According to the Oxford Dictionary, autism is a “social disorder.”
A developmental disorder of variable severity that is characterized by difficulty in social interaction and communication and by restricted or repetitive patterns of thought and behavior.
Through the years, it has been heartbreaking to watch Brady look in from the outside because of his disorder — always on the periphery but never in the mix of things. He’s been the "token" friend that other kids played with to appease their moms, only to leave later to hang with their real friends. When birthday party invitations circulated, he usually was not included.
That is until we met the amazing people at Special Nation , Peace of Heart and BridgeHaven Academy.
Special Nation is a community of our local Redeemer Church. It offers special needs individuals and their families several weekly gatherings, a special monthly worship service, community outreach, dances, and more. No one will ever be turned away, no matter their faith.
Peace of Heart is an innovative group home for persons on the autism spectrum. They also foster a community of inclusion and understanding through respite care, vocational training and Facilitated Communication to help the residents and guests express themselves.
BridgeHaven Academy is Brady's s amazing school. The teachers focus on presuming competence; therefore, there is no learning colors, stacking blocks or signing songs to learn their body parts. They incorporate Facilitated Communication in every aspect of school and follow the public school district's standards for standard education. Brady and his classmates will graduate from high school and eventually college. Here is a video showing BridgeHaven Academy.
As you’ll read in his latest poem, “Some Good Ones,” Brady has finally found his people. He isn’t the token. He is invited, included, and most importantly, respected.
give thanks to friends.
very rare to get true friends.
very very special to me.
for me friends give me hope to feel complete.
dread the day we seperate.
Brady and his guy friends do normal teenage stuff. They play video games, watch movies, go to the beach and talk about girls.
Yes, girls.
They all want to have girlfriends and maybe get married one day. It’s no different than any other young man, just 10,000 times harder.
Today, many of my tears are those of relief and happiness. He still has the f***ing disorder, but these communities have made it less difficult for him. I, too, now have communities that make the rough times just a bit easier.
Just like everyone else, these organization were greatly impacted by the covid pandemic. Unfortunately, BridgeHaven had to cancel 2 fundraising events and lost donations from the cancellation of a professional golf tournament.
If you would like to help this wonderful organization continue to deliver hope, knowledge and skills to much-deserving kids, you can do so by donating by clicking on this link to BridgeHaven Academy or go to Hostage to Silence's home page and click on donations.