This boy just NAILED his blood draw.  If you have followed along for a while, you know this has been SO TRAUMATIC for all involved in the past.   So much so that I was able to avoid this situation for a few years for him.

This time, we had a phlebotomist come to our home. She was some kind of heaven-sent angel; whose grandson happens to also be on the autism spectrum.  She calmly talked Wilson through everything, even after I told her about his limited verbal skills. She continued to talk, letting him know everything she was doing and asking him questions about his life. He didn’t respond or understand most of what she was saying, but I know he felt her calm, kind presence.

The real MVPs today were his incredible teachers, who practiced this process with him for a few weeks. They made visuals, created incentives, and did mock-blood draws with details all the way down to putting on the rubber gloves and bandaging him up afterwards.  They made videos to show us so that we could do the entire process at home (remember, practicing across different environments with different people!)

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but things CAN get better. You must try, and then try again. Even if it’s weeks, months, or even years later. Just don’t give up.

I’m so proud of him. I’m BEYOND grateful for the village, the tribe, the TEAM this kid has at his back. And the kind angels he finds along the way.

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

~ Maya Angelou