A day in the life......Part One

Hi Everyone! I am new to AutismOne, but wanted to get my blog stated!! I am hoping to learn from the many dedicated and hard working parents and professionals on this site. My goal for this blog is to be able to share a story or two on a weekly basis from my day to day life as an autism consultant. I work for a public school district in Massachusetts and I have been working with children with ASD for over 10 years. I absolutely love my job. Working with children with ASD is more rewarding than one can quite describe. Although, there are days that are a 10 on the joy and fulfillment scale and days that leave a person wondering what tomorrow will bring! The first story I would like to share is about a new student who I had the pleasure of meeting on Thursday. My goal for the session was merely to get to know him and figure out a few things that 'make him tick'. As a teacher/therapist/paraprofessional etc.. there are many things that are focused on in one day for a child with ASD. However, as many of you know if you can't find a motivator- you're toast!!! This particular non-verbal 8yr old had just moved into our district and was getting acclimated with his staff, environment, and new routine. His substantially separate classroom teacher had let me know that under the circumstances he was adjusting well, but he had not yet smiled......This was my goal! I sat down with various reinforcers from edibles to toys...With his PEC system available I was determined to make a connection with this new soul. After 45 minutes of tickles, puzzle pieces, animal noises, and many many prompts to sit I was wondering if this just wasn't our day....if this new strange place was too much to bear on a hot September day in a room full of unpredictable movements and noises from others...not to mention the smell of burnt popcorn that would drive the neurotypical insane! It was very warm in the room so I decided to grab a hand held fan and give my new friend an inviting, yet could be the worst mistake in history, cool breeze. To my amazement I saw the smallest dimple in his upper left cheek form...the start of a smile.. From that came a determination to HAVE the fan! I quickly showed him that to receive the fan I would need the phrase 'I want fan' from his communication system. This handsome young man is what some professionals would describe as a 'slot machine communicator'. He typically would grab any picture and give it to you with the hopes that it is the golden visual for what he is determined to receive. Well, my friend handed me the sentence phrase independently and in that moment also discovered that the fan had a water bottle attached- with a squirter.... (This is why teachers are elated when extra sets of clothes are sent in to school) When my new shmoop squirted himself with the cool breeze drying off his soaked wet cheeks the smile on his face grew wider and was infectious! It was an amazing moment, but it wasn't quite over yet....Being that the room was warm and I too was feeling a bit sweaty and disgusting I decided to spray myself in the face! First, I handed him the picture phrase asking for the fan- to my surprise he handed the fan over willingly. I told him that it was my turn because I am so so hot! As the water hit my face I had the pleasure of hearing the deepest and most genuine laughter. I was being laughed at- I LOVE it! He thought I was funny! I had truly reached his soul and my new shmoop touched my heart! These days and activities may be simple, but they are why we are here today and will remain tomorrow. Keep smiling and laughing because I know I will!
~ Melissa