Story of My Autistic Son

My Amazing Austic Son, Matthew

Like most parents, I was terrified to learn that my beautiful little boy had Autism. But, did that stop Matt? No! He’s done some amazing things in the last nine years, since his diagnosis. I discovered many things about my son and what works with his autism.
What I discovered, first, was that he loved to play on my Dad's computer. He started this habit when he was barely able to speak at all. I began to check out CD-ROM's from the local Library. Programs like Leap Ahead, Reader Rabbit and Sesame Street were among the ones that helped him to learn his shapes and numbers, do basic addition and spelling. He also learned to speak some Spanish! We also used the Living Books series to help him learn to read. He was reading BEFORE he entered Kindergarten. Some years ago, Matt received a computer from his great-grandmother. He uses this computer for educational games and for age appropriate games (non educational). I find that the calmer the game theme, the better off he is. The calming effect can last anywhere from 30 minutes to as long as 4 hours. I have come to the conclusion that allowing the time on the computer is preferable to the TV, as long as the child is benefiting from it. Matt has learned about many different eras of history, geography, Egyptology, Mythology, Math, Science, Anatomy and many other subjects. This has been reflected in his academics, too. He has impressed his teachers with his knowledge. Incidentally, I will give full credit to my dad for teaching Matt how to play these wonderful Strategy Games. Without him, Matt would never have learned about these things. These games have also inspired him to talk to his friends about the games. One of them also happens to be autistic. It interested the child enough to help him make conversation with Matt, which for him is unusual (his friend, not Matt).
Music is good for the Autistic soul. Since before my son could walk, he's loved music. Even after his diagnosis, he continued to love music. He's been known to dance and sing along to artists like Enya, Clay Aiken or Evanescence. He also has a passion for everything Disney. To illustrate how important Music is, let me use this example. In 2006, Matthew performed in a school talent show. SINGING! His love of music did not care about his mental disability. He sang the theme song from Disney's "Brother Bear"(Phil Collins). He not only knew all the lyrics, he behaved appropriately. He also plays the keyboard. Up until 2 days ago, he could not read music. We use what they call BIG NOTE music pages. They display the letters by each of the notes. Making the VISUAL benefits even more pronounced. Matt was able to correctly play no less than a dozen different Christmas songs, having only heard them on the radio before. When we compared them to the visual music pages, they were accurate. That’s the amazing part. I can’t even do that!
I mentioned his love of Disney. I will add that his interests include (but are not limited to) SpongeBob Squarepants, Power Rangers, Star Trek, Transformers, Star Wars and many others. But, here’s the absolutely amazing thing. Take any voice you can think of from Star Wars. I’ll use Yoda and Darth Vader. Now, picture this. You are relaxing, reading a book, while your son plays with some of his toys. The next thing you hear is the voice of Darth Vader saying “you don’t know the power of the Dark Side!” Your head jerks around and you could swear that you had NOT put the 3rd installment of Star Wars in the DVD player today! But, amazingly, the voice is coming from Matthew! He can produce voices from nearly every movie he’s ever seen. He’s even been likened to Jim Carrey. And yes, he can do the voice of the Mask, too! He’s made toddlers do a double take with his impressions of Sponge Bob and Elmo.
I have also seen him reenact a complete book of Dr. Suess, voices and all. He performed this for his 2nd grade class 4 years ago, to rave reviews from the children and the teachers.
Sometimes, it’s a little scary because you might not know what he’s talking about. But, the “scripting” as I like to call it, is his way of coping with the outside world and being biased, I think he’s talented. Matt loves to do his voices and sometimes it’s hard to stop him.
Matt also loves to go to the movies. He loves Harry Potter, and recently got into Bridge to Terabithia, Happy Feet and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He also loves to watch old Tom and Jerry cartoons. He even likes the Three Stooges and the old animated Superman cartoons. None of which I mind. Hey, I like Superman. But, then again, what kid doesn’t like Superheroes. Matt makes me remember how much fun being a kid should be. Magic and Superheroes is a winning combination for him.
I can also proudly say that thanks to the help of his alternative school, he’s doing great academically and emotionally as well. He’s made great strides thanks to the awesome teams of people who have worked with him during the last 9 years. They have helped him by incorporating many of his interests into his reward system at school.
We hope that his future will incorporate his love of vocal impressions and computers. Hopefully, someday, we will see his name in the credits of the newest Disney movie. So, stand back Robin Williams! Here comes Matt!