trialsmom

Many autistics actually do like human contact; they're just a better judge of character than the rest of us. Camps like Camp Rainbow are great, but its the little things throughout the years that really do the most good. Bob Ginder of B&J Racing spent several years personally manufacturing, machining, and providing at no cost many learning devices for a local middle school's special ed classrooms. The school system did not have the funds to purchase learning devices (especially those to help with fine motor skills) at $400 to $1000 a pop for their handicapped students. Bob worked closely with the teachers and designed many items for their use. My son, who is autistic, went from not knowing a wrench from a hammer to being able to disassemble a motorcycle engine (an old one, pre-loosened, of course) to re-assembling it, correctly. He went from not knowing number sequences to being able to pick out a requested wrench (i.e., 10mm) and putting it back in the correct place in the tool box drawer. Eight years later, my son is now able to work in a controlled environment assembling items for contract pay. I owe this to Bob's interaction. Bob has a bit of a gruff reputation, but he goes out of the way to help those in need without a lot of publicity. Publicity is great and gives many people an opportunity to help in ways they never thought of, but the on-going assistance is really what is needed. I'm off my soap-box now!