closing in on ten. We have not had a full week of school since Dec. 13. All three of my children are not exactly in a school groove at the moment as I work a bit harder to get homework and waking up to happen. For Peter, the challenges are even greater.

With PDD-NOS (pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified), Peter has a habit of worrying when he does not know what is coming next. These snow days have him feeling very unsure about what is coming next. He constantly wants to monitor the Weather Channel on my computer’s dashboard or the television.

He asks if we are having a snow day or a delay. Some days I just do not know. On those days, Peter suggests I call the weatherman. He is not happy when I explain the weatherman really wouldn't know either. That is when we check the computer again.

Years ago, we would have been stuck in that loop for hours. Now, I can move Peter out of the loop for quite awhile, even though he still comes to check on the weather several times before bed.

Peter goes to school through much of the summer to keep his routine. Some children with spectrum disorders “regress” if they are away from school too long. For Peter, the regression is more in terms of routine than academics. If he took the whole summer off, the next teacher would have to spend most of the first quarter getting him back on track in terms of concentration level and school routines.

When June comes, Peter starts the countdown like any other kid to summer. He knows his summer comes in two parts—the one before “summer camp” and the part after.

School in the summer is a bit more relaxed. His class gets to swim regularly. They play academic-oriented games on Friday afternoons. Other parts of camp keep the academic and therapy routines. It also gives teachers another few weeks to meet his goals for the year—often those days are needed.

The trouble with snow days is they are not scheduled. When snow comes it does not always mean a snow day. All these undefined things stress Peter out. He wants to know-- school or no school!

He really worries on a day when there is a delay. He is not sure what is coming at school. His teachers have solved that problem by providing him with a revised schedule when he gets to school so he does not have to worry about the unknown. At times when Peter can make more sense of his feelings he has expressed his concern. If he starts school late, will he come home that night? Will the bus remember to pick him up for a delay?

So now that snow days are practically becoming the routine my biggest challenge is getting Peter back into a school routine.

The other day he said he wished every day was a snow day. After two snow days in a row, he asked me whether he really had to go back to school. When I checked on him (via e-mail) his teacher told me Peter had a great day.

I guess now that he can verbalize his little worries he deals with them and then sets to the task at hand. But the first thing he did when he got home was check the weather—he was starting to worry about a storm that might mess with his friend’s birthday party over the weekend.