Beyond Expectations: A Heartwarming Journey of Inclusion From Public School

My son Logan has been in public school since the beginning of his autism diagnosis. 

Something I wasn’t always sure of doing with a special needs child. 

Because the truth is that sending your nonverbal child to public school is terrifying. 

I’ve read the stories. I’ve seen the news. 

I feared for sending my beautiful boy to a place that may not protect him. 

It weighed so heavily on me. I was so afraid he wouldn’t be understood. 

That they wouldn’t be compassionate or patient with him. 

That they wouldn’t include him, or take care of him the way he deserved and needed. 

That they wouldn’t go the extra mile for him. 

That they wouldn’t love him for exactly who he was. 

Before he started school, I followed the common misconception that a smaller town wouldn’t be able to accommodate what he needed. 

That the resources they had wouldn’t be as good as they were in larger communities. 

That the teachers would somehow not be as great. 

But I was beyond wrong.

This picture was taken at his last night of miracle league baseball a few weeks ago. 

It was his first year with adaptive sports. 

Look at the smile on my son’s face. 

The pride. The joy. The love. 

It’s all there. In one single picture. 

A picture taken with his elementary special education teacher, one of his favorite para’s, and their daughters. 

They drove an hour away to see Logan play his last game. 

They showed up to support him and cheer for him. 

They showed up knowing that he doesn’t always participate, or that sometimes it can be too much for him. 

They showed up knowing that this night could have gone the opposite of the way it did. And they still came. They still made the drive. 

They showed up because they know him and love him for the boy he absolutely is. 

The boy whose smile lights up the room, and the boy who communicates with his eyes. 

Talk about a moment that absolutely overjoys you and calms you as a special needs mama. Rests your mind knowing the choice you made for him was the right one. 

Now we’ve had many moments since Logan started school that were a thing of beauty, but this moment was so much more. 

It was so personal, sweet, and meaningful for him. 

He knew they were there just for him. 

He felt their love and excitement. 

I stood back watching him with tears building up in my eyes. 

I couldn’t help but flashback over the last two years with his elementary school. 

The things he’s conquered already. 

The joys he’s felt. 

The prideful moments. 

The transitions and struggles. 

The new friends. 

The relationships he has with each of his helpers. 

The new experiences he’s gained. 

The things he’s learned. 

The good days and the not so good days. 

I couldn’t help but feel an enormous amount of gratitude and felt like we had absolutely won the jackpot. 

That he has the smaller school setting where he isn’t lost in the shuffle. 

A place where most everyone knows him because of the lovable joyous human that he is. 

It is everything I’ve always wanted for him. But I never expected this moment. 

I never expected them to go out of their way to come to his game. 

I didn’t even need to ask them to come, they just showed up. 

Because of the wonderful people they are, and the love they have for my son. 

They went above and beyond. 

The extra mile. 

And it was everything.

Written by Nikki Magnan of Big Little Logan