Ode to Seesha

A year and a half ago our son was diagnosed with autism and going through the worst phase of his entire life.  It was, thankfully, the final BIG storm.

Those days were long.  They were spent in my house dealing with an extremely unhappy three year old that I couldn’t control.  I couldn’t take him out.  There were actually times where I thought I’d have to send one kid away.  Ikey was being the victim of so much violence, he wasn’t even two yet.  Those were dark months in our household and I was barely hanging in there.

I had done everything I needed to do to get a therapy program started in our home and all I had left to do was wait.  It felt like it took forever to wait a few months before we were off the list and started with therapy.  I invisioned these people, riding in from the clouds on a golden chariot, coming to save my life.

When the time came I hired two women, Kim and Alesha.  They came into our home in all it’s mess and graciously spent their time with my son.

Alesha was a bit new to the Behavior Interventionist thing but I had a great feeling about her, and I was right.  In the beginning the poor girl endured much violence from my sweet Silas.  He even gave her a bit of a black eye a few weeks before her wedding…thankfully not the week OF her wedding.  Once she had her ninja reflexes down, anyone who works with Silas gets ninja reflexes, she was sailing.

This job isn’t easy.  You really have to figure out exactly how the child your working with ticks.  You need to be constatnly observing them, making sure they’ve had their sensory needs met before moving on to tasks.  You have to put up with massive melt downs (in public too) and sometimes crazy amounts of violence.  Alesha had many sessions where she just dealt with a tantrum pretty much the whole time.  I’d sit downstairs, nails dug in my chair to stop myself from interviening and saving her from the madness, listening to her soft voice calmly adressing Silas in the proper way.  She’s probably done that 80 times, maybe more.  You have to also find ways to get the child to respond to you and actually do what you say to them.  She was excellent at that.

Alesha soon became family.  She’d walk into our house with a cheery attitude and spent countless hours with Silas.  She’d see something Silas would need to work on and, if she got it in her head that he was going to get it right, he would get it right.  She wouldn’t stop till it was done.

Despite being beat upon countless times, Alesha seemed to fall in love with my little Silas and my little Ikey who, in the beginning, called her “Seesha” which kinda stuck a little bit.  Every day she came she threatened she was going to kidnap Ikey one day because he is so cute (she’s right).   She told my boys she loved them, gave them hugs and kisses, stuck around LONG after her scheduled time to just sit and chat about anything and everything with me.  Mostly about Silas’ progress which she was always so excited about.

So much of that progress I owe to her and Kim.  But today was a sad day as it was Alesha’s last.  When I found out two weeks ago that she had taken a regular 9-5 job I understood completely, but I bawled my eyes out.  And today, with tears in my eyes I gave her a big hug and sent her off for the last time.  It feels like we’ve lost a family member.  I see Alesha and Kim more than I see anyone else other than who’s in my household.

Alesha wasn’t just a therapist for Silas, she’s also a great friend, one of whom BETTER keep in touch and visit us or else I’ll freak out.

We’re going to miss that adorable cheery little bundle of love that she is.

We love you Alesha!!

this is the ONLY photo I have of her!!!