A Shout Out To & From Our Graduates

By Linda Andron-Ostrow

As I sit down to write this, I don’t know how to express my gratitude for the opportunity to share this journey with so many families and young people. I am also grateful for all the knowledge I have gained from so many other dedicated professional. My heartfelt thanks to all the parents who have stayed the course and now celebrating success as they send their graduates into the world. 

Graduation time reminds me of the full arc experience we all go through in different faucets of our lives. We embark on a new journey and those journeys eventually reach completion, allowing time for a new journey. This can be a time period at school, a time period in therapy, a time period learning a new skill, etc. 

Fred also graduated – but not only from high school, but in also achieving the next level in his intervention. His words are at glimpse into the world of autism, a resounding endorsement of developmental intervention, when it is truly seen through completion. Moreso, it’s an important reminder to all of us that humor is a language that bridges differences and that the sole focus of autism can prove a gift for both individuals on the spectrum and those that are privileged to know and love them. Enjoy Fred’s words below….

      Imagine that your parents have taken you over to one of their friend’s houses. Inside this house is a variety of antique objects but you don’t notice any of them. The only thing you can see is this reddish blue Dreamcatcher that keeps spinning. You try to grab it but someone keeps on stopping you. You don’t know why they won’t let you touch it, but you don’t know how to ask them why or tell them how you like how it spins and that you won’t break it. All you can do is whine and scream over this simple Dreamcatcher that you want more than anything else. This is what it is like to have autism.

      Before I turned two years old, I was developing like any other kid that didn’t have autism. But soon after that I lost the ability to speak. My parents began doing what they could to help me get better. They joined the Autism Society of Los Angeles and learned about Relationship Development Intervention (RDI). It takes lots of effort and while my parents tried to teach me developmental skills, it was up to me whether I could improve or not. I was the one who had to connect with the lessons and understand that this is how I should act; this is how I can communicate with others. Through RDI, I also came to realize that my ADHD was something that I could use to my advantage. Where autism forces me to be silent, extremely focused, rigid, ADHD would counter my autism by how it always pulls my focus to many different things and how it always makes me want to talk. Even though I regained my speech when I was about 3 years old, I still had a myriad of social issues. I missed social cues, repeated whole episodes of my favorite shows, and barely had any friends since I was a “wild” kid. Still, I pushed to become a better person. I paid attention to the meetings they had at group and other autism activities. I listened to when my dad pointed out the cues and tricks to social situations. I also found many ways that I can use to help me cope with my unique problem. I use soccer, athleticism, and humor to help me gain friends and deal with my social problems. As it puts me into social environments where my humor can help me meet people.

      After many years of RDI, self-perseverance, and lots of work, I have reached the level of success that I am at now. It is no longer so obvious that I have autism and I have many more friends than I ever did before. While my autism will always be with me, I will continue to find ways to overcome it. I have recently found that I can use it to make me focus on specific subjects to a point of extreme dedication.

We wish all of our graduates a life of growth, gratitude, and achievement.