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| ABOUT US |
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Our personal journey with Autism Spectrum Disorder: My son Zachary was born July 1995. I must say the happiest and proudest moment of my life. I remember looking at him and thinking life for you will be different than it has been for me. I will make sure you feel whole and secure with whom you are. I will make sure your self-esteem is always high so that you feel you can accomplish anything the world may throw at you. I am sure every parent has had a similar moment. As we have the life experience to know how you can get knocked off course and have a hard time finding your way back. Not my son I will make sure I am there to catch him when he falls. I myself was a very shy child. From the get go afraid of anything new. To the point I felt paralyzed at times. It was very important to me that if I saw my son starting to experience that I would guide him through with ease. As you know life throw a curve ball and all of the above came crashing down. Yes for a time I made it about how I felt what it meant for our family when he was diagnosed with Asperger`s/ADHD a five years old. He had so many challenges. Socially, well he was a mess. To watch him in play groups just became painful. So we avoided them, withdrew to the safety of our home. As I look back I have to say that that was not one of the proudest moments of my life. I failed the promise I had made him and still making it about me. Let me explain, Zach did not stop moving. He would invade other children`s personal space to the point it would cause other parents to become upset. Looking back now I cannot blame them, but at the time I became defensive and angry. So began the retreat to our home. Then all of a sudden Zach would not sleep. Maybe two hours a night. He would not sit for a meal always running around the table. Food choices limited. Forget taking him to the grocery store. He was out of control, trying to take control of the cart screaming and yelling throwing himself down on the floor. I can`t tell you how many times I heard “that kid needs a spanking” Then entered preschool, he made it two weeks before I received a call from the director to come pick him up! He destroyed the classroom. I was told he could not come back until we took him for testing! I took him in to see our family doctor explained all of Zach`s behaviors. I told him “there is something wrong”. He then pulled out a pen and a piece of paper and had him draw shapes. Conclusion, “he is just smarter than the kids his age” Then offered me an anti-depressant and told me to calm down. So as a family we went with that for awhile. Zach has always been academically gifted. So in our minds it made sense. But the behaviors became worse. He started sucking on the front of him shirt. Always wet around the collar. He wanted to be social but did not know how to do it. He would act up around his peers and yes they would run the other direction. My husband was then transferred to Indiana. It was a blessing. I finally found someone to listen to me. And after a lot of testing ,we were told his condition was Aspergers /ADHD. I did panic for a short time. I made so many phone calls trying to find someone to “fix” him. I fell in to a world of OT`s, speech therapist, Psychologist, IEP`s social groups the list goes on and on. Then on one of my many phone calls a mother of a child in the spectrum said, “So what if he marches to his own drum” “so what if he is different he is still Zach”. That very moment changed my whole way of thinking it changed the crazy course I was on. I cannot remember the name of that mother but thank you for being the my voice of reason thank you for that life changing moment. When Zach was 9 yrs old I received yet another call from the school about his behavior. I would become upset every time I saw the schools number on the caller id. That day I was heading out to a therapist appointment for Zach. In the car I said “God if there is anything else I should be doing to help Zach PLEASE tell me. I don`t know what to do anymore.” At the appointment his therapist mentioned The Sensory Center. As soon as I left I drove over to the Center and made an appointment to learn more. We decided to do the program. We noticed that he started to understand the skills that his Occupational Therapist and Speech Therapist had been working on for so long. All of a sudden he understood facial expressions and body language. Skills we had been trying to teach him for years. He stopped sucking on the front of his shirts and yes clothes stayed on! Social interaction became more and more natural. We found that the therapy at The Sensory center was the stepping-stone he needed to gain the skills from the other therapies. I believe it takes a village. Without the sensory therapy, the OT`s, speech therapist and psychologist he would not be where he is today. I then started to work for the center. I became a certified Auditory integration practitioner. And when the opportunity presented itself to purchase the center I did not hesitate. Through my son`s disabilities I have found my life`s path and what a beautiful gift he has given me. I have also had to push through my own shyness and fears to become the very best mother and advocate I can be for him. We as a family have come full circle. We now know Zach never needed to be “fixed.” The Asperger`s does not define Zach, but Zach defines who he is. Thank you to all the families that I have had the pleasure to work with and to talk to. Thank you for sharing part of your journey with me. Leslie Greenwald The Sensory Center 13295 Illinois Street Carmel, IN 46032 317-815-3829 www.indysensorycenter.com |