A Little Bit of Love Goes a LOOOONG Way……………….

What love can bring.............

Recently it was my privilege to work with an astonishing young man. I didn’t think so at first. I was asked to work with a young man named James who was 17, autistic and with an IQ under 60. It was time to determine if he should stay in Special Education or if, somehow, he had miraculously healed from autism and had recovered his intellectual ability. Usually these children can be quite difficult to test and often the reason is because the families do not treat them well.

Often these children grow without being accepted for who they are. The parents have difficulty accepting that their child will never be like all the other children. Although, in truth, no two children are alike. But with these children it is especially hard for parents. Somehow schools are somehow expected to wave a magic wand and make the problems go away. It is not unusual for children, with these conditions, to understand that somehow, someway, they are incomplete and they are unacceptable to society.

This boy was different. When I met him, he greeted me with the most amazing smile I had seen in a long time. His favorite word is “Happy” and he loves giving high-fives. WHen he did something right, his face would light up and he would yell “HAPPY”. There were several observers the day I worked with him and he won the heart of everyone there. He wanted a high-five from everyone and gave each person a special smile. In truth, it felt like his smile was just for you and no one could resist it. He is a child who is pure love. And I suspected he received only love in his life.

When I met his mother, I realized I was right. When I mentioned how wonderful her son was, her eyes lit. Yes, she said, he is the apple of her eye and if I thought she thought he was special, I should meet his grandmother. As far as grandma was concerned, no one matched James and James could do no wrong. Oh, he was expected to have manners and to behave but he was also completely accepted for who he is. He was allowed to be at this intellectual level of about 60 and he was not expected to even read beyond his capabilities. He could engage himself in activities that interested him and he was always greeted with “great job.”

This boy was amazing. He was able to screen out the presence of 5 other people in the room and concentrate on the task at hand. He tried every task presented to him to the best of his abilities. He was given tasks and I was careful not to move too far into his frustration area. He loves math and did well. He used his communication board to tell us his needs. He easily understood directions and these only needed to be repeated when the words became too difficult. 

Without a doubt, he was one of the easiest and most pleasurable children I have worked with in quite a while and his family, amazing. He was able to exude pure love and he had no fear of ever being hurt. He did not exhibit feelings of feeling inferior. He faced the world without fear - for in his world he was treated with love

This is my prayer for all children regardless of skin color, nationality, socio-economic status, intellectual level or any other reason that can come to mind.