Flash Forward Friday!!
What parent doesn’t want a tiny peek into their child’s future? While I can’t give you that exactly, a glimpse into what came next for Michael is well within our reach. Here’s a flash forward to a more recent journal entry so you can see how things are turning out for Michael these days.
One of our favorite things to do is go for walks. Michael likes our local parks and our high school track. When we started, this was not a favorite for Michael. He really needs the exercise so to motivate him, we signed up online for the Get to Sesame Street Challenge (100 miles). I made him a chart and he gets to put a sticker on for every mile he walks. Then he gets pins (which he uses to decorate his backpack). When he reaches 100 miles, he gets a finishers medal (like you would get for a race).
This has been really fun for him and we have gotten a lot of bang for our buck. Exercise is so healthy for all of us and it really helps Michael to sleep at night.
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About the Author
Erica Mauro is a mom to two teenage boys, Will who is neurotypical and Michael with Autism and cognitive delays. She holds a BA in Psychology from Colgate University and a Masters of Psychology in Education from Columbia Teacher’s College. Before staying home with her children, she worked as an elementary school teacher. For five years, she served on the Board of Directors of the Molly Ann Tango Memorial Foundation, a charity dedicated to enriching the lives of children with special needs. In partnership with her husband Dave, she aspires to parent by using daily life as an opportunity for therapeutic intervention, seizing on real experiences as opportunities to build skills and strategies for Michael in a joyful, loving home environment. On the tougher early days, she just tried to get everyone safely to bedtime and start fresh in the morning. *wink* 
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