JOHN'S WORLD OF AUTISM

By John Crawford

There are those special moments as parents in which words nor pictures can adequately convey. May 30th, 2007 holds one of moments for our family. While graduating from high school seems a given and a must-have for us working adults, it is a definate achievement for our children.  However, when your child is autistic, the sense  of achievement takes on a different face. 

While the other 300 plus graduates of Surrattsville High School will go off to college and/or full-time jobs, John will eventually attend a day rehabilitation program. Basically, it's a work-study program for handicapped people.

I had the honor of walking him across the stage of the Showplace Arena, in front of several thousand people. While the ceremony went off without a hitch (meaning no fits from John), the day didn't start out that way. We got everyone up early, ready and out the door. We even got the the Arena at 8:30AM, an hour before the graduation was to begin.

But John had different plans. After we parked, and was walking towards the Arena, we noticed that John had a "wardrobe malfunction" and would require a change of clothes. Those of you with these kinds of children know what I'm talking about. Luckily, we had opted to not put the good clothes on him nor his gown. If we had, the whole thing would've been a bust.  I managed to get him cleaned up and redressed with plenty of time to stand around and for him to get frustrated.

His teachers, as they had done for the past 18 years, were there in force, and guided John through till the end of the ceremony. My appreciation for them, throughout the years, is a greater debt than I could ever repay. What they have to do every day, what they have to put up with, and they do it with a smile. All I can say is they can't possibly be getting paid adequately for their efforts. 

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