Moses Lake teacher's caring overcomes boy's autism, food allergy

MOSES LAKE - It was all set. The parents made their decision, the Moses Lake School District team assigned to the child concurred. The little boy, whose parents asked that his name not be used, would be home-schooled.

The boy was diagnosed as autistic, and his case was complicated by a severe food allergy, his mom said. The gluten allergy was so severe his parents were worried about him accidentally coming in contact with even very small amounts at school. So they decided home school would be the best option, Mom said.

They had to meet with district officials to confirm the decision, and one of the people in the room was a kindergarten teacher from Sage Point Elementary. (She too has requested to remain anonymous.) The boy would be her student, if he came to school.

"I didn't count on (the kindergarten teacher) being there because I never met her," Mom said. "The entire school team was on board with the home schooling decision, until (the teacher) spoke. She held up this picture of (the boy) that was paper-clipped to his file from preschool. She looked at me and said, 'I want this child in my classroom. I want to try and make it work.'"

The teacher had no experience with so severe a food allergy, or with autism, Mom said. She asked Mom to do some brainstorming, work out a way where the boy could come to school.

"I knew she meant what she said. She was - serious," Mom said. "So we started to talk through it." They worked on ways to keep the boy away from products that could aggravate his allergy, help him focus on school, learn what he needed to know. At the end of the conversation Mom and Dad decided to take the chance, Mom said.

The teacher was there waiting on the boy's first day of school. She started talking to him, and "he just lit up," Mom said.

"To everyone's surprise, she kept him gluten-free. She did better than I did," Mom said. The allergy had an impact on the autism symptoms, and those were alleviated as his health improved, Mom said.

The boy went back for a second year when Sage Point went to full-day kindergarten. He can follow classroom directions, Mom said, can count to 100, write his name. He can read, although part of the challenge of autism is reading comprehension, Mom said.

The teacher set the lead in the classroom, showing the other kids that the boy faced some challenges and needed her help, and their help, to overcome them, said Sage Point Principal Noreen Thomas. "I see the kids modeling the same respect for each other," Thomas said.

"I don't think I can possibly find words to express my gratitude toward this wonderful, amazing teacher," Mom said.

"It hasn't always been easy, yet we have 'brainstormed' to make it successful, work together as a team," she said. The family, the teacher, the school staff had to keep in regular contact, she said. "It's a parent-teacher collaboration that is the key to its success."

Part of it is expecting the same effort of every child, no matter their challenges, Thomas said.

But it all started with a teacher who wanted to take a chance, Mom said. "I have searched every engine, I have read every blog, and I have seen all the pins possible for teacher appreciation gifts. Noting can even come close to representing how much (the teacher) has done to change the life of not just my child, but an entire classroom, a school and possibly the community as a whole," Mom said.