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Aaron's Story By
Kelli Bouck
Our family has
been so blessed
with the
presence of
Aaron. We
welcomed our
first child into
the world on
September 23,
2000 with a full
head of black
hair and
weighing in at 9
pounds 8
ounces. Because
Aaron was our
first child, we
weren’t sure
what to expect
as far as
development. I
had chosen to
breastfeed, but
Aaron made it
very clear that
this was not for
him – even
stumping the
lactation
consultant. We
figured he
couldn’t breathe
well and fed him
breast milk from
a bottle.
We knew we were
lucky when Aaron
was so happy to
be left to
himself, not
only as a baby,
but also as a
toddler. Having
worked with
Autistic adults
in the past, I
thought I
recognized some
behaviors in
Aaron that were
not usual in a
typically
developing
child. We were
reassured by
friends, speech
therapists and
pediatricians
that shaking
hands and lining
up toys are
perfectly normal
behaviors for
children under
one year of
age. Before
Aaron turned 2,
he began naming
his letters and
recognizing them
in any setting.
He knew his
numbers to 12
and knew all
shapes,
including the
octagon. Yet he
only spoke a few
words such as
“miggit” for
milk. He
started with a
speech therapist
from ECI at 15
months. While
playing with her
I noticed he
would blink his
eyes and scrunch
up his whole
face. I asked
if it was a tic
and she said it
seemed more like
a game because
we would snicker
when he did it.
At about 2 ½
years Aaron
began saying
more words and
used Echolalia
to answer
questions. He
always insisted
on listening to
one song over
and over and he
would “sing”
along. His
pitch has always
been amazing.
The first time
Aaron answered a
question in his
own words was
after he turned
3. At 3, ECI
ended their
services with
Aaron and we
were instructed
that the school
district would
deem him on
target and would
not place him in
their services.
Aaron was a head
banger right
away. He would
find a sharp
corner or piece
of ground and
test it slowly
before he would
ram him head at
it full speed.
If he didn’t
cry, he’d do it
again harder.
He never really
bonded with his
mommy and shrunk
away from touch
quite often.
His pediatrician
diagnosed him
with Sensory
Integration
Disorder and we
began treatment
for a short
time, until
money ran out.
Aaron’s behavior
was explosive
and he would
have meltdowns
lasting over an
hour. Once he
started
screaming and
biting himself,
there was
nothing that
could calm him
down. His
speech was
greatly
improving by 3 ½
years, but
socially he was
still not
appropriate in
his speech and
behavior. I
took him to the
Coppell School
District to see
if he qualified
for speech
services and the
evaluator asked
if she could put
together a team
to evaluate him
farther. I
asked her if she
suspected Autism
and she said
that this would
be what the
evaluation would
determine. The
diagnosis came
back… severely
autistic. I
knew instantly
this wasn’t
right – if
autistic – Aaron
has a very mild
case. It was
explained that
Aaron exhibits
all of the
symptoms of
autism- so
regardless of
the degree of
these symptoms,
the amount he
did exhibit
classified him
as severe. He
was placed in
the Preschool
Program for
Children with
Disabilities (PPCD)
classroom with
the school
district and
showed
improvement
immediately. I
then took Aaron
to a
Developmental
Pediatrician and
he was diagnosed
with mild
autism.
Even with a
diagnosis it
seemed there
were few, if
any, resources
to help us teach
Aaron proper
social behavior
and calming
techniques.
As Aaron became
aggressive to
others we knew
we needed a
behavioral
therapist. I
had a number of
people show me
an article in
the newspaper
about Tracy
Woodall and her
foundation – The
Brent Woodall
Foundation for
Exceptional
Children. Our
regular
pediatrician
also recommended
this program and
we were accepted
in shortly
after. Tracy,
Carley and
Carmen came to
our house and
while Tracy
spoke with me,
Carley, Carmen,
and later Irina
worked with
Aaron in the
other room to
evaluate his
skills. Tracy
explained to me
why some of his
behaviors were
useful to him
and helped us
set up a
behavior plan,
in the form of a
chart, where we
rewarded Aaron
for behaving
appropriately in
difficult
situations.
Transitions were
especially
difficult for
Aaron and this
chart addressed
that. She
taught us to
focus on the
positive and not
to use negative
phrases, which
only made Aaron
angry. The plan
worked instantly
and Aaron’s
behavior
improved, along
with our
understanding of
Aaron’s thought
process.
Penny came to
administer the
WPPSI, which was
helpful as we
realize Aaron is
right there
where his peers
are in most
areas. The
Foundation has
helped us better
understand the
school system
and we’ve been
empowered with
that knowledge.
We are very
fortunate that
Aaron’s case is
so mild, but I
know these
improvements in
behavior have
come as a direct
result of Tracy
and her staff
working with
Aaron and our
family on ways
to better handle
stressful
situations.
Last month
Aaron’s Special
Education
teacher with the
PPCD program
informed me that
Aaron will be
placed in
regular
Kindergarten
next year with
only minor
special
education
support,
assuming there
is no regression
seen throughout
this school
year. Aaron is
on his way to
leading a normal
and very
fulfilling
life. |
