May 2008
Javier is wrapping up his freshman year of high
school. He says he is ready for summer. This summer
Javier applied for a counselor-in-training position
with Camp James and was accepted! Javier will be
working all summer long with Camp James. We are
excited for Javier as this is his first vocational
experience. He is very motivated to do a good job
and to possibly get a paid position in the future.
Even though it is hard to believe that Javier will
be 16 years old this year, he is really showing
maturity and motivation to become as independent as
he can and to have a life not unlike his typical
peers!
Update: February 2008
Javier continues to enjoy high school although he often laments that he wishes he could have gone to the same high school as his friends from Sowers Middle School. Javier is making new friends and is a regular at the school dances!
This month Javier will be starting rehearsals for the MYART production of Annie. The actual show will be performed in June of this year. Javier enjoys musical theater and also taking a theater class in high school. I recently met the theater teacher who gave glowing reports about Javier's participation in this regular education class. Javier has been interested in acting since he was six years old.
November 2007
Javier has been very helpful with the younger boys. Lately when the younger boys have been misbehaving Javier has stepped in as the older brother. Its so amazing the way the boys respond to him with respect and compliance! At 15 years old, Javier is really a man. He likes to be my protector and quickly will stick up for me whenever there is any situation with any of the other boys. Javier is very serious about keeping order in the family! Javier continues to enjoy high school but says he wishes he could be with his middle school friends who transitioned to Edison High School.
September 2007
Javier is loving high school! According to Javier "Middle School was good but high school is GREAT...especially the girls!!" Javier is now experiencing the regular school year with ALL of the students and all of the activities. Javier has already attended a dance and is looking forward to the next one. Javier says he is also enjoying his classes and all of the new friends he is making. Javier is happy that Mathew attends same high school. Mathew has been very helpful in making Javier feel welcome at his new school.
June 2007
Javier graduated from middle school and has already started high school this summer. Javier was very sad about leaving Sowers Middle School where he had been so successful socially and academically. During the last days of school Javier spent quite a bit of time after school just wandering around the campus. Javier was also very teary-eyed at the graduation. All of this melancholy was short lived however! When Javier started summer school at Fountain Valley High School he fell in love with the campus, the teachers, but most especially the girls!! Javier is even getting himself ready in the morning, without any help, so he is not late for his 6:40 pm school bus!
April 2007
Javier recently joined an adaptive rowing program. He is very excited about working out for about an hour followed by an hour or so of rowing. Javier has proven to be quite an athlete and is now able to row the boat on the bay completely independently. Javier was initially reluctant to get involved with the program but now he has not only noticed his own improvement in the sport, but more importantly he has noticed all of the cute girls from the various local crew teams who pass him by on the water.
February 2007
Javier is getting ready for Valentines Day. You can imagine that it must be hard for a guy with so many girlfriends! When making out his valentines, Javier wants to make sure that he doesn't miss anyone! The other middle school age boys are still very shy around girls. Javier, on the other hand, can't wait to say hello to any girl who happens to pass by. Javier has also begun rehearsals for two plays, "Suessical" and "High School Musical." Both productions are with MYART. Javier will have at least two rehearsals a week, we just hope it doesn't stunt his social life.
Javier continues to be very successful at school. While on the campus for various meetings I have had a number of teachers come up to me and express how pleased they are with Javier's progress. Javier has shown tremendous growth in his independence with academic class work and moving from class to class without one-to-one support. Javier is relishing in his new found independence. He is much more confident and willing to try new academic challenges. We are very proud of Javier and we look forward to his continues academic and social growth as he transitions to high school at the end of this school year.; margin-right: 10px">
Javier continues to be very successful at school. While on the campus for various meetings I have had a number of teachers come up to me and express how pleased they are with Javier's progress. Javier has shown tremendous growth in his independence with academic class work and moving from class to class without one-to-one support. Javier is relishing in his new found independence. He is much more confident and willing to try new academic challenges. We are very proud of Javier and we look forward to his continues academic and social growth as he transitions to high school at the end of this school year.
December 2006
Javier is starting to get involved with weight lifting and working out. Javier is already very muscular and strong. He actually lifts Jeffrey and sometimes Chris out of their wheelchairs and into their bed and into their beds at night. That's amazing considering that Javier has cerebral palsy and is a quadriplegic himself. Javier has mentioned an interest in joining a wrestling team or club. We are investigating the possibilities now. In the meantime Javier still enjoys the De Molay program and is also rehearsing with the MYART production of "Peter Pan"
October 2006
Javier is looking forward to his birthday party this month. He will be 14 years old on Halloween! Hard to believe that Javier has been with our family since he was 6-years -old. He has grown-up so much. He used to be a very shy and quiet little boy, now Javier is the man about campus at his middle school. Of the eleven middle schoolers we have in the family, Javier has the most girls saying "hello!" every morning and "goodbye, see you tomorrow" after school! Forget about trying to get a word in with Javier at the school dances, as he dances every dance usually with a different girl each time! The other Silcock boys always want to know Javier's secret with the girls.
Javier says "Some things are just meant to be kept a secret!"
July 2006
Javier did an excellent job finishing out the school year without an instructional assistant following him around from place to place. Javier seems so much happier to have his independence at school. While Javier continues to struggle with academic work, he is more motivated to keep up when working on his own. We are proud of Javier's self-advocacy. Without his influence he would have probably had a one-to-one instructional aide smothering him until the end of his high school career. We are excited to watch Javier become more independent and more self-confident both socially and academically.
Javier Aces His
Project!...Click Here For Pictures
Update: March 2006
Javier (13) is starting on a new educational journey! He is finally without one-to-one instructional aide support during the school day. We had been fighting for years to have Javier work without an adult sitting right next to him. We felt that Javier was being limited by constant adult intervention. Javier was never allowed to make his own choices and to receive the consequences of those choices. Can you imagine never being able to think for yourself?
That's what was happening with Javier. With an instructional assistant next to him all most his entire school day, Javier was never allowed to learn independently like his non-disabled peers.
It was amazing the difficult time we had removing Javier's one-to-one instructional aide support, despite IEP documents removing that level of supervision . While most parents probably fight to get their kids more adult support during the school day, we had the opposite problem. We felt that Javier had the right to be learn to independent and to have the dignity that comes with that risk. With lots and lots of team meet
January 2006
Javier is still the "lady killer" of the family. He returned to Sowers Middle School in September and to his surprise many of the girls began immediately complaining to Javier because he didn't call them over the summer! Javier has done exceptionally well in school.
Although he struggles with attention deficit and severe learning disabilities, Javier tries hard to keep up with his class work. Socially Javier is no longer the shy and quiet type! he has many friends and will often meet up with them after school.
After school Javier is involved with community theater. He just finished a run of "The King and I." In February Javier will start rehearsing "Alice in Wonderland." On his days off from play practice, Javier loves to go to Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm.
He also likes attending the latest movies with his dad. Later this month Javier will have an opportunity to take ski lessons at the Big Bear Adaptive Ski School. This will be Javier's third year skiing and he loves it. Not only does Javier like to go on the fast runs, but after a long day of skiing, he also likes to relax in the lodge and check out the female skiers! That Javier is always on the prowl!!
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Javier in "The King and I" |
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Javier in "The King and I" |
