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Grateful Parent Shares Son's Story

Puzzle pieces in a ribbon shape for autism awareness

One of the best parts about working with kids who have special needs is seeing their progress and hearing from their families about their successes. A note from “W’s” mom recently made our day.

W is an eight-year-old boy who has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, sensory processing disorder, ADHD, and vision problems. His parents had enrolled him in a virtual school, where he received speech-language therapy and occupational therapy from PresenceLearning. She says, “Putting W in virtual school is the best decision I ever made. For the first time, my son understands what I am saying to him. Before, he was constantly moving and running back and forth, even during meals. Now he can sit, watch TV, play with his sisters, and interact with his family members for the first time since he was two-and-a-half years old.” She went on to say that she even heard W. say her name, “Mommy, open the gate.”

W was non-verbal at the beginning of the school year. He now says words, phrases, and short sentences. His family has also discovered he is bilingual, speaking English to all his family members except his grandmother, whom he calls and speaks to in her native language. He has been able to tell his parents his tummy hurts, that he doesn’t like wearing a watch, and when he wants to have the ball passed to him during play.

W’s personality continues to emerge. He can choose what he wants to wear and eat. He can accurately give things to people on command. During school, he can sit, listen and answer questions correctly using words, where he previously only pointed to things. He is able to say letters and words for pictures, and he increasingly attends to the computer during therapy and is learning to use the mouse.

His motor skills have improved too with a home exercise program. His father reported that W used to lean against him to get his teeth brushed. Now, with trunk and neck strengthening, W can stand and hold his head upright by himself and is learning to hold his own toothbrush.

Congratulations to W, his family, and this therapists and some truly outstanding progress!

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