Extra Special Boy

*In order to write the next chapter, I had to get in touch with a person and ask permission to use her name. It was granted, and she was enthusiastic about the story. She said if I get it published, she wants an autographed copy. I think I may wind up asking for some of her expertise for it.*

A New Outlook

That summer after Zach's initial diagnosis, we were able to finalize his E.F.M.P. status, and that opened new doors. We now had referrals to speech therapy, he had already been in "school" since March, and would be going back in August for half days.

We plugged along, hubby came home in September or October. A few days after he came home, he went to Alabama to move his terminally ill brother to Kansas. He died five days after the move. So, we had a funeral to plan. We had family come from out of town. It wasn't easy, but if you've ever watched a person on the brink of death from cancer, it can also be a relief. You know your loved one is no longer in pain.

I'm thinking it was October when the company called me. They were hired by E.C.H.O. to provide a new-to-Kansas service called A.B.A. (applied behavior analysis). The manager of the company (I don't have permission to use the name) came from California to Kansas to talk to me about Zach and do her assessment of him and his needs so she could come up with a plan. I told her something: "I want him to grow up, be self-sufficient, and live his own independent life." She said, and I tear up thinking about this even now, "that's what every parent wants for their child." Suddenly, autism wasn't so daunting.

Certain therapies, the therapist will follow a learning plan of some sort to help him progress. For instance, in potty training, we have a system to follow. He will go into the bathroom every 15 minutes. It also works with the I.E.P. so everyone's on the same page.

We talked back and forth with the company a few times between November and February. Then, we finally got to start sessions in our home. Kelly came to the door, bags with toys in hand, and sat down with Zach on the floor and played with him.

If you've ever read "The Miracle Worker" you will understand this reference. Kelly, using A.B.A., was Zach's Ann Sullivan. In "the MIracle Worker" Ann is Helen Keller's teacher. Well, Kelly came in, won Zach's heart, and became a good friend to my husband and me. She showed us things to do and tips to use for different situations. She went to church with me a few times and helped me learn how to incorporate Zach into children's church.

As a result of her work with Zach, he stopped throwing fits, could do age appropriate math, and some advanced, to include learning to tell time. He was pre-reading, again, age appropriate. He even started talking more between speech and a.b.a. Talking for a child with autism is like a baby learning to walk. You literally cheer as your child masters it. Some children are completely non-communicative for various reasons. Speaking is a huge deal in Autism World.

By the time he reached Kindergarten he'd had four therapists, but he had Kelly the longest. He was potty trained, doing mid-year Kindergarten level math, reading, and being a cutie. He was still destructive, but now we knew when and why certain behaviors happened, and sometimes we could divert him or avoid inappropriate behavior all together.