“Holland Bloorview has helped Riley push himself just a little bit more, and Matthew better manage his anxiety.” – Carolyn, Riley’s mom
Nine-year-old Riley is a bit of a trickster. He loves to engage his 11-year-old brother, Matthew, by running off with his juice or favourite toy. Riley can’t resist these types of high jinks. It’s his way of letting his older brother know that he wants to play with him.
Riley and Matthew both have autism. Autism affects individuals in different ways, which is evident in these two boys. For Riley, speaking is his biggest challenge. He understands a lot of what people say to him but has difficulty forming his own words. Matthew, however, has no trouble pronouncing words, but struggles to understand what people are saying.
Matthew tends to repeat words and therefore works on building his vocabulary. For Riley, a visual communications binder, which featured a picture exchange system, was designed to help him communicate. While helpful, the binder was too cumbersome to bring along to places like the grocery store.
When Riley’s dad, Edwin, bought software for an adaptive Ipod to serve as a portable alternative to the binder, the family turned to the Communication and Writing Aids Service at Holland Bloorview for assistance. The staff helped Riley get familiar with the software, showing him and his parents how to populate it with pictures. Savvy with technology, Riley was quick to pick it up.
This aid proved very helpful, so helpful, in fact, that Riley no longer needs it. Now he can deliver one word answers and requests as he strives to improve his ability to speak.
Riley’s gross motor skills are also improving. His mom, Carolyn, attributes this to his swimming lessons at Holland Bloorview. The pool has been a blessing for the family. It’s the only aquatic centre they have found that caters to kids with special needs, offering the one-on-one support that Riley and Matthew require. Both boys love to swim and are becoming more proficient – although Matthew prefers swimming during the summer when there is not such an abrupt change in temperature between the pool and outside. While Matthew finds a sense of welcomed calm in the warm pool, Riley is testing the waters more, so to speak.
“I think Riley’s more animated and active,” says Carolyn. “Part of that is because he is using the facilities at Holland Bloorview. He was more timid previously. Now he is jumping into the water with somebody there to catch him. Before he would just sit down to enter the water.”
Carolyn sees this confidence translating to activities outside the pool.
“Recently we went sledding. Riley started off with the shorter runs and then he wanted to go up to the steeper hill. That surprised me.”
For Matthew, the pool and Holland Bloorview’s Snoezelen room helps him manage his anxiety, which he is more prone to than Riley. The Snoezelen room is a space that creates a stimulating or relaxing environment by combining lights, sounds and textures. Holland Bloorview’s pool also offers swimmers a Snoezelen experience.
“Riley and Matthew use the Snoezelen room separately because Riley needs stimulation and gets Matthew going.” says Carolyn. “Matthew likes the massage mat. Last fall he was going every week. He’s calmer as a result.”
In addition to the programs available to kids with autism, Riley and Matthew’s parents are keenly interested in Holland Bloorview’s new Autism Research Centre. As many as 75 percent of all children with autism suffer from clinically significant anxiety. The Autism Research Centre is testing a new therapy for anxiety disorders and developing technologies that help children, like Matthew, identify and then manage their anxiety.
Holland Bloorview recognizes that autism affects children like Riley and Matthew differently. Its services can cater to their specific needs, while its research is focused on improving treatment to help as many kids as possible lead unlimited lives.
“There is a real need for a place like Holland Bloorview, which is accessible to the community” says Carolyn. “It has helped a lot of people.”
