04/17/2026
Autism Awareness:
Stories about friends with Autism, continued…
Admirable, ambitious, authentic, amiable: Abe
Abe is 16 years old and I have been his teacher for about 9 years. I met him when he was in Kindergarten, attending a public school. He is mostly nonvocal/nonverbal and struggles greatly with controlling his body, with both fine and gross motor movements. The teachers and psychologists he was working with told me and his family that he had an intellectual disability and that he could not understand anything we were saying to him. Although Abe's parents were very involved and had gotten him an outside evaluation and he received a diagnosis of Autism at the age of three, the school would not consider the diagnosis and insisted on telling mom NOT to presume competence, and diagnosed him with an intellectual disability. They thought the behaviors he exhibited did not match what they knew of Autism.
His class at the time was kindergarten, first and second graders in the room. About 90% of the time the lights were off, a big projector screen was playing a kid's youtube video, volume blasting, and students were running around, often injuring themselves and others, with little to no structure or support. It was not functional. Shortly after, I started a private school for kids with disabilities in Cottonwood, where Abe attended as a 1st grade student after his parents withdrew him from the public school district and obtained the empowerment scholarship (ESA). He was one of five students. We had four staff/educators and myself that first year. On days when a student was absent, the staff outnumbered the students, and in some moments, it still didn't feel like enough :)
When Abe was small, he was so unsure, untrusting in his body. He would step from one flat surface to another flat surface that looked different (ex: pavement to grass) and it would seem that he was preparing to step off of a cliff. He was extremely dysregulated and it affected his depth perception, limbic system, proprioception, visual control, and motor planning in general. But we knew it did not affect his intellect. Abe has an incredible family, and because of this, there was no question if he would or would not be included; no consideration that maybe he was incapable or maybe he was inadequate. Abe’s family presumed competence. They decided that although inevitably Abe was going to have his limits, his struggles, they were going to include him in their family, in their life. They were, they still are today, holding high expectations that Abe continues to meet.
We provide Abe with constant sensory and communication support throughout the day, all day, everyday. We focus on the skills that seem to matter in this life: body and emotion control, self-help skills, hygiene, socializing, and communication. We presume competence, doing our best to engage Abe in a curriculum and experiences that are intriguing, relevant, fun and functional. He is surrounded by support from his family, and his mother and sister are very involved in RISE and our mission. Abe has inspired me throughout these years that I have known him. He is loved by so many people, getting to know him through his limited verbal language, but distinct eye contact and body language. He is stunning. It will make your day when he looks you in the eyes and smiles. He continues to bring joy to the people in his life, and I look forward to supporting him as he grows and changes. He has the brightest light behind his eyes.
