2.13.2004

We Are Doing the Right Thing

Leelo doesn't have occupational therapy on Friday mornings during February, so this morning we went and had some Mommy/Leelo cafe time. As we sat down, surprise! We were joined by Rook, his parents who were visiting from out of town, and Badger's mom. It was quite pleasant but I wish Iz had been there to challenge Rook's mom to a chattiness contest.

Rook's mom is the head of pediatrics at a hospital back East, and his dad is a child psychiatrist. They were both very knowledgeable about autism and ABA therapy, asked Leelo and me lots of questions, and ended up professing skepticism about our boy's diagnosis (he was very attentive, social, well-behaved, and well-spoken this morning). After I was able to form words again, I told them that they should have seen him in July, before his program started, as they'd have had no doubts about his diagnosis at that point. Rook, looking somewhat overwhelmed but valiant as ever, backed me up.

Now, they only saw the boy for an hour in a loud, crazy restaurant. He was sitting in a high chair the whole time, so they didn't get to see him run around, beset with attacks of the crazies. But the fact that two child development professionals could ever say this about Leelo is just astounding. It could be that, since it was a social situation, they were just trying to give me hope--but from what Badger has said, her in-laws never shy away from frankness.

Badger's mom was also very interested, or was at least exceedingly polite during all the autism/development talk. I am going to give her a copy of Let Me Hear Your Voice.

This ABA stuff, it's working. Unbelievable.

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