The Setting

My main event occurs at a public elementary school. The stories that the article provides is just a segment of a larger problem. The issues that arise for Henry throughout his school day are representative of so many other children that are struggling in school due to their disability.

The setting of my main event occurs in Henry's home, but also in Henry's elementary school. In his home, he is very comfortable and can play with his toys by himself. He is content to keep to himself because he has his own kind of entertainment. Kindergarten was a much scarier place. Henry struggles the most during social settings, like recess. The playground at the public school was huge, and it seemed like everyone had someone to play with. There were many things to do during recess: play tag, climb the monkey bars, go down the slide. But usually there was already someone using the playground equipment, and Henry didn't know how to join in and talk to his peers. So he would end up sitting under a nearby tree all by himself. Recess is generally unsupervised, so no one seemed to care if Henry didn’t have any friends to hang out with. On the other hand, it was easier for him in the classroom--where he thrived academically. He was in the same classroom as the rest of his classmates, but would be pulled out for speech and occupational therapy sometimes. Henry had one teacher that truly understood him. In that classroom, Henry felt comfortable. He would sit at his desk and work, but his teacher would ask him questions about his latest obsession. He understood when Henry needed bathroom breaks. He let him leave class early to find a seat in the lunchroom before everyone got there, so he wouldn’t have to frantically search for someone to sit by. For Henry, school was unnecessarily stressful, and that has to change. 

"Playground and Park Design" 8-27-11 via TheAtlantic.com