Hi my name is Sandra Galvin.  I live in Fenton, which is in Genesee County, just south of Flint.  I am originally from California where I taught 5th grade in a school that was 95% Hispanic.  While I was going to school to become a teacher, I worked as a Para-pro in a Special Education classroom.  I also worked as an interpreter for the deaf.   I had always planned to pursue a special education credential, but then I moved to Michigan and started my own family.  I decided to stay home with my children until they were both in school full time. 

     Life didn’t exactly work out the way I had planned.  My son was having a lot of difficulty in the public school.  He was labeled as gifted, ADHD, and possibly Oppositionally Defiant.  He received services for speech and language and occupational therapy.  He suffered from a written output disorder (dysgraphia), was considered immature for his age, and had inappropriate social skills.  He had few friends and the school had him in a “Friendship” group in the primary grades.  He was sensitive to lights, sounds and textures of food and clothing.  He wouldn’t talk to unfamiliar people and when he was stressed, he chewed holes in his shirts.      

     Our school district moved students to the middle school in 5^th grade, having them ride the bus with students in high school.  I was very concerned about my son's ability to transition from class to class in middle school and I was worried about his safety on the bus due to his poor social skills.  The school suggested that I hold him back in 4^th grade for another year due to his social immaturity.  I couldn’t do that.  He was already bored in 4^th grade.  It wouldn’t have been fair to make him repeat it. 

    We live in a rural area and I didn't feel that I had any options, so I decided to do the unthinkable.  I started home-schooling.  I’m from a family of teachers and they were less than enthusiastic about my decision, but it was the right decision for us.  We got lucky and found a home-school group that was full of kids just like my son.  He finally had friends that understood all of the technical stuff he talked about.  I do not recommend home-schooling for everyone.  It was a lot of work and we had to constantly seek out activites to connect him with the other children in the community.  He attended band, computers and art at the local public school.   We drove long distances to stay connected with kids he met at summer camps and home-school activities.  Eventually I started full-time tutoring other boys his age who had been identified as having Asperger's Syndrome.  I had never heard of Asperger’s before meeting these students.  They sure seemed to have a lot in common with my son.

     I took my son in for educational testing before having him return to the public school for high school.  The psychologist that did the testing suggested that I have my son evaluated for Aspergers Syndrome.  I already knew what the results of the evaluation would reveal; my son was diagnosed with Asperger’s at the age of 13. 

    I began the Masters of Special Education Autism program at Oakland University the same month that my son was officially diagnosed.  The pieces of my life finally fit together and I knew what I was meant to do.  I am hoping to use my knowledge and personal experience with Autism to make life better for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders. I am currently looking for a position as an ASD teacher.