I had totally forgotten that I had signed up for this until I got a reminder email just a few minutes ago. So here is my obligatory blog post advertising the Walk for Autism that Matt and I will be participating in. I want to share with you our experience with Autism, but I’ll be honest… this is basically a plug asking for your $20 donation to Autism Speaks. More on that later.
As most of you are aware, Matt has been working with kids with Autism and their teachers and families for over five years now. He sort of fell into this role on accident and realized, providentially, that it was his dream career. Knowing what we know now, it’s impossible to see him in any other role. He is just SO GOOD at this. So a Masters and a Certificate program later, here we are.
Matt is a Behavior Analyst that works with kids using Applied Behavior Analysis. What this means is that he’s the mack daddy of molding inappropriate behaviors into those that are appropriate, and bring a better quality of life to these kids. This comes in many forms, because each kid with Autism is totally unique. Some of them are teenagers still in diapers and in need of potty training. Some of them have tantrums because they don’t like different food textures. Some of them are self-injurious – it runs the whole gamut.
Kids with Autism are in a remarkable situation as they often cannot communicate as they would like. Many of them also have other diagnosis such as downs or mental retardation. No matter what you might read in the news, NOBODY knows the cause of Autism yet. It has been found that early intervention can really help these kids live much better lives, so it’s important for Behavioral Analysts (B.A.’s) like Matt to interact with them consistently and often in their early years. Especially until the research has found possible reasons and/or cures.
As you can imagine, living with a child with Autism can really do a number on a family emotionally. These families are some of the strongest and resilient people ever. But that’s only part of what you see. The financial strain can be overwhelming. In really progressive states like Massachusetts, taxpayers pay for much of the early intervention as the school districts are responsible for providing it. But in other states like Tennessee, the school districts are incapable of funding this kind of intervention, so it is paid for by health insurance. Both have their challenges and both have a LOT of red tape. Many families wind up paying for services out of pocket, which can really drain them.
Over the past five years, Matt has been able to teach these kids to feed themselves, to use the bathroom, to stop hitting other kids, to communicate through many different methods, and to stop injuring themselves. He’s assisted their teachers in improving curriculum so these children can learn more effectively. He’s taught parents how to be more consistent, and they have seen results.
Your donation to Autism Speaks essentially funds more of this good work to be done. It funds research, education and support programs for families. It can remove some of the financial and the emotional burden for parents who are living with this every day. And it also helps to increase awareness and improve legislation so that educational standards and quality of life standards are raised for these kids.
If you feel inclined, here’s a link to Matt’s Walk Now support page and to my page as well. We don’t have huge fundraising goals, but every little bit counts.
Thanks for reading!
