| Johnny will be four years old this summer, and he has
Autism. Johnny is very lucky in the fact his symptoms were noticed early
and he had a very dedicated Mommy who put hours, upon days, upon weeks
into researching Autism and the resources that can help. Thanks to her
efforts and some really special people, Johnny received lots of home
therapy and is now enrolled in early developmental pre-school classes.
John has never stopped working. He has spent more hours in learning
sessions than most kids do before they are in fourth grade. He has never
had a summer break and he has always been a trooper. I remember the
first few times I peeked in on Johnny in his home sessions, and I don't
think anyone could be as proud as I was to see how hard he concentrated
on his activities and lessons. And that has certainly continued into his
pre-school class. Johnny's determination and openly affectionate
personality is an inspiration. Especially to those who have had to deal
with the stress and frustration of raising a child with Autism.
Johnny still has a lot of work ahead of him and his determination (and
ours) is sure to be tested as he grows older. But, it would be remiss
not to appreciate where he is today. The list of advancements Johnny has
made is more than we dared dreaming of, even a year ago. To see him
talking, laughing, participating with other kids, running around the
house pretending to be a superhero (okay, Underdog...but he's getting
the idea!) These are all things we spent a lot of time preparing
ourselves to accept may never happen. We are well aware that anything
could still happen. As I said, we still have a long road with many
challenges and we are not ignorant to the possibility of regression.
But, for now, we are going to appreciate where he is, what he has done,
and what a lot of special people have done to get us all here.
~Paul Montani (Johnny's proud Dad)
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