Pride & Joy: Happy Graduation Adam!

Back in college I took a job with a family where I pretty much hung out with a boy with autism. His name is Adam and he was 12 years old at the time. I was majoring in Psychology at KU. I ended up loving working with Adam and switched my major to Applied Behavior Science with an emphasis in Working with Children With Autism. I owe where I am today not only to Adam, but also to his mom Linda who guided me in the direction I have taken in life. After working with Adam for 2 1/2 years I learned to be patient and to find humor in things that nobody else laughs at. Some of my favorite memories that I still talk about today is when he told me, "Go home Lindsey, I hate you, you are fired! (while throwing an action figure at me.)" and when he told Matt that he was a "Bloated Beanbag." We still laugh at these today. Adam loves Batman and video games and I bet he could be anyone at Mario. We loved going swimming and going to museums. We would even take trips to Walmart where I would give him $10.00 and he would buy a Batman toy, and pay for it with the money I gave him by himself. He is an amazing boy and I love hearing from his mom how he is doing. He is a success story.
Last weekend Adam graduated from Free State High school in Lawrence, Kansas. His family is moving back to Omaha, Nebraska where hopefully Adam can volunteer at the zoo. I am so excited for him. Best wishes to him in life AFTER high school! Here are some pictures of him.