Inspirations

Like I said before other people have been placed in my life to help me along my autism journey.

Xavier got to spend 6 glorious months at Harwood.

During that time, we had ABA therapy at out home, speech and language therapy and he made some significant gains.
I also learned EVERYTHING I could about what he would need.
Most of all,

I found that his tantrums were mainly because he realized he could no longer speak.
Since he and Jordan are only 17 months apart, he was watching Jordan communicate with me and everyone around him and was frustrated because he could not. Could you imagine how he was feeling?

Most of Xavier's behavior issues today are still due to his inability to speak. I am really considering teaching him sign language again, this time more intensely.


His speech therapist immediately taught him sign language for a few basics things.
Mainly for how to request items and to ask for food, drink and to ask for more.
He seemed to really catch on and some of his anxiety went away.


The Speech Therapist sent on daily note sheets to let me know what he worked on and what to work on with him at home.
I will never forget the day his speech therapist wrote in BIG Letters on his Daily Sheet " HE CAN TALK!"
I was motionless, I looked at him and he looked at me as he always odes with big eyes as if to say "what?"

Then I tried it, I did the sign for "drink" and he said it!  I cried. It had been sooo long since I had heard his voice. I had not realized he had lost ALL of his language before. SO that was it, I began forcing him to talk from that day forward.

He still doesn't talk much, but I can say God has made it such that Xavier is VERY expressive. I can almost always tell what he is feeling, just by looking at him and I praise God for that...

Now on to where my help came from!

Cassandra Sisk was over Xaviers' ABA therapy at Harwood. She had a student from the University of Memphis that was interning with her named Sherita and together they became Xavier's first ABA team.  Sherita reminded me of an older version of my niece Cierra so she and I hit it off great and she spent a lot of time at our home.
ABA therapy was BAD at first. Xavier would slap, kick and hit Cassandra and she would remain stoic and continued telling him to do things until he complied.
The rule was that once they took him in the playroom there was a table and chair he was to sit in and under NO circumstances could I open the door.. sounds simple, but when you hear your child screaming to the top of his lungs, IT IS VERY HARD TO DO.

I had a video baby monitor I got at Xavier's baby shower from my brother and his wife and Mark and I decided to put the camera in the room and hook it up to the TV in the den so we could See what was going on in the room and Cassandra humored us.

Many days I watched as what seemed like endless requests to do simple things like stand up, sit down, wave and when he didn't do it they would physically guide him, whether he liked it or not. He cried, screamed, and did what he could to get out of it. Even yelled one day to " Open Door" .. and I was thrilled...
But that is the way Xavier learned so many things, his colors, his body parts, to complete simple tasks.
Harwood Center and the staff gave Xavier a good start. The teachers were caring and loving and the staff was knowledgeable and supportive.. But Xavier aged out in 6 months and we had to go into the school system or " transition" as they call it.. or for me more like persecution...
But as he promised God sent me help.. once again ..but  this time he sent me a 'Goddess"..:-)