She Said That? 4/23/17

From Roberta Gore, mother of Austin Gore, Rescued: a story of hope & help for parents of children with autism (2015):

My life was spent shuttling him to and from preschools and therapies, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. All I could think of was he had to be able to survive in society. I didn’t tell people what was going on with Austin—I didn’t want him to be labeled or shunned. Other parents might be thinking he was different, but I didn’t discuss it.

It’s amazing how much energy he had to do all these things. He went to two preschools and a therapy afterward everyday. Through the years, most of his teachers were great (some were outstanding), some not, but he advanced academically and somewhat socially. At one point Austin was supposed to be “student of the month.” There is no way this shy child was going to go in front of the entire school to accept the award. I taught him the trick of having someone in the audience to look at. A woman I worked with had taught me that many years before when I had to address a room full of people. I planted myself near the front and he looked at me when he got nervous. It worked beautifully. He was able to accept the award.