My name is Laura Bryant and I grew up in Walla Walla. Two years ago I left my teaching job on Bainbridge Island to return to Walla Walla to care for my parents. My daughter, her husband and children decided to move too.
They were concerned about their middle son as he seemed to be developmentally delayed. He was born during covid, so they weren’t sure if being isolated had a factor with his development.
When we moved to Walla Walla, we became aware of the Parent to Parent Disability Network. Meeting parents from this group helped my daughter find a physician from Walla Walla who is trained in diagnosing children for autism. Malcolm was three when he was diagnosed with this condition. That same year Hannah, my daughter, saw similar autistic traits in her younger daughter. Indigo was diagnosed at the age of two. It was hard learning that two out of their three children had autism.
Our family helps support each other as we have two generations that need care. My time is divided between my grandchildren and parents.
Indigo and Malcom have weekly appointments for speech and occupational therapy . They both attend the Walla Walla Children and Families Center, Focused Behavior Solutions (ABA) and preschool at the YMCA. I support taking them to these programs and especially appreciate observing their speech therapist who demonstrates how to communicate with the kids. Malcolm and Indigo are both non-verbal.
As my daughter has tapped into every therapy possible for helping her children, as all parents do, this has become her full time job. It wouldn’t be possible to keep up this schedule without some outside help and I am grateful that I can provide this.
As the children accessed many programs from Walla Walla, we discovered little to no time is spent with typical neurological children. Inclusion was crucial to Bainbridge Island School District where I taught and my daughter attended school. We both saw so many positive outcomes such as peer modeling and developing friendship skills. Students learn a sense of belonging and a better understanding of similarities and differences. Everyone is a valued and respected member of the classroom or community. This is what we wanted for our children.
My dad, who is 95 years old, has been attending the YMCA for over twenty-five years. Our family is well known to the director and when I asked her if dad’s autistic great grandchildren could attend preschool with adult supervision, she was happy to accommodate us. We are so grateful how openly the YMCA has included our children into their community.
Now I attend three mornings a week with Malcom in the 4-5 year old preschool. I use picture schedules to help him understand his tasks. He is doing so well learning the routines of school. When students are given an assignment I can help if needed or alter it to fit his needs. Malcom is now parallel playing with his peers. He is learning to wait his turn and how to line up with his friends. We practice skills together that he needs to improve on such as writing and cutting. He has such a love for math that we are now learning basic addition. During sharing time, I help Malcom use his AAC (iPad) to talk with the students.
The children are so curious about him. It is a great opportunity for them to learn about how sensory breaks are important. They help Malcom feel calm and ready to learn more, I tell them. Malcom makes a pile of stuffed animals and lays down hiding under a weighted blanket. He lays quietly for five minutes.
The children are naturally curious and ask many questions about Malcom. What is his favorite color? I will take out the AAC and say let’s ask him. Oh look he said blue and red.
The children know that Malcom has differences but they are encouraging by telling him that he did a good job on his paper. They give him high-fives and fist bumps. Malcolm smiles and jumps up and down. This is the way that I know that he likes it when Grammy takes him to school.
Indigo attends preschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She is in a 3-4 year program. I use pictures to help Indigo know her tasks just like Malcom. Indigo loves circle time and her favorite song is “Shake Your Sillies Out”. She enjoys all the crafts that are provided in her class. This has helped her to develop her fine motor skills of drawing, cutting and gluing. It is so rewarding to witness her love of art, which she can do for hours.
Indigo’s greatest accomplishment in her class is that she is starting to cooperatively play with others. The children invite her to play with them. “Indigo help me finish this tower.” With some support, I get her started with the blocks and pretty soon she is part of the group.
She is starting to develop friendships which is so exciting. One child wants to hold her hand and I show Indigo on the ACC the word “friend.” Indigo just turned four and we had a birthday party. Almost half the class showed up to celebrate with Indigo.
I have cherished having this time with my grandchildren. It has been rewarding seeing them learn and grow. There have been challenges
too, but I’m learning along with them.
At the YMCA they sing a song about kindness. The lyrics say to spread kindness and the world is a better place. It is scary raising
children with differences. April is Autism Awareness month and I’m hoping to read a book to each class about a child with autism. It is beneficial for students to learn that differences are just a normal part of life. My goal is that my grandchildren will be treated with understanding and kindness. I believe that this can be accomplished when they are visible.
