Grace

I just returned from a meeting with Lib's teacher. My sister went along with me. It was the best meeting I have ever had regarding Liberty and his needs. I just wanted to find out what I can do at home to support what she is doing in the classroom. I came home with a great plan --- suggestions for what I can do at home that won't exhaust me or overstimulate Lib, and a list of signs we both agreed that need to be accomplished. I really love her method of teaching.

Here's the best part: When I asked her if I need to get an ABA therapist in my house a few times per week, she said, "No. He is getting it all day long, one-on-one with us. He gets ABA therapy five days a week. A kid needs to be a kid, too."

I about fell out of my chair. He's getting ABA therapy five days a week (she is an almost board-certified ABA therapist). My God, this is almost like camp was for six weeks this summer and it's not costing me $35 an hour.

She said all I needed to do was the little home program I am going to put together. She doesn't want me to be a therapist at home. Learning is supposed to be fun, she said. We can organize small sessions at home in the name of fun with plenty of opportunities for him to learn to sign. And I can still cook dinner and do what I have to do.

She also said he needs huge amounts of vestibular input: Swinging, running, bouncing on the trampoline, riding his bike, etc. I have seen this since his diagnosis. The first OT that ever came to our house would bounce him on the trampoline, hold him by his ankles and walk around, then tickle him on the couch. Right after that, she immediately sat him down and he performed tasks. He did beautifully every time.

He is now almost 50 lbs. I can't hold him upside down, but his father can. So I have to find ways to give him this stimulating input. He becomes more alert when he engages in lots of physical activity. Therapists say he becomes more aware of where he is in space.

Everything at our meeting was so clear, straight to the point, and upbeat. My sister LOVED her. She said my son is in the best possible hands. And, she should know, she worked in special education for 30 years. So, now my family, finally, after the last few years has a much better idea of how to communicate with Liberty.

Most meetings I walk away feeling down. This one, I walked away hopeful. She really loves my son and she has designed the best possible way to encourage him to come out of himself, to interact, and express himself.

Ironically, this is the same teacher I did not like about a year ago when I was going to hire her to do therapy in my home because she said PECS (picture exchange system) was not a good option for my son. The last school he attended and the therapists there insisted on this method of communication as being the right one and told me she was not a "team player" and that she didn't know what she was doing. I listened to them. What did I know?

Never judge. That's all I'm saying. She knew what she was doing all along and I didn't. But, by the grace of God, we got moved to her school and put under her care this year.

Before school began, and before I knew she would be teaching Lib this year, I ran into her in the grocery store. She saw Lib and she bent down and held out her arms and he ran to her and gave her a big hug and a kiss. That's when I knew that she would be his teacher --- long before I got the assignment in the mail. That's the way the Universe works. It was telling me that she was a good match for him all along. To let go. It would be okay.

We are so blessed.

I'm floating on air today.