Graduation

I observed our Learning Group the other day, in which a small group of children participate in a lesson led by a teacher (one of our Board Certified Behavior Analysts), while their individual therapists hang back and prompt them to attend to the teacher only as needed. I saw children greeting their friends, raising their hands, answering questions from the teacher, completing work independently, following along with instructions, singing a song together, commenting on their peers’ work, requesting help politely when needed, sitting quietly, taking turns lining up at the door, following their friends down the hallway, keeping their hands to themselves, and waving or saying, “See ya later,” or “Bye!” at the end of the group. It looked just like a small group lesson you would see in any school. It seemed ordinary, and that is what is so extraordinary about it.

This group of children did not have these skills when they started at Wedgwood’s Autism Center for Child Development (ACCD). As our first cohort of children graduates, I reflect on the changes I have seen in them since they started therapy with us three-and-a-half years ago. I remember vividly one of our first Circle Time sessions; one little girl was saying, “GREEN, GREEN, GREEN,” over and over, tears running down her cheeks, a little boy was banging his head against the floor while his therapist scrambled for a cushion to put down so he wouldn’t hurt himself, another little girl was screaming and crying and covering her ears, and the fourth child was crawling under the table attempting to bite the legs of the teacher, and all the therapists were doing their best to help the children participate. Now, these children are attending to instruction in their classrooms, sitting at the dinner table with their families at home, interacting with other children at playgrounds, cooperating during medical and dental visits, communicating their ideas with others, participating in all the activities you expect children to do – and graduating from our services.

In the past 4 years, Wedgwood’s ACCD, has expanded from serving just one child to working with 25 children daily. We have grown from a two-room operation to a center with 6 classrooms, a waiting area for families, conference rooms for parent training and meetings with other professionals, many bathrooms for toilet training, a kitchen for eating lunch with peers, observation and treatment rooms, an indoor playground, a group treatment area, and lots of room to learn and play! Therapy is based on the principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA), an empirically supported treatment for autism spectrum disorder, and is individualized to meet each child’s unique needs.

Learn more about the fun and life-changing services provided at Wedgwood by visiting Autism Center for Child Development or call (616) 965-3492