A Little Boy Begins to Learn by Pablo Hernandez

 

Pablo is a loving autistic boy, who wishes that many non-speakers had a chance to learn.

This is the story, from my memory, of when I saw a great RPM teacher, Jackie Dorshorst, for the first time. I was six and starting to believe that I would not have a future, but she helped me love my future.

The little autistic boy felt happy. He was always glad to learn and his mom told him that he was having a lesson. Games can be good, but he couldn’t play most games because he had a mouth that would not form the words. Thinking for a while, he wondered how the teacher would act. Would she get mad? Would she make the same mistake that all teachers made – thinking that he did not want to learn or that he did not understand?

Happy thoughts fed themselves with many hopes that Jackie had for Pablo. Getting moving and getting happy can gather more momentum to make this work.

A little boy, calmed my his mother, rang the doorbell. A door swung open to reveal the calm, happy teacher waiting for them. She took them upstairs to a small room to begin. Cameras were set and paper was taken out to tell the story that she would tell him. Her voice was beautiful, having the sound of compassion.

At the same time, the dream was beginning. He thought that this might actually work. She told him a story. It was around Thanksgiving and she told stories about the Pilgrims. Autism was calling the boy to stim, to make sounds, to stand up. The teacher stuck to her lesson, understanding that the boy was still hearing her. She asked a question and wrote two choices. The much-too-scared boy thought he had really messed up. He tried to say the answer, but the wrong word flew through the air. All of his hopes were sailing out of him on the sound waves that held the wrong answer. He looked at his teacher, expecting her to make that mouth that tells you she has happy thoughts, while her eyes tell you she is frustrated, but sitting in her chair, all he saw was determination. She continued to tell the story.

Able to calm down a little, the little learner again tried to answer with his finger and not with his tricky mouth. The learning felt good. The lessons continued for years. A long time passed and the little learner became a writer.