Monday, April 13, 2015

10 Things We Want Our ABA Therapists to Know


We are embarking upon a new chapter in our lives.  This transition is definitely bittersweet.  We have decided to enroll Jacob into an ABA clinic that accepts our insurance and after a long waiting list period, he will be attending next Monday.  We are excited for this new journey, but with the change comes some sadness.  The therapists with Houston ABA that have been working 1 on 1 with Jacob will no longer be with him.  After coming to our home each day for years, they have simply become family and certainly are family to Jacob, so I wanted to list out the top 10 things that I really want Jacob's therapists to know. 
10. I know how stressful your job is and I am so thankful for human beings like you that work with special kids like Jacob and never let that stress show.
9.  Your enthusiasm with Jacob, your joy and laughter are contagious. No matter how you felt, if you were a little sick or sleepy, you always put on a huge smile and ran all around with Jacob just to help him and make him laugh. You are a superhero to us.
8. I am so thankful to you for never showing your frustration.  ABA is long tedious work with loads of data, data, and more data. Your never-ending patience is an amazing quality.
7.  Thank you for always being careful with my other kids.  They saw you coming in every day and often wanted attention or to tell you stories about their lives and you never blew them off.  You always took the time to make them feel important in that moment.  That kindness meant so much to us.
6.  I am so thankful for what you have shown me, my husband and my older kids regarding how to teach Jacob and how to play with him in a way that is both fun and a learning experience. What we have learned by simply watching you is worth so much.
5.  Thank you for not taking it easy on me, when you saw things I was doing wrong you called me out on it (in a kind way of course) and made sure I wouldn't keep making the same mistakes (ex. doing too many things for him that he could do on his own).
4.  Thank you for listening to me on hard days when Jacob was struggling with certain behaviors.  I bet you didn't know you'd be a counselor when you signed on to being a therapist. ;)
3.  If my husband and I could afford it, we would pay you a million + dollars a year, because that is truly how much you are worth to us.  Your work is absolutely priceless and one of the most important jobs in the world to us.  We never took you for granted and never will.
2.  We truly love you like family and I know Jacob loves you even more. 
1.  You may never know the impact that you have made on Jacob's entire life, our family's life, and our future.  The work that you have done with Jacob has completely changed him forever and has definitely given him a brighter future.  Through you we have seen Jacob learn to engage and smile at us, play with us, speak to us, call me "Mommy", say "I love you", learn to read, count, follow instructions. Without you, I don't know where Jacob would be.  This is truly life changing work and I hope you always realize how important your work is.


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