I was sitting in the office of the director of the Belfast office when a worker, Mike, and a client, ‘T’, came to the door. The client showed us a bunch of vegetables and stammered,”my garden”. He took a few steps into the hall, turned, and, looking at the floor, added, “organic.” The director, quite touched, said she loved “organic” but wasn’t quite sure how he knew that!
I asked about ‘T’, and the director told me how he and his brother came to services about eight years ago. They’d been raised by their grandparents, and it was deemed that a residential placement was necessary. ‘T’ had severe Autism with frequent explosive episodes, while his brother had severe behavioral issues. The director selected her best employee, Mike, and put him into action in ‘T’s home.
‘T’ thrived under the services. His creativity was awakened and nurtured as a therapeutic outlet for his frustrations and challenges living with Autism. This coping skill brought him success. With the help of Mike, ‘T’ had the opportunity to connect with his community by selling his creations, wind chimes made with sea glass and handmade pottery. He enjoyed his own success. ‘T’ was 8 years old when he began services; I met him when he was 13, and he recently graduated from the children’s program at age 21. A residential placement was thwarted. Through years of consistent service, he remains in residence with his grandparents to this day.