A Hard Decision

This week Stephen has started typing 1 letter of a word and pressing "speak" he seems to think it is too much to have to write the whole word himself.  We have also been trying to to work on the next step to independent.  We would point to a letter on the keyboard and have him type different sentences (typing practice).  He did great at first and then we started trying to just say the letter and have him do 1 letter on his own. he would look at me with a mischievous smile and would hit the key next to it, or hold the key down for multiple pages.

We asked him why it is hard to type by himself and he said, "I could if I tried." 

I bought lots of treats, ice cream donuts, cookies, fruitsnacks---to try to motivate him with food, he said, "I don't want to ear treats, I should just get them because I have Autsim." 

Nothing seemed to work, the more we would try to encourage the harder he would push back to not type, it needs to be his own idea and he needs to have the desire to do it himself!

We talked with some other parents who have been in similar situations and they said, it wasn't until we told him he wouldn't get anything unless he asked for it that he decided it was worth it, if you continue to help him do it he will never have any reason to do it himself.

So we are going to go through that battle, it hurts so bad to not just help him; but I know he is capable to do it and that motivation is what is keeping him from doing it! I hope he decides quickly that it is worth it!  I know that if we don't do it now we will have to do it down the road, so we can either do it today or wait 5 years; but he is going to have to go through it, and climb his mountain.

We would appreciate prayers that Stephen will decide he wants to communicate and understand that it would be a blessing for him!

It is so frustrating to me, he has been given one of the greatest gifts that I'm sure most autistic kids would love to have, he often says "I don't care" when I try to explain how blessed he is to have this opportunity.  It is so hard to watch him waste this opportunity!

Pray for me to, that I can be patient in him going through this learning experience!