Matthew began his life as a resident of a training school on June 29, 1992. He is on a 24 hour IEP and enjoys an indoor heated swimming pool, horse back riding, bike trails, and several state-of-the-art playgrounds. He slept from the very first day and never exhibited any adjustment problems. Now he prefers to be there, which is his home. Things are predictable. Life is very structured. As a "Runner", he is safe within the forty acre facility which is fenced completely.
Matt is the older boy by two years but Lee is the Big Brother! They love each other very much and are every bit brothers although miles separate them. I do not believe that residential placement is the answer for all autistic children and adults. Many function well in society, for instance, Sameka, on my classpage. However, Matty does not recognize danger. He is a "runner", and he can figure out locks faster than I can buy them. He also will ingest anything. I thought about putting my "FIREWALKER" story here but I decided we could all live without that memory. Yes, I wish I could have him home with me but it didn't work out to be in his best interest. Today I learned that he is moving the the big boys dorm next week. I feel like he's reached another milestone. He's been on the same dorm since he got there. When he leaves the big boys dorm, he'll either be headed to a group home or to another city in a facility for adults. Please pray in the next seven years I will find appropriate interventions and therapies that my son will be able to function in a group home. I want so much for him. I want instant spontaneous recovery yesterday, but I love him so much that I want him to have some better quality as far as his interactions with others and abilities to function. Please pray for my Matty.