The monkey started ABA therapy this summer.  I tried to read as much as I could about ABA.  How it works, the negative and positive points, testimonials from parents, the different degrees, etc.  I always overwhelm myself with too much information.  The rabbit hole of google.

My husband and I talked about it, and we decided to give a try for 4 weeks.  During the month of July, we would see how the monkey would do.  The monkey doesn’t talk but he communicates in many ways.  And if we didn’t see it working, if we didn’t see him liking it, then we would go back to school full time.  But if we saw a change, he would take ABA for half a day and would be in school for the other half.

We looked around a lot for an ABA therapist.  We talked to a lot of people and did various tours as well to see where the monkey would fit.  I was giving up hope because I just didn’t see a connection to any of the therapists.  If you ask me what I was looking for I am not sure.  I was just looking for someone that we connected with.  I’ve learned to go with my instincts a lot. 

We called the last ABA listing we had on file and they informed us that they didn’t accept our insurance.  However, during this last call, they gave us a name of another ABA – Ms. K.

We went to visit Ms. K at her office.  Immediately  I felt connected. She was so attentive, informative, and kind.  She gave us homework to read and left us a to do list.  Her office was kid friendly, with a warmth to it all.  I left her office and told my husband: This is it!  She is perfect for us! And she has an opening!!!

Although her office is far from us, we have to drive over the mountain to see her, it didn’t bother me. We would need to drive everyday to her.  Small price to pay for our monkey.

It took about a month to get all of the insurance paperwork ready.  We had talked to the monkey about this change.  We drove to her office to show him where he’d be attending.  Like most kiddos on the spectrum, change is very difficult.  We had tried to prepare him as much as possible. And to our surprise, he did amazing the first day. He walked right into the office.  He was hesitant and made some few noises, but he still walked right in.  No issues to report! 

We’ve been seeing Ms. K for about 3 months now.  To say that the monkey is a different child is an understatement.  He understands so much more now.  He is able handle change so much better.  She is teaching him how to communicate more.  And because his communication is increasing, he is a happier kid. 

I had been so worried about middle school.  This upcoming change had given me so many sleepless nights.  We had even thought about keeping him in 5th grade one more year, hold him back.  But with Ms. K, this change was a breeze.  He walked into the new school as if he owned the place.  He attends choir, art, and physical education with typical kids, and he has no issues.  He had been in the same elementary school with the same teacher and the same classroom for 5 years. We were safe.  Leaving this safety wasn’t easy.  Yet this huge change of middle school was an easy transition. 

Ms. K is tough.  She doesn’t let him slack off, even though he tries to.  She makes sure that the bar is high and he has to meet it.  They work from home two days out of the week.  While I am upstairs in my bedroom working, she is working with him.  I can hear how kind she is to him.  She is always explaining things to him, motivating him to work, and celebrating him when he does well.  It is such a joy to hear them. 

And when it’s at her office, we can hear them while we are in the waiting room.  He is so excited to work for her. She makes it fun for him.  While they work, he thinks they are playing.  When we have had to cancel therapy, he points to the mountain and cries.  In his communication device, he will ask us to drive over the mountain to see her.  He has let her be part of his life.  And the monkey doesn’t let just anyone in. 

Ms. K is part of our village.  She went to school with us for our first ARD at the middle school.  She is our advocate.  She went with us to the monkey’s dental appointment because she knew how difficult it would be for all of us.  She motivates him to communicate more by using his words and sign language.  She reached out to our speech therapist to share methods that have helped her.   She reviews the monkey’s homework and will send suggestions to his teacher on methods she believes can help them.  This week was picture day and she worked with him on how to smile for the camera. Today Ms. K is helping the monkey understand why he needs to start wearing a sweater. The change of seasons is hard for the monkey, including wearing sweaters and jackets.

We have had many autism specialists since our autism journey started.  We have had speech therapists, OTs, in home trainers, special ed teachers, awesome para professionals, child development specialists, case managers, and more. But we have not had someone be this invested in the monkey. We haven’t had someone that supports us through and through.   We have many goals for the monkey, and I feel very optimistic that he will reach them all.

The sky is not the limit.  It just may be our beginning.