It is what it is

How do you explain to a student who has an identified Intellectual Disability (an IQ of less than 70) and who has been tested to reside in the third percentile of working memory as his peers as well as functioning with an Austism Spectrum Disorder, that having urges and feelings of wanting a girlfriend are normal? That feeling and experiencing rejected and lonely is something that everyone goes through? That the only solution is to keep trying and to have patience and maintain hope?

How do you help this young man find and make friends when people cannot see past his diagnoses and disabilities and don't want to be friends with him?

How do you continue to coach him how to make friends but he does not remember what he has been taught?

How do you encourage him to continue to be patient and optimistic when he has been trying the skills you have taught him and he is still not experiencing success?

How do you keep him positive and hopeful when he knows that he is different and people do not like him but he doesn't know why? How does he make friends when he does not know how to relate to them and they don't know how to relate to him?

How do you teach other people to understand his functioning abilities and cognitive level when he has made transgressions? How do you teach compassion, empathy and understanding for him when those transgressions have been serious? 

How do you expect someone to function at societal acceptable social skills when he does not understand those social skills?

How do you teach these skills when he turns 21 and he loses all services geared to help him with these challenges? 

How do you support him when he is homeless and the only family member he has abuses and exploits him? 

How do you prioritize social skills when he cannot support himself financially and is simply struggling to survive? To find food, housing and clothing?

How do you reconcile that some stories will not have happy endings? How do you sit with the knowledge that no matter how hard you work, his situation may never get better? How do you let go of the fact that he will either continue to be homeless or will end up in jail or prison because there are decade long waiting lists and there are no other options for him? 

How does one find peace accepting that this is just the way it is?