Thank You for Believing in My Son
I chose a life of motherhood, but this motherhood chose me. A different one of sorts, a special needs one. And because of this, I have needed more help along the way. A lot more.
My son Noah wouldn’t be where he is today without our village, truly. Each person we’ve encountered on this journey has played a crucial role in our lives, and I am so grateful for each and every one of them.
There is one person in particular that I have been exceptionally thankful for lately, and that is our ABA therapist, Trisha.
It may sound odd, of all people to be the most thankful for a therapist. But unless you have lived in my world, you couldn’t understand the astronomical influence this person can have on your life.
She has been coming to my house five days a week for almost a year now, and has helped me through some of the most difficult times with Noah.
Autism is hard. It’s unpredictable. And a diagnosis doesn’t come with instructions on how to handle situations.
Nor am I a behavioral expert, a speech pathologist or an OT…I needed help. A lot of it.
She has provided this to me and so much more every step of the way.
This past summer, Noah developed a head hitting behavior. And prior to this, I remember hearing about kids on the spectrum who had self injurious behaviors, and not fully understanding what/when/how that sorta thing could happen. Not in a judging way of course…but boy do I get it now.
Now that’s my everyday.
And one particular afternoon in July, we were playing outside during Noah’s therapy session and something didn’t go his way. I don’t remember what it was exactly, but it angered him like no other. He immediately started screaming and crying, and I thought that would be it.
I remember feeling so confident that he wouldn’t hit his head on the drive way, I honestly don’t even think it crossed my mind. I thought my kid would know better, and that nothing in the world could upset him that much…I was wrong.
Noah hit his head on the cement, hard, and a couple times before I could get to him. And when I grabbed him, that just infuriated him more. I still till this day have never seen him so upset.
For the first and only time, I had to restrain my child in a hold so that he wouldn’t hurt himself, or me. It lasted four minutes, but felt like an eternity.
It was an unimaginable nightmare that had come to life, and I’m so grateful that Trisha was right by my side when it did.
She was calm, non judgmental, and talked me through what would become my hardest parenting moment. And while I know that it’s her job to do these things, she genuinely cares. I feel it everyday, and so does Noah.
And as a mom in the special needs world, she has been everything I’ve needed. Our world can be so isolating.
At times you can let your thoughts and worries get the best of you. And you can feel like no one understands how hard this all is. She does. She gets it. And she has become someone I can confide in.
The absolute best part about her though is that she believes in Noah like no other. Sometimes she even inspires me, his own mama who would go to the end of earth and back for him, to believe in him more.
She sees the worst of Noah, that’s just a fact and a part of therapy, but never once has her opinion of him changed. In fact, she cares for him more.
She sees past the behaviors, and the challenges…and sees a sweet, happy boy, who just needs a little more time, patience, and help. All the things she is more than willing to give to him every day.
She instills so much hope in me and our future, that I could never repay her for the changes she has brought in me…but I hope this letter will suffice.
Thank you Trisha. It’s because of people like you that make our days a little bit easier, and a little bit brighter.
Written by, Danielle Mager
Danielle is the proud mama to Noah, a handsome, silly, strong willed, almost three year old who also happens to be on the spectrum. Danielle blogs at story of noahism and shares their journey on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/storyofnoahism/.
(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Danielle Mager and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.)
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