My Inspiration

I started working with children diagnosed with Autism when I was about 25 or 26. The first child I worked with, Timmy, was almost 3 years old. He had just started the program and I had just started working at that job. So we LITERALLY were going through this at the same time. My first day was his first day.

He was quite a handful. He could not talk, threw temper tantrums, and wouldn't do what he was told. He was very difficult to work with, but it got easier as time went by.

I was fortunate to have worked with Timmy for about two years. In just those two years he made SO MUCH progress. By the time I stopped working with him, Timmy was potty trained, was able to carry on simple conversations, played with other children or by himself appropriately, and was going to school.

Even though I only worked with him for two years, those were the years that were most important...the years that built the foundation for learning and development. I feel so honored to have had a part in how successful Timmy has become.

I recently got a letter from his mom, along with a pamphlet...the Office of Education Annual Report for 2005-2006. He's on the cover of the pamphlet and is featured in a story inside. The story explains how far he has come since he was two years old. This article is also on the internet, along with a video. Timmy is now NINE YEARS OLD and is going into the THIRD GRADE at a public school.

There was also a link to this article on a website, but it is no longer available. But I still wanted to share this story because it is so important to me.