Matthew and The Key Club
I want to relay this story to because I think that it might help families whose high school Special Needs kids would benefit from the social interaction of high school clubs.
My son Matthew is 17 and Autistic. Even with his Autism he is very social but his social skills are a bit, shall we say, um, odd. He’s a great kid, but he’s a combination of that geeky, nerdy kid and a 9 year old. At our high school there is a Key Club. Key Clubs are affiliated with local Kiwanis Clubs which are Service Clubs for business people. They focus on Community Service. One of the other boys in Mathew’s program has a Grandfather who is very active in Kiwanis and he suggested that the boys might like Key Club.
It has been a wonderful experience for them. The other kids are there because they want to be involved in the community and help others. So they are very open, welcoming and compassionate with Matthew and Mark. One of the aides in the Special Ed program goes with the boys to the weekly meetings while the faculty moderator and kids are getting to know them and the boys are getting used to the situation.
One of the things the club does frequently is a game night for the kids at our local homeless shelter. I have taken Matthew a couple of times and it has been a great experience for him. The kids in the shelter are just so appreciative of the attention. And Matthew loves little kids. So they play little kid games like Chutes and Ladders and Sorry. Matthew fits in perfectly between his Key Club friends and the kids. Matthew’s game skills are on the little kids level so they don’t notice Matthew being so “different” and Matthew is actually learning better social skills by being surrounded by the contrast of kids in his age group and the younger kids.
Key Club is really helping Matthew and Mark to partake in the “high school experience” – they are having fun while learning social skills. It’s really wonderful!
Enjoy,
Sandy and Matthew
