“Jaedon is very proud of his improvements from iSocial. He is able to identify his improvements. He says he feels more comfortable at school in the classroom. Before iSocial, he wasn't able to set inside the actual classroom with his peers. Now he is able to set inside the classroom with his other students and responds to some of their comments/questions.”
Spotlight on Success
A grandfather and a grandson—a relationship-deepening impact.
Mike is the grandfather of a neurodiverse youngster and is head of a large disability-inclusion not-for-profit organization. He wrote this heartwarming note about his grandson's experience with iSocial.
Thank you for making iSocial available to high-functioning individuals with autism!
My grandson is thirteen years old. Prior to completing the iSocial sessions with five other young men like him, it was very difficult for him to engage in conversations. He was awkward in almost every social situation. We watched him often standing apart from others, not participating or engaged with his classmates or teammates.
When he was comfortable, he often interrupted, he would talk about sports results and statistics that interested him, never picking up the non-verbal signals of those with him that although they were impressed with his incredible amount of knowledge, that it quickly became boring listening to his monologue of sport's reporting.
Whenever he faced situations where he did not understand why someone was correcting him or trying to explain something that he was having difficulty with, it most often resulted in heightened emotions and loss of control. Also, my grandson lost his father a year ago. I'm his maternal grandpa. I'm also trying to be dad too.
“When he noticed tears on my cheeks he asked, ‘What's wrong Grandpa?’ I explained my tears were happy tears caused by him asking me questions showing he cared about me.”
We were not sure if he would engage in the bi-weekly one hour iSocial sessions. He did! After a month, I picked him up to take him to soccer practice. He got in the car and said to me for the first time ever, “Hi Grandpa! What's up?” and “what did you do today?” Next, “Did you watch the Blues game last night?”
My grandson's family, friends, classmates, teammates, teachers and counselors all are so happy to see him engaging in conversations. They see how much happier he is now. His special education aids and his mom and I are able to help him calm himself when he starts to melt down. Sometimes he struggles at first, but by assuring him by getting calm we will listen then and we will try to help him, he now is able to calm himself.
iSocial has given a fine young man the tools to be able to use his remarkable abilities and to be not only accepted but liked. Bless you and thank you, iSocial!