Community Corner
Thirty-One Seconds
A mother of a boy with autism writes about another milestone in her son's life
It was thirty-one seconds. Just the blink of an eye.
The video sent to me by his teacher seemed ordinary enough. A tween inching precariously to the edge of a mat, then taking the plunge and jumping.
It seemed like an ordinary few seconds of film.
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Except it wasn’t. It was sheer determination. It was accomplishment.
It was progress.
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Today, after 10 years of myself, his teachers, and a bevy of physical therapists working with him, my severely autistic son jumped off a mat independently and nailed his landing. I held my breath as I watched him gain confidence with each attempt, saw his pure focus, his desire to try again without needing a prompt. I admit my eyes welled as I saw him land his jump independently for the first time, the hint of a satisfied smile flickering across his face.
I think of my friends’ 11-year-olds, some in soccer, some landing the lead in their school plays, some taking on leadership roles. My son’s accomplishment is no lesser, nor greater, than these. I think for the thousandth time how grateful I am that I once taught, that I learned early on the joy of taking a child from where they were to where their potential permitted them to be, the value in making progress on one’s own terms and no one else’s.
I admit, I watch the video again.
I long to hug him and whisper praise in his ear, and know I will show him the video when he gets home so I can do this in context. He cannot share his pride in words, but I know it exists simply from that brief smile that crossed his handsome countenance. I am so proud of his courage, his burgeoning independence, his tenacity of spirit.
I am just so proud period.
And for the thousandth time, once again I reflect on how lucky I am to be his mom.
For more on my family visit my blog at autismmommytherapist.wordpress.com/
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