My eldest son Blake has Autism. He was diagnosed very young, at fifteen months old. Blake just turned twelve on Tuesday and as I look back on his life I can see how different it has been from a "typical" child. I have two other boys not on the spectrum.
Autism is a mystery. There is no explanation as to how a child gets it or why they do. There is also no known cure.
I have spent the last eleven years trying to figure out what makes Blake tick. Why he does the things he does and how to teach him the necessary skills he will need in life to succeed. It has not been an easy road for either of us.
I was an ABA (Applied Behavior Therapist) for four years helping other children on the spectrum learn. I studied ABA and took the exams to become board certified.
That left me with a lot of guilt as a mom to be away from my child while I taught other kids so I stopped. All I was really trying to do was to find a kid like my own so I could teach him the same way. As the saying goes "if you have met one child with Autism you have met one child with Autism". No two are alike.
The Autism symbol is a puzzle piece. The pieces all fit together but no piece is the same as the other.
In this blog I want to show you how Blake learns. Maybe just maybe there is someone out there who can relate? I may just find that puzzle piece after all!
Please view the introductory You Tube video on visual learning.
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