The following guest post was written by Curren's beloved preschool teacher, Mrs. Toni Bingham. Toni was instrumental in diagnosing Curren's Autism at an early age, enabling us to get him the treatment needed to overcome the many obstacles that Autism presents. Thank you Ms. Toni!
Around April 14,
2012, I wrote one of the most difficult letters I had ever written concerning a
child (Curren H.) with a suspected autism spectrum disorder. The letter, addressed to the child’s parents
(Scott and Alicia H.), detailed my concerns that their bright, lovable, highly
inquisitive child may have some type(s) of undiagnosed developmental issues--
and that I no longer felt capable of providing the type of childcare required
to meet his growing needs. My very first order of business was broaching
the topic with seemingly unsuspecting parents, and urging a more thorough
professional evaluation by appropriate medical specialists. And to be perfectly honest, I felt a little
anger that at the child’s chronological age (approximately 33 months at the
time), no one else (including previous childcare providers, pediatric
nurses/doctors, etc.) had provided the parents with any indication that
something could possibly be amiss. As a
mother and childcare professional, I’ve been taught that early diagnosis and
treatment of any physical/mental/cognitive disorder (the earlier, the better)
is critical to a child’s long term success and well-being. So despite any concerns I had regarding possible
negative reactions from the parents, I felt strongly about getting my thoughts on
the table regarding the child’s possible developmental issues, and assisting
the family to move forward in obtaining appropriate assistance.
In addition to
running my own licensed childcare center, I had over 30 years of professional experience
(and hundreds of hours of training) working with children in various capacities
with the federal government, private childcare centers, and charter schools. Besides the parents (or other responsible guardians),
a child’s primary care provider (for infants thru preschool) or teacher (Kindergarten
and above) is usually the best source of information regarding a child’s
observable behaviors and attitudes, as she/he is with the child most consistently during their awake hours. So I can’t over emphasize the importance of
establishing open, two-way lines of communication between the primary
caregivers/teachers and parents from the start. For prospective childcare clients, I usually
have the parents bring the child to our initial interview, so I can begin the
observation process and get an initial gauge on personalities right off. In addition to my observations, some of my
first questions to parents, include: “Is the child current on wellness checks (1-year;
2-year, etc.); “Do you have any concerns regarding your child’s behaviors or
development? “Has your pediatrician or other healthcare provider identified any
health concerns?” Depending on their
responses and documentation provided, I advise that all required wellness
checks/immunizations must be brought up-to-date, or applicable waivers
provided, before a child may start in my program. Again, I encourage frequent, open dialog with
the child’s pediatrician/primary medical provider regarding any physical/cognitive
developmental concerns, no matter how insignificant they may appear.
During my
initial interview with this family, the mother and older sister were present
with Curren. I initially observed that
Curren was very active and moved quickly from one center to another, leaving
toys in his wake, and he repeatedly went up and down the stairs from the school
area to the main part of the house. I
recall asking his mom about any general health concerns and specifically if
there were any developmental concerns. In this case, the only health concerns identified
by mom centered on an asthma diagnosis, and she affirmed my observation that he
was pretty active. I also asked mom if
there were any particular problems identified by his teachers at his previous
childcare center, and again nothing unusual was indicated. I admit to some initial alarms going off in my
mind about Curren, but we seemed to bond almost immediately; and he has such a
loving family that I felt we could work together to correct any behavioral
issues there might be. After six weeks
in my program, I started to have more and more concerns and questions about
Curren’s mental, social, and physical behaviors--as well as his amazing
abilities with numbers, colors and sign language. Also, it became increasing clear that I was
Curren’s best and only friend at school. Although the other children seemed to care for
him, he always gravitated to wherever I was, and he never engaged with the
other children on his own; only when I intervened and made him partner with
another child for an activity. I recall
that dad (Scott H.) came to pick up Curren from school, and he asked me “Who is
Curren’s best buddie?” I saw what
appeared to be a look of great disappointment when I told him that he didn’t
have one; that I happened to be his best friend. As I continued to have conversations with
the family about my concerns, it became increasingly clear that their concerns
were off-base from mine; with their concerns centered mainly on some physical
issues identified by the child’s physician.
It became
increasingly clear to me from my readings and conversations with professional
friends and colleagues (i.e. school counselor, social workers, pediatrician,
etc.), that I needed to document the daily behaviors I was observing, as a
means of assisting the parents to get a solid professional diagnosis, of what
appeared to me to be some sort of autism disorder; and also to let them know that
I could not provide the type of program needed for Curren’s long-term
development. So unfortunately, staying
in my program was not an option, as it wasn’t fair to either him or me. So I painstakingly documented behaviors I had
observed over a period of time (approximately 10 months) and scheduled a
meeting with mom and dad to discuss my observations and recommendations (which I
hoped would be shared with Curren’s medical specialists). To be sure, it was challenging for me to have
such a candid (and perhaps scary) conversation about such a wonderful
child. Fortunately, despite my
hesitations with confronting them, both parents and I were in consensus that
Curren’s well-being was all that mattered. And we would do whatever was needed
to ensure a proper diagnosis for him to obtain the proper type of care.
I’m pleased to
note that Scott and Alicia H. were able to obtain an accurate assessment of
Curren’s condition, and got him placed in programs more suitable for his
developmental needs. Curren is now five years old, and I’m told that he
considers me as one of the special people in his life. I recently ran into him
and mom at our local gym, where he joined me on the stage for a dance jam
session in front of 30 other adult participants. Every time he sees me he seems so excited…
and he says, “Hi Toni, I love you!” And I really love him too! I am truly
blessed for the opportunity to be a small part of his on-going success. My experience working with Curren led me to
seek more training on autism, and now I feel better prepared to assist other children
like Curren. For that, I will always be
grateful. Thank you Curren H!
With All my love,
Toni Bingham, Director/teacher
Toni’s Fun Learning
Program
