I intended to post this a month ago- better late than never!
Its a cool job we all have at the Center. We get to be a part of a lot of big moments in the lives of the children and families we work with.
There are some moments we get to be a part of that anyone would consider significant; a child saying his first word, or calling his mother “mama” for the first time.
Other big moments probably cannot be fully appreciated by people outside of the Autism community. You would have to be a part of the day to day effort, struggles, and missteps to appreciate the significance of the first time a child asks a question, tells a well timed joke, or chooses to play with a friend at school without being prompted.
In the past week alone Center therapists were lucky enough to hear a two year old client sing his first song, see a teenage client order a coffee coolatta for the first time (see, we are teaching critical life skills here!), and be a part of a “sending off party” for one young man’s first trip to a formal high school dance.
The sending off party was particularly special, as this guy is one I have known since he was three years old. Myself, and other Center therapists were there the first time he said his name intelligibly. We facilitated his first play dates, taught him to swim and ride a bike. All of it was wonderful, but honestly, none of it was easy. Teaching the difference between “yes” and “no” was painstaking- it took several months. Almost everything he was taught took time, patience, and a lot of positive reinforcement.
I still remember how I felt when at four years old he responded to a question with “I don’t know” independently for the first time. What a victory! He had worked so hard on this, and it was a concept that needed to be mastered: If someone asks you a question that you know the answer to, give the answer. For all other questions, say “I don’t know”. It required discrimination training, and for this little guy, a lot of “think outside the box” teaching strategies (the beauty of ABA- there are limitless teaching strategies that can be used). Each seemingly little skill we teach is important…if you can’t say “I don’t know” and ask appropriate follow up questions, you really can’t carry on a two way conversation.
Without understanding the amount of work it took for him to learn each word and master each skill, you wouldn’t be able to appreciate the significance of the sending off party.
He has grown up into a very cool 17 year old who still works hard, and still keeps everyone on their toes. He has quite a following- Here he is on the big night with his date, and with the Center therapists past and present who came to see him off.
