I’ve been a photographer for nearly 10 years now, and over the years I’ve gotten to know other photographers all over the country… well, the world really… via the internet. We mostly keep up via facebook, and by perusing each other’s recent work. A few years ago, while surfing, I came upon a photographer I didn’t know, but who’s work I adored! Every once in a while I stop back by her blog to see what she’s been up to. Tonight, I did just that, and I came upon a post that she had made for her client’s little boy who had suffered from… (I bet you can guess, right?)… yes, that is correct… infantile spasms. Come on. That’s weird right? I mean, it’s a very rare condition. Until we had to deal with it, I thought epilepsy was a rare condition, but IS is really, really rare. Well, I figured there must be a reason that I stumbled upon their story tonight in such an unusual way, so I felt I needed to leave a comment, and read a bit about her son and their story. I also learned about ABA… a way of teaching kids who have autism (or who are prone to getting it). Here’s a quote from her website:
“I learned more about ABA…for example, when you say “sit down” to neuro-typical child, they know what you mean. For kids like —, they don’t understand…and NEED step by step instructions to sit down…not just “sit” but be fully engaged so they can learn….so they teach them by a 40 STEP PROCESS!!!! YES, 40. They do it over and over again.”
Here’s a little more about it: http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/treatment/applied-behavior-analysis-aba
Our Journey with Infantile Spasms 