Parent Panel

When Matthew was three he had the greatest opportunity to attend an all autistic preschool. That has been one of the biggest blessings in our life!! It not only helped Matthew a ton, but it also taught Aaron and I the base skills of how to best work with him. How I found out about this school is an example the Lord's Hand in all things. It is a rather long story so I won't go into detail, but it was and still is a testimony builder. While he was in the program it was required that parents attend a training session twice a month. These training sessions entailed different ideas and techniques to try and also it was somewhat of a support group for parents of autistic children. After we got the diagnosis of autism we didn't know where to go for help or who to ask for advice when this program fell into our lap. With a waiting list of over two years it really was a blessing we got the full two years of the all day preschool program. Anyway, after Matthew graduated they have asked us every year to be part of a parent training session to help the new graduates navigate the public education system. I feel deeply indebted to this program (if you couldn't tell) so I am more than happy to do this even though I'd rather clean my toilet than do any sort of public speaking--which is saying a lot. I just remember how nervous we were to move into the world of public education. Although I miss Matthew being in the program with all the security it entailed and with teachers that truly wanted him to succeed, we have had a lot of good experiences with the different people we have come in contact with. Matthew definitely is not like the "normal" child, but the public education individuals have given us hope of Matthew's potential. I must say that every day is not easy, but I just have to say the really bad days help us appreciate the good. We have grown tremendously through this so called trial and even though it is not easy I wouldn't change anything. So year after year I am more than happy to help anyone who has to bare this burden any way I can--even if that is sharing my good and bad experiences. In short we are thankful for Matthew and for the many people who have taken the extra time to get to know him and help him.