A short essay

Recently our family was asked to submit a short write up about Little Bug's biggest accomplishment and how Early Intervention has helped him. I expected this to be easy- I would know what it was and get it done. It was incredibly difficult for many reasons.

The first I struggled with is that it is hard to make people see the amazing in the struggles and accomplishments our children have. For example, Little Bug took his shirt off for the first time ever last night. That's huge! He has to sequence the events in order to get it off. He had to use motor planning in order to ensure that his arms, torso, neckm and head all worked towards that common goal. To most people, it would be assumed that our children can do this. We know that isn't always so.

Secondly, it was hard to pick out his biggest. We had a hard time looking at all the work that he has done and picking one part. How do you pick out the most amazing change? I know that no matter what our situations are, our children are constantly moving forward.

Lastly, we really wanted to make sure that we gave credit. While Nick and I work hard to help Little Bug achieve his highest, we have had a lot of help.

I would like to share our essay with you.

“Woooo-wooo! Hi, Thomas!” Little Bug said. He drove Percy past the shed so that he could say hello to Thomas. He then drove Percy to the freight yard in order to pick up a mail car. “Let’s go get Thomas!”

He lined up his trains and then began to count, “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, TEN!”

We used to count the words Little Bug had. Each one is a gift that is treasured. Each word is met with exultation. Each word is a foot hold on a mountain getting us one step closer to Lennon’s highest potential- whatever that may be.

Little Bug was diagnosed with Autism and severe speech delays in July of 2008. At that time, he had 10 word approximations- Da (dad), la (water), go, ca-ca (car), Yu (yes), bu (bus), bo (boat), no, pu (puppy), fish. He never played functionally; instead he spun wheels, lined things up, and rolled cars back and forth. He couldn’t tell us if he was hurt, scared, tired, or hungry. Every day was plagued by uncertainty for us.

We were recommended to contact EI by our Primary Care Physician. Through our FRC, we were connected with the Birth to Three Development Center School. Little Bug was assigned a play group, a one on one Therapist, as well as an Occupational Therapist. When he first started, he tried to bite the therapists and other children. He would hide from his FRC and his therapists when they came to the house. Out of an hour of therapy, up to half would be spent getting him to work up to them. It paid off.

With them, he flourished. Every week, they would challenge his repetitive behavior- moving cars out of line so that they would be driven. Stacking blocks were made into bridges. Trains were used to make deliveries rather than spinning wheels. They broke down playing into sequential steps and made it click for him.

They endlessly strove for personal contact between Lennon and everyone else. They taught us how to get him to look at us. They hid toys around the room so that he would look and point to request. Nick and I were challenged to make every interaction an opportunity to teach Little Bug a skill- saying hello when someone greets you, pointing to what you want, making a car pretend to drive, tolerating bathing and dressing, and a million other tasks that are assumed to be achieved but that we knew were not guaranteed.

We have lost count of words. Little Bug says so many that we can’t keep track. He plays- really plays with trains, cars, puzzles, and us. He says hello to his peers and is learning to share. Nick and I have learned to be the kind of parents Little Bug needs because of Birth to Three and our FRC. They have given Nick and I the tools to begin to do this independently. They have given us future resources for help.

His therapists and FRC will always be dear to our hearts. Their dedication, talent, and love for our family is amazing. They do things that people find impossible. They deal with families who are suffering and struggling. They deal with children who can be aggressive and have meltdowns that last for hours. They treasure rewards that other people would overlook- the joys of seeing a family succeed, messy hugs, and sticky kisses. We will always be grateful for what they have done for us.