A short update…
I have just looked at the title I gave this article and wondered if I really know where I am now. Anyway – let me share what’s in my heart.
The little boy is now a big preteen. So much has changed. I am learning that the current stage he is in is a whole new learning experience.
So, what’s been going on?
First, we had to halt therapy for a while after we discovered that the tasks he was being given were too easy for him. Our therapist was awesome and they were good friends, but we had all run out of ideas. That’s the thing with an older autistic child, especially those who are verbal. They know what they want to do and they are quite vocal about it. They also know how to control their therapy sessions and whoever is working with them has to be fifty steps ahead. So we took a break.
I have no idea when this break will end.
Secondly, we have had to think about independence. We don’t have a needy 7-year-old anymore – we have a preteen who should be able to do a few things for himself. We are thinking through all those, bearing in mind that we can only teach one skill at a time. Yes, good people, he may have grown, but he is still autistic. We have to factor that in when teaching him.
Lastly, there is the issue of school. He is in school right now, but we need to think. What happens when his age mates go to high school? What do we do at the point where the content of the curriculum he is doing becomes too hard to grasp? What would we like him to do as an adult? What skill or training can he get so that when he gets to 18 he can be independent? This is a difficult conversation that needs lots of wisdom, guidance, and most importantly, prayer.
That’s where we are. To the parents of younger autistic kids, focus on useful and relevant therapy and make use of the teaching opportunities you have while they are still young. Expose them to as many different things as you can. Identify their strengths. Teach them to take care of themselves. Start planning for the future.
God is part of our young man’s story. I truly believe He is. He will work everything out at the perfect time.
Shalom.