May 9 Memories- Dropping off Dree (AuCi)

This post would more accurately be called dropping off and picking up Dree, but the D alliteration sounds much better.

For those who do not know, Audrey attended Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) for a year and a half.

The best part of my day over the last 2 years was picking up Dree from her ABA therapist.  Audrey was often so full of joy coming home. 

Audrey started off ABA at home in June of 2022.  Her ABA center that became her home away from home was not yet finished.  I worked summer school that year.  When I would get home, she was working with her therapist.  She loved "Tay Tay" so much.  It was awesome getting to see her therapists do therapy with her at home

These two above pictures were of Hannah in September of 2022.  We wanted her to have a "back to school photo" too, so even though she had been attending the new center for about a month, she was so happy to be there.

She finally started ABA in the center in August of 2022. 

 There were some days that she was tired.  There were some days that she was napping, because they worked her hard at ABA.

In early August of 2022, I dropped off Audrey at ABA and spent a day with Hannah getting my classroom ready for the year.  I was going to pick up Hannah at 3:00 that day, but they called and asked if I could come a little later.  We ended up picking up Audrey at 4:30.  They did in about a day, what we had been trying on and off for 2 years  Audrey and her staff worked so hard, and when Hannah and I picked her up, she was potty trained.  She was showing signs of being ready, but it never took for us. Her staff was very skilled, persistent and loving. She was so tired, but she was proud that she did it.

The ABA team that Audrey had loved her so much, and worked so hard with her.

She also loved going to ABA in the morning.  Mandy did most of the drop offs, but when I dropped off, she loved going to see her ABA family.  She loved it because they showed her so much love.  Some times were harder for pickup, as sometimes it was a long day, but it was always clear that Audrey was coming from a place that loved her.

Some days, her staff had to do things, like ride out on a toy pony to get her to come in.  She loved the grass, so we had to bring in some artificial grass that my parents had once decorated for a Bear's game to use to entice her in.  Her staff played the chase game with her, she said "CH ME" and they would chase her around.  They showed her so much love.

Love is not just fun times.  Her staff knew her so well.  They were also the ones who best could identify her seizures outside of family.  Even her neurologists didn't identify them like her staff.  We would be told that a movement probably wasn't a seizure until it was confirmed on EEG.  They knew what they looked like, and I could tell that her seizures bothered her staff they way they did us.  That again showed the love they showed for Audrey.

I met parents and grandparents of kiddos who picked up at the same time.  One of Audrey's longest friends (she called him boy) who went to Fairview and ABA with her was picked up daily by her grandpa.  It felt like a community because it was a community.

I mention that Audrey's ABA staff were like family.  That's because they spent more time with Audrey outside of family (Audrey spent 8 hours a day at ABA).  Her center (not trying to be vague, but I think I am not supposed to post their name on social media) was a family.  They did family trips.  This one is to Skelly's in Janesville.  The therapists went with their kiddos, so parents with autistic children could have a fun family day.

Dree loved Skelly's

In the summer of 2023, the parking lot was being resurfaced, so I had to park in a lot behind the center. There was a lot of nice grass from the door to the car.  On the way in and Audrey had a few times that she had to lay in the grass.  During that time, she often needed extra motivation (and maybe an extra staff member) to get her back and forth.

When Audrey passed, we were greeted to a binder full of princess pictures colored by her staff and classmates.  The staff signed their names as what Audrey called them: "La La, Wiv, Tay Tay, Rah."  Her classmates didn't sign their names.  The way that staff members kept confidentiality in the center was by writing the first two letters of first and last name.  Audrey was AuCi.

The love that Audrey's ABA therapists (and classmates) had for Audrey was amazing.  So many of her staff came to her celebration.  Many of her classmates and parents came too.

A few days later, we had lunch with her staff, and I saw a few things that showed how much they were hurting too.  Again, they saw her more than anybody but our family.  

It's no wonder that Audrey was so happy to be at her ABA with her staff.  She was going to a place that showed her so much love.

Audrey's bench that her center dedicated to her