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Looking back, Melissa could see all the signs that her son, Eddie, might be a little different than his peers.
He would not make eye contact, only walked on his tippy toes, and became frustrated if anyone touched his head.
As new challenges continued to mount, Eddie’s hair continued to grow.
After receiving the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder and enrolling in Pacekids Community and In-home services, Melissa learned simple ways of adapting to Eddie’s unique learning style.
In-home therapeutic aide, Julie, started by helping Eddie wear his first hat.
“Julie came into our home one day with a hat for her, a hat for Eddie, and she danced that day,” said Melissa. “She made it fun for Eddie, and over the next couple of weeks he put that hat on and wouldn’t take it off.”
“That was one huge thing. Putting hats on Eddie’s head, mittens on his hands, getting him to wear sunglasses, dress up clothes – Julia was amazing with that particular challenge.” – Melissa
This small victory opened the door for the next step. Julie introduced a proven educational tool called social stories.
Melissa collected pictures of Eddie, their mobile hair stylist, and all the tools needed for a successful haircut. Julia took those photos and crafted an accessible storybook.
The final product: an imaginative, immersive story that helped Eddie understand the process of a haircut long before he needed to face the challenge in person.
“The story was perfect for Eddie,” said Melissa. “He knew exactly what to expect.”
This adaptive method was so successful that Melissa has used different social stories to help Eddie through visits to the doctor, exploring new foods, and transitioning through the seasons of life.
“We did a social story for Eddie’s vaccines, and it went amazing. He went in, put his arm out, didn’t cry, went home and said, ‘Look at my band-aide, dad!’”
- Melissa
“The social story, that whole concept, came from Pacekids,” said Melissa. “I will be forever grateful to Pacekids for teaching us about social stories because we still use them now.”
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