Services

I was asking myself now that it has been a few months (3 months of ABA, 6 months of extra speech and OT) whether the additional services Nathan is getting for autism are making a noticeable difference. I think that the answer is yes, but a subtle one. When I reflect on it,  I am noticing an increase in Nathan commenting on things that are actually going in in the world as opposed to songs and stories from his memory-- little things like "I tripped", or "ouch! That hurt me." I've noticed a bit more response to questions rather than ignoring them, and more appropriate use of "yes" and "no" (one of his speech goals). I notice an increase in following simple directions instead of ignoring those (take your cup to the kitchen and put it on the counter, bring me your shoes). Small things that add up to more engagement with people in appropriate ways. I know that he has met or progressed on the specific, measurable goals that are written for him, but the question for me is whether that makes a practical difference in his day-to-day functioning in the real world, outside of therapy. And I think that it does. And so we press on.