PSN Issue
"I couldn't be prouder of Wyatt!" He jumped on Chris Runge's
sailboat just like he had sailed it a hundred times before!
Chris said
the best part of the sail was watching Jim's face light up with pride
when
Wyatt reached out, unprompted, to tighten the sail."
Wyatt
is working to overcome
autism, apraxia and a
limb difference.
~Cynthia and Jim Falardeau
Photo is
of Wyatt sailing with his dad/my husband Jim at Sebastian Inlet State
Park. The
boat belongs to Chris Runge
who is a sailing friend
of Jim's. Chris and Jim had competed and won many major sailing events
in
Florida as well as throughout the South.
We've had many "special
achievement moments" since my daughter has been in Dr. Mane's H.I.T.
Therapy. Here is one example:
Previously, my
daughter was so fearful of noise, of the perception of
pain...she couldn't sequence through that if she heard a loud sound or
if she
got hurt. The noise and the pain would soon go away, etc. For
example,
she has wanted her ears pierced for years! She would go and
look at
earrings, and sometimes even sit in the chair as if to get them
pierced.
But, as soon as she would hear a "click" sound, she'd be off
the chair before her ears were pierced and cry out of fear and
frustration.
I felt so bad because she so wanted them pierced, but,
her fears got the better of her. Well, a few months ago, we
went to the
mall and there she was, looking at earrings again. She even
talked to the
person behind the counter (Miss Ali) and asked if she could see the
machine
they used. She LISTENED to the steps Miss Ali told her they
do to pierce
ears. Next thing I know, she's sitting in a chair, Miss Ali
is asking me
to sign a required form, and my daughter sat still, got her ears
pierced,
smiled from ear to ear the whole time with NO fears. She got
up from the
chair, she looked in the mirror at her newly pierced ears, she smiled a
huge
smile and she said, "my ears are piercedÉlet's go celebrate!"
So we went to the food court at the mall and had lunch!
This may
seem like an ordinary accomplishment for most girls, but this was a
huge, years
in the work, event for my daughter!
~Kelly Jackson
What
an incredible day. Blue
skies surround us. Wave conditions are nearly perfect at 1-3 feet.
Dedicated
and skilled surfers offer guidance and affection to our children. Our
children
are those with autism. One of the 1 in 150 children diagnosed with this
disorder. For close to 5 hours, my daughter chased the waves at Stuart
Public
Beach. It was July 18, 2009 and Surfers for Autism organized an event
that I
guarantee changed, not only the children with autism, but also their
parents,
spectators, and volunteers as well. I stood there with a smile from ear
to ear
and my heart glowing. A complete stranger had embraced my daughter in
his arms
and has worked some "voodoo ocean magic". She has been almost pulled
out of
herself by living in the moment and her anxieties are pushed aside. She
and
approximately 150 other children from the Treasure Coast area are
laughing,
paddling, spilling and surfing.
No
judgement.
No dirty looks.
Complete
acceptance.
Acceptance that these children are
exactly that- children.
As a mother, I would do anything to expand my daughter's view of the
world in a
safe and fun way. This free event opened my eyes to not only the skills
and
abilities of children on the autistic spectrum, but also to the
dedication and
love that surround these children. It was amazing to see the beach
erupt into
applause and praise as a child rode the waves towards the shoreline. To
see the
confidence and pure elation on the faces of these children that might
struggle
with the most "day to day" activities was a snapshot forever etched in
my mind. There were
dedicated volunteers (Thank you Tim and
Mike, her awesome surf instructors!) who surfed and swam endlessly from
8 am- 2
pm, never once indicating frustration, ignorance or fatigue as the
children
tried to refine their surfing skills. Thank you so much Treasure Coast
Surfers
for Autism. Thank you for raising funds to go towards the Treasure
Coast Walk
Now for Autism and Autism Speaks. Thank you for providing an
opportunity for my
daughter, and others like her, to spend a day in the world where
acceptance
surrounded her, instead of shunned her. Thank you for helping us surf
for a
cure.
~Keri Elwell
The other day, my daughter did
something that made us very proud. When we said we loved her, she bent
her
fingers to make the sign for "I love you" to me and my wife. This was a
wonderful and very proud moment in our lives. She is now able to do
this sign
on a regular basis. This has been one of the different things she is
now able
to do after recently completing Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.
~George Passwater
I have been working with my
daughter to make her bed
up for about a year and a half. We started with me safety pinning felt
squares
with the number "1" and "2" on the corners of her comforter. Then, with
2
additional felt squares also numbered "1" and "2", I hole punched and
tied a ribbon
through the squares and put them around the posts of her headboard. I
taught
her to match the 1's together and the 2's together. It has been about
eight
months that she has successfully made her bed every morning before
school or leaving
the house. Just yesterday, without being told or asked, she went into
my
bedroom and made OUR king size bed. Adding the blanket and show
pillows. Perfectly!!!!
It was a very proud moment, indeed!
~Chantai
Snellgrove
Disclaimer: All information on this site is of a general nature and is furnished for knowledge and understanding only.