Paths to Independence

With his hands clasped in ours, Shawn and I led Benjamin through the double doors of the Paths to Independence (PTI) school for autistic students to attend their open house and view their new (to them) facility. Crossing the thresh hold represented so much for our family. It was the glowing reviews for this unique school that prompted us to pursue having our son tested for autism, which was confirmed in May. We are in a brand new season of learning about Benjamin's dual diagnosis and providing the best opportunities we can for his growth and development. His enrollment in PTI is a huge answer to prayer. The school is private and accredited, and employs a very large staff, ensuring the students have the vital one-on-one interaction they need to thrive. As a result, the price of tuition is high. Thankfully, most students are eligible to receive a large state scholarship, greatly reducing the cost. Benjamin was approved, but we still needed some additional assistance. Through fundraising efforts and the generosity of friends and family, we were able to cover nearly half of the remaining cost of his tuition. The leftover amount we owe is much friendlier for our one income family. We are beyond grateful that the way was made for our son's education this year! Back to the open house...

Since their recent founding in 2012, PTI was operating out of a former daycare facility, as well as renting some building space across the street. As the school has quickly grown it became necessary for them to find a larger facility. Thankfully, they are now able to rent a former elementary school building in the heart of our town! Benjamin was given the opportunity to attend a few free days during their summer program before they transitioned to the new building. I had been impressed at how efficiently they had used the space they had to work with prior, but it was thrilling to see the new opportunities available for the staff and students now that they are housed in an actual school building!

Our first stop was in Benjamin's classroom. It was spacious, bright, and inviting, and our little guy wasted no time in wandering around and checking it all out! His initial look of surprise as he processed where we were quickly changed into a smile of delight. There is no doubt that he loves school. He was especially excited about an open area of carpet and happily planted himself in a nice comfy spot as he rejoiced in the new, yet familiar surroundings!

 

 

Once we convinced him to relinquish his spot on the carpet, we headed across the hall to the large resource room designed for his class. It was full of sensory stations, as well as tables and chairs where the younger students can eat their lunch. This room is designed to compliment the main classroom, and it offers a place for the students to go if they need a separate space to calm down should they become over-stimulated (a common need for children with autism.) Once again Benjamin was happy to explore, and Shawn had a bit of fun himself...I'm sure he'll forgive me for posting the picture!!!

  

  

  

Next we headed to the gym, which offers a large trampoline, a ball pit, sensory swings, etc. Benjamin enjoyed wandering around, but his highlight was getting up on the trampoline. We are still working on his balance, so he prefers to lay on his stomach, but he enjoys gentle bouncing. When Daddy got in with him, his excitement hit an all time high! It was so much fun to watch him so clearly enjoying himself! (Not to mention Shawn...)

 

During our time there that evening we also viewed the two separate playgrounds and spent time visiting with teachers and staff. One thing that really warmed my heart was the multiple, first name greetings my son received from so many as we walked the halls and visited the rooms. As I mentioned earlier, Benjamin attended some free days over the summer, but it was clear that he was already known and loved by the staff. Paths to Independence is a small school, but it has experienced rapid growth. When it made it's initial launch five years ago, they had one student enrolled. By the end of the year they had four full-time students and several part-time students. They received their accreditation the following year, and they are beginning this school year with 46 students, spanning elementary to high school. In the school's own words:

Paths to Independence was founded to offer a supportive school community for children with autism and their families. We believe all students can learn and focus on helping each child develop as much independence as possible in all aspects of his/her life. PTI believes all children will thrive in an appropriate environment, so we will exhaust all possible options to help a child succeed. Paths to Independence believes that a strong family is essential for a child's success. Part of our mission is to give families and students the tools they need to be a full part of their communities. Paths to Independence accepts all children with an autism spectrum disorder.

  

At the time of this writing, Benjamin has attended seven full days of school, and so far it's been a wonderful experience. He is thriving within the intentional structure of the days as he works on realistic goals physically, socially, and educationally. His classroom teacher is a gentle, grandmotherly woman with a big heart for the children and years of experience. He does very well with her. He is also quickly becoming a favorite among the aids! Each morning I drop him off in the big, circle drive where a few of them are waiting to escort students inside. My son gives me an affectionate goodbye and does his little happy dance of bobbing up and down, all geared up for another day of school. They love it! I pick him up in his classroom each afternoon and find him calmly working one-on-one with an aid. He is always delighted to see me and commences his happy dance once again! 

We are already seeing some little signs of breakthrough in his attention and socialization. One day after school last week his teacher told me that Benjamin happily engaged in play with her using a sensory ball for ten minutes! This may not seem like much to some, but it has been a big deal for us if he will do something like this for even two minutes. The next day he even chose the sensory ball over a snack, and this kid NEVER turns down food!

The most touching moment for me thus far came yesterday when I dropped my son off for the last day of the week. His teacher was intentional to come out and stop me before I could take off. We had a meeting with her before the school year began, and I had mentioned that I wrote a book about our early journey with Benjamin. I told her I would be happy to bring her a copy, if she was interested, so she could have a better understanding of our son's history. She happily agreed, and I gave her a copy at the end of last week. Yesterday she told me that she had already finished reading it and had passed it along to some of the aids. She found it touching and inspiring, and with tears in her eyes she told me that it brought back some personal memories as she began to unfold her own story...

She told me that one of her children, a daughter, was born with a congenital heart defect (as was Benjamin). At first my heart sank, thinking I knew where her story was going, but I was wrong! Her daughter had open heart surgery while she was in the third grade, and was one of only three children in the USA to survive this particular surgery up to that point in time! She said that my book brought back so many memories--things she had not thought about for years. It was then that she revealed to me the most stunning part of her story. Her daughter is the founder and director of Paths to Independence! I never even knew they were related! She said to me, "The Lord knew she had important things to accomplish." WOW!

I thanked her for sharing her story and told her how very thrilled we are to have Benjamin attending PTI. She re-emphasized how well he's doing and how happy they are to have him. He is their first student with the dual diagnosis of Down syndrome and autism, though she and her daughter have both worked with children with Down syndrome in the past. I mentioned that I am learning that this is a good dual diagnosis to have because the Down syndrome often helps as a buffer for some of the struggles associated with autism, especially in areas such as socialization, affection, and overall temperament. (Now I realize that there are many other factors that come into play with this as well, such as home environment, personality, cognitive ability, etc...). She affirmed this observation and said that her daughter has always been excited to have children with Down syndrome present with children with autism because they often become good role models for behavior. They feel they are already seeing this at work with Benjamin. 

As we said our goodbyes, and I drove away, my heart was overflowing with gratitude to the Lord. Each morning as I drive my son to school, one of the things I pray is that he will be blessed AND be a blessing. In such a sweet and unexpected way, He was showing me that my prayers are already being answered. It's going to be a great year!