Our story has developed over the years. Working with children both internationally and domestically taught us a lot of what we know today. While not each of these children had special needs, they had something special about them- the ability to teach us just as much as we were teaching them. Those lessons moved us forward into working better, and more efficiently as educators and mentors. What we didn’t yet know was that we were about to receive our greatest teacher of all. His name is Jazzy, and he is amazing! He has one of the most creative minds, and he can find magic in the world around him that others simply do not have the ability to see. He can turn everyday things, into items of pure fascination. He has an unbelievable memory, and can pull from his mind things that he was only just exposed to briefly. He turns everyday into an adventure with his gift of a mind free from what society and some medical experts have labeled in the past as “normal” (spoiler alert: there is no such thing as “normal”) Jazzy has a superpower! It’s called Autism.
Like every superhero however, Jazzy does have his weaknesses. His Kryptonite was his inability to tell us everything that he was thinking and feeling in a rational way (daily meltdowns), becoming overwhelmed in situations and fleeing, attempts at self harm (scratching, biting, hitting himself), physical harm to others (hitting, scratching, and kicking- to the point of broken bones), and more.
Jazzy has taught us so much in his 7 years, and we have been able to work with him in getting to a beautiful place. Gone are the days of routine meltdowns, fleeing, attempts at self harm and harming others, and a new dawn has crested on the horizon. He is engaging with his peers using proper social interactions, showing empathy towards others, advocating for himself when he needs to in order to prevent fleeing and meltdowns, and so much more. He is flourishing and the most wonderful part of it all is seeing he has kept his magic throughout the process.
Working with countless students has been life changing on it’s own. Seeing these children grow and having the ability to mold their young minds with educational supports has been nothing shy of a gift. Having a child with Autism of our own, and watching them struggle with things that you know you can help if you just had the right tools, changes you at your core. All children are precious, and need the right supports put in place for them to succeed, but some of our children need just a little extra support to learn how to harness their superpowers.