What an honor it was to spend the morning with Skyler. I truly can’t believe that 13 years have past between my first and what was likely my last “muffins with mom.”
So many emotions are going through my mind as I look at the photos of then and now…
Age 7 – Skyler was weeks away from closing out his final year of public school at this moment and even though I was smiling, I was panicking. At that time, there was limited space in this special education classroom and with us being out of district (our district elementary school couldn’t accommodate Skyler), I needed a new plan and fast. After many months of prayer and research about alternatives to public school, I found a new ABA / Autism Center that welcomed us with open arms. Skyler attended that program for seven years before moving to similar Autism Center that was brand new & closer to home.
Age 20 – We find ourselves in a similar position and I’m again in panic mode. Skyler is roughly a year away from closing out this chapter of his life due to the unfortunate policy of traditional services ending at age 21-22. With the absence of day programs and a lengthy waiting list for one service that offers 1:1 community support, reality is setting in that all the prayers and research in the world may not provide results this time.
Age 7 – Skyler needed assistance eating his muffin and with all meals due to the lack of strength needed to handle the utensils. In addition, all his food & drinks were routinely placed out of reach because of his overwhelming impulse to swipe them directly to the floor.
Age 20 – Skyler still requires assistance with meals because even though he’s grown and developed in so many areas, fine motor skills remain a challenge due to his significantly low muscle tone. We’ll never stop working to strengthen his body & skills.
However, despite those comparisons of the past and present, gathered from a few images, what is most evident to me when looking at these photos … smile or no smile, is that Skyler appears to enjoy my company and is proud to call me MOM.
