Uniqueness At Morgan Autism Center

Tristan - Any first time visitor to Morgan Autism Center is sure to have met the gregarious and charming Tristan, whom we sometimes refer to as our goodwill ambassador. Tristan's curiosity and outgoing personality offer him many opportunities to engage with people whether on campus or in the community, and he happily takes advantage of these times. But it wasn't always this way.

Because of his very social nature, Tristan had much difficulty being diagnosed. Though his behavior and learning had many similarities to autism, his personality confused everyone, and his behavior appeared to be quite deliberate and volitional. His family had known since he was a baby that his development was behind, and that he had trouble with language, processing, motor skills and behavior. He had many assessments and evaluations at places around the bay area, but none that could give a definitive diagnosis. Although he was finally given a diagnosis of autism, in the meantime, Tristan was always in trouble. No one seemed to understand him, and he slowly fell apart - and, as his mother says, "so did we". The whole family was miserable, and at that point, Tristan's parents knew they only wanted a place where Tristan could be happy. At the suggestion of one of the program specialists, Tristan went on the waiting list for Morgan Autism Center. After waiting five months, he started in February 1998, and his mother says that by the summer, Tristan was a different boy, a "happy boy". Tristan has a different learning style, and was not going to acquire skills in the typical way. He requires a flexible, fun approach to activities, with considerable support to keep the focus of his attention where it needs to be. Given that level of support, Tristan is an amazingly engaging young man. As any parent knows, when their child is happy, the whole family does better. And a child who is not anxious or stressed can also learn. Tristan's mom says, "Morgan Autism Center has been a gift to us, not only because of the way everyone has worked with Tristan, but because, since the beginning, his happiness there gave us our family back."

Tristan has grown into a delightful young man. He is adventurous and willing to tackle any job with absolute confidence. When there is a job to be done, Tristan is the one to call, and he leaps into tasks with incredible enthusiasm and boundless energy. He still presents challenges, and like any adolescent, goes through ups and downs - but nowadays, he has many more ups than downs!

__________________________________________________________

Christopher - My son, Christopher, is a joyful and growing 10 year-old. From the moment of birth he has been full of happiness, love and desire to embrace the world. By age 2, he knew the alphabet, number to 20, shapes, colors and the names of all body parts. He would sit and play appropriately with various toys. We thought, with his fine motor skills and love for his building blocks, he might grow up to be an engineer, like his paternal grandfather. He loved to have me read to him and could name all the things in his books, even the most difficult workd to pronounce. His articulation, along with his health, was perfect.

On March 21, 1999, Christopher leaped out ouf my life like a flame shooting past me. The suddenness in which that fire appeared and its ability to grow into an inferno has engulfed my son and our lives. Autism has left our entire world scorched with trauma, grief and enormous amounts of time and energy constantly invested in medical issues, educational pursuits and struggling to find a shred of hope to keep us going each day. Morgan Autism Center for me, his mother who bore a healthy 8 lb 8 ounce baby boy who shares with me an Italian spirit that won't let us give up, provides that essential hope.

His last words to me when he was 2 1/4 were ironic and spooky. He said over several days, "I'm all finished, I'm all finished," a phrase he had never used prior to his freefall into a world only accessible to him. And, for him, his life WAS finished, congitively speaking.

At age 10, he cannot read, write or even hold a pencil appropriately. His limited speech is unclear, sometimes even to me. He cannot access many of the skills he had as a toddler and needs help with almost all daily living skills. He is not without intelligence, but he cannot focus due to the inner stimulations and hypersensitivity to sound that autism brings to many of its victims.

In July, 2004, Christopher began at Morgan Autism Center. The most important thing to us is his happiness and health. He is very happy at school, and the teachers from so many classrooms seem to know him and love him. We never felt we would find such a loving setting.

He has learned to be much more compliant, mainly because we believe the use of sign language, combined with talking to him normally, rather than the intraverbal usage at his former school, has improved his receptive language.

Christo can now put his dishes in the sink and is attempting to learn to wash, although that is not his favorite activity.

He will tolerate his teeth being brushed, but is still very orally defensive and will not do a good job if one of us is not right there and doing most of it for him.

He can put on his sandals with some assistance and can help pick up things and put them away, including carrying in groceries from the car.

He lets me cut his nails. He lets the staff cut his hair - a dream come true! He is learning number/object correspondence slowly but surely. He likes to look at picture books and is beginning to regain some of the labeling ability he had before his regression. He has learned to ride a scooter and is learning how to ride a bike.

My message is simple. He is the light of my life, and I truly believe I am his. With the help of Morgan Autism Center, I am hopeful that the day will arrive when he will acquire the skills to dress himself, help prepare a meal and cherish the staff of this exceptional school, as I do. They have provided us with a haven for our son and taken us in like a member of a large, extended family.

	Home Blog About Us Programs Services Workshops and Lecture Series Conference Video Highlights Events FAQs Donations School Accountability Report Card Contact Us Newsroom Success Stories	Success Stories Uniqueness At Morgan Autism Center Tristan - Any first time visitor to Morgan Autism Center is sure to have met the gregarious and charming Tristan, whom we sometimes refer to as our goodwill ambassador. Tristan's curiosity and outgoing personality offer him many opportunities to engage with people whether on campus or in the community, and he happily takes advantage of these times. But it wasn't always this way. Because of his very social nature, Tristan had much difficulty being diagnosed. Though his behavior and learning had many similarities to autism, his personality confused everyone, and his behavior appeared to be quite deliberate and volitional. His family had known since he was a baby that his development was behind, and that he had trouble with language, processing, motor skills and behavior. He had many assessments and evaluations at places around the bay area, but none that could give a definitive diagnosis. Although he was finally given a diagnosis of autism, in the meantime, Tristan was always in trouble. No one seemed to understand him, and he slowly fell apart - and, as his mother says, "so did we". The whole family was miserable, and at that point, Tristan's parents knew they only wanted a place where Tristan could be happy. At the suggestion of one of the program specialists, Tristan went on the waiting list for Morgan Autism Center. After waiting five months, he started in February 1998, and his mother says that by the summer, Tristan was a different boy, a "happy boy". Tristan has a different learning style, and was not going to acquire skills in the typical way. He requires a flexible, fun approach to activities, with considerable support to keep the focus of his attention where it needs to be. Given that level of support, Tristan is an amazingly engaging young man. As any parent knows, when their child is happy, the whole family does better. And a child who is not anxious or stressed can also learn. Tristan's mom says, "Morgan Autism Center has been a gift to us, not only because of the way everyone has worked with Tristan, but because, since the beginning, his happiness there gave us our family back." Tristan has grown into a delightful young man. He is adventurous and willing to tackle any job with absolute confidence. When there is a job to be done, Tristan is the one to call, and he leaps into tasks with incredible enthusiasm and boundless energy. He still presents challenges, and like any adolescent, goes through ups and downs - but nowadays, he has many more ups than downs! __________________________________________________________ Christopher - My son, Christopher, is a joyful and growing 10 year-old. From the moment of birth he has been full of happiness, love and desire to embrace the world. By age 2, he knew the alphabet, number to 20, shapes, colors and the names of all body parts. He would sit and play appropriately with various toys. We thought, with his fine motor skills and love for his building blocks, he might grow up to be an engineer, like his paternal grandfather. He loved to have me read to him and could name all the things in his books, even the most difficult workd to pronounce. His articulation, along with his health, was perfect. On March 21, 1999, Christopher leaped out ouf my life like a flame shooting past me. The suddenness in which that fire appeared and its ability to grow into an inferno has engulfed my son and our lives. Autism has left our entire world scorched with trauma, grief and enormous amounts of time and energy constantly invested in medical issues, educational pursuits and struggling to find a shred of hope to keep us going each day. Morgan Autism Center for me, his mother who bore a healthy 8 lb 8 ounce baby boy who shares with me an Italian spirit that won't let us give up, provides that essential hope. His last words to me when he was 2 1/4 were ironic and spooky. He said over several days, "I'm all finished, I'm all finished," a phrase he had never used prior to his freefall into a world only accessible to him. And, for him, his life WAS finished, congitively speaking. At age 10, he cannot read, write or even hold a pencil appropriately. His limited speech is unclear, sometimes even to me. He cannot access many of the skills he had as a toddler and needs help with almost all daily living skills. He is not without intelligence, but he cannot focus due to the inner stimulations and hypersensitivity to sound that autism brings to many of its victims. In July, 2004, Christopher began at Morgan Autism Center. The most important thing to us is his happiness and health. He is very happy at school, and the teachers from so many classrooms seem to know him and love him. We never felt we would find such a loving setting. He has learned to be much more compliant, mainly because we believe the use of sign language, combined with talking to him normally, rather than the intraverbal usage at his former school, has improved his receptive language. Christo can now put his dishes in the sink and is attempting to learn to wash, although that is not his favorite activity. He will tolerate his teeth being brushed, but is still very orally defensive and will not do a good job if one of us is not right there and doing most of it for him. He can put on his sandals with some assistance and can help pick up things and put them away, including carrying in groceries from the car. He lets me cut his nails. He lets the staff cut his hair - a dream come true! He is learning number/object correspondence slowly but surely. He likes to look at picture books and is beginning to regain some of the labeling ability he had before his regression. He has learned to ride a scooter and is learning how to ride a bike. My message is simple. He is the light of my life, and I truly believe I am his. With the help of Morgan Autism Center, I am hopeful that the day will arrive when he will acquire the skills to dress himself, help prepare a meal and cherish the staff of this exceptional school, as I do. They have provided us with a haven for our son and taken us in like a member of a large, extended family.

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Uniqueness At Morgan Autism Center