I’ll start today’s post by saying that all the little ones I work with are amazing. They inspire me every day, and I’m very proud of all their progress. I will probably write here about each of them, but today I’ll begin with the youngest. He is not a child with autism, but he has a speech delay and a somewhat fiery temperament.

When he came for the evaluation with his parents, he was very calm and obedient—until he was asked to do something he wasn’t sure he could do, or to speak. His parents told me that they no longer live in Romania and would be leaving again in three months. So, we only had three months to work with him. I didn’t give the parents unrealistic expectations about major changes in such a short time, but I told them that anything was possible, especially since they were very willing to collaborate and be involved. This is extremely important, especially when behavioral challenges are present. Everything we work on in therapy must be continued and reinforced at home.

In the first sessions, my little one was very playful and eager for activities—but only activities that didn’t require much effort from him. He refused to imitate because he wasn’t sure he could, didn’t speak at all, and wouldn’t accept any help from me.

So, even though I knew time was short, I decided to go very slowly with him and make sure he completely trusted me. After each session, I discussed with the parents what they should do at home. The results came quickly. He gained confidence in me, started allowing me to help, and became very willing to learn new things, imitate, and speak when prompted. The progress was visible at home as well, since the parents continued the strategies we started in therapy. Inappropriate behaviors decreased significantly, he became more obedient both at home and in new environments, and little by little, he began speaking and understanding the role of language in daily life—even though he is only two and a half years old.

I chose to share his story first because he will be leaving soon, and because I’m very proud of him and the major progress he made in these three months. I’m also proud of his mother, who worked a lot with him at home and played an important role in therapy. I know I will miss my playful, loving little boy, but I am confident I will stay connected with him and his wonderful family, even from afar.

Lavinia Chirvase