I don’t know if any event in my adult life caused so much heartache than being told that my son has Autism Spectrum Disorder. Unsure about the first diagnosis I had him tested at two other places.

At the Schmieding Developmental Center in Lowell where my son was evaluated for a third time, my wife and I were hoping for a different result. It was not the case however and they too confirmed my son’s ASD. The details were laid out which showed the areas where my son was behind developmentally. We were told that we will have to adjust our life to deal with this new reality.

I did not pay attention to all the details. I felt a certain numbness and my mind wandered away. I did not talk to my wife that day.

Some days passed and I moved out of the haze I was in. I sought solutions.

I had heard of ABA therapy before and I researched more. I also consulted with my son’s Pediatrician. At the same time, I also met a person from Dallas who was seeking ABA therapy for his daughter with ASD. I sought out various providers of ABA therapy in Northwest Arkansas. It was an extremely hard choice to make.

 After a lot of thought we chose The Grace School because it is very unique compared to the other providers. It is actually a school where children with ASD go to for ABA therapy.

 It sets them up very well for the time when they can transition to a regular school. Another key aspect of the school is that it is led by extremely competent ABA therapists.

 My son spent almost 6 hours a day five days a week and had one on one sessions with different therapists. He went there for around one and a half years until we had to relocate to Utah due to my changing of jobs.

The time that my son spent at The Grace School saw him changing in ways that were pleasantly surprising. He became more aware of his surroundings, had increased interactions with his peers, started communicating better with us and others and was gradually learning to construct complex sentences.

From a time when he was in a regular day care where the staff was unable to work with him and from where we had to take him away from, he reached a position where he can learn, communicate and interact.

It helps when a child with ASD is in the right environment which is a combination of the place that the child spends time in and the people the child interacts with. I think this is the key that helps unlock the various talents in someone with ASD.

My son sees the world differently and now there are things he does which surprises us. Every time my son reaches a certain milestone, even if delayed, brings so much joy. He is 6 now and recently he learned to ride a bike. He is currently going to a charter school for children with ASD and he is moving on to grade one for the next school year.

His teacher at the charter school mentioned that the ABA therapy he received at The Grace School served him very well. We are very hopeful for the future.

-Sameer (Grace School Alumni Dad)

We asked Sameer to reflect on the time his family spent at The Grace School.