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very
intensive ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) program. You guessed
it, we jumped on that bandwagon. It's a long story in
itself. We had to relocate from our mountain retreat in order
to participate in a half-day program and in order to get our
in-home program off the ground. In truth, I think I was never
meant to be a hermit, and people somehow didn't care to
travel the switchback mountain road that I was growing very
tired of travelling daily as well.
Our program was a 25-hour-per-week program that integrated
many creative non-ABA elements into the schedule as Abby progressed
wonderfully through the years. Our dedicated tutors became
an integral part of our family's life. An additional and
very helpful benefit to having these wonderful helpers in
our life was that I was finally freed up to be Mom again to
ALL of my children and I was no longer the sole person responsible
for engaging and educating my daughter.
I am so grateful to all of the tutors, teachers, family members,
and friends that have come alongside us in our journey. I
encourage all of the families of children with autism to seek
out the support you need, not only for your own sanity, but
for the benefit of your whole family.
[Interested
in sharing your story with others? We invite you to
send your "Spotlight Family of the Month" contribution
to info@aaccasa.org
or P.O. Box 1470, Millersville, MD 21108]
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Spotlight
Family of the Month:
The
Clarks
by
Lucy Clark
Brian and I have four children: Jesse,
Rachel, Daniel, and Abby. Our kids have grown up in the
desert of southern California, but Brian and I are from
the local area: Montgomery County (Brian) and D.C. (me).
In the fall of 2000 we relocated from southern California
to Annapolis. Our story is probably very similar
to yours, except for some of the particulars of our circumstances.
Living in the desert can be extremely hot if you are not
used to it; 116 - 122 degrees was not unusual in the summer.
As newcomers to the environment we purchased a home at
a cool 4,400 feet in the Santa Rosa mountains. It
was only 25 minutes from schools, work, shopping, and
people. It was a beautiful mountain retreat with a 360-degree
panoramic view of the mountains and the desert floor below.
When our youngest daughter, Abby, was about 20 months
old, we had a visit from one of my brothers and his family.
They had an 18-month-old at the time. Although we had
suspicions that something was not quite right with Abby,
particularly her non-responsiveness, I easily attributed
this and other apparent delays to her poor vision. She
had had two surgeries for strabismus (crossed eyes). During
this visit I observed 18-month-old Anthony being so responsive,
playful, and social that I somehow knew that I could no
longer blame what I was seeing in Abby on her visual problems.
Of course our pediatrician had offered us no clues, and
the results of the audiology report were good. She hears
just fine. Sound familiar? Fortunately, through a few
family connections (I have a very supportive family) we
were able to get an early diagnosis from UCLA when Abby
was two years old. Little did we know that having a diagnosis
was just the beginning of a much bigger adventure into
searching for information and knowledge.
Although we were devastated by what Abby may not ever
be able to do or experience, I became driven to do whatever
was possible. Abby's first mode of expressive communication
was sign language, thanks largely in part to Brian's skills
in that area. We also attended a weekly school-based program
and had a weekly visit from her teacher.
Our biggest breakthrough occurred when Brian received
a book from a woman he met on a work-related trip. The
book was called "Let me Hear your Yoice ". It
is a beautiful story about a family's
(continued on next column)
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Autism
Today News Magazine
Karen
Leigh Simmons' experiences with her 10-year- old son Jonathan
caused her to write a book called "Little Rainman." When she
had difficulty finding useful information on autism, she launched
a company called Exceptional Resources, Inc. (www.exceptionalresources.com)
to make autism-related books, videos, and other materials
more readily available to parents and professionals. Now she
has launched an interactive online autism newsmagazine and
community called Autism Today (www.autismtoday.com).
The magazine offers:
Articles from leading experts in the field;
Stories, poems, music and art from people with autism, their
family and their friends;
A public discussion forum where readers can share stories,
ideas and talk;
Polls and surveys where readers can voice their opinion;
A way for authors to publish their books online; and
Links to a variety of autism-related resources and sites.
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