u/4bhishek

So, I have been working as a Special Educator for the past four years. During this time, I have worked with many students with different disabilities and support needs. Most of my experience has been with children who have mild to moderate intellectual disabilities and learning disabilities. While every child presents unique challenges, I generally felt confident in my ability to connect with them and support their development.

About two months ago, I started working with a 12-year-old boy who has severe autism and ADHD. He is, without a doubt, the most challenging student I have worked with so far.

He is non-verbal and has no functional speech. Communication with him is extremely difficult because he mainly makes sounds, and I often have to guess what he is trying to express. He frequently engages in self-injurious behaviors. He bites his hands so hard that he has developed thick calluses on his palms. He also pinches himself repeatedly. Thankfully, he is not aggressive toward others, but understanding his needs and keeping him engaged can be very challenging.

Academically, his abilities are quite limited. Although he is 12 years old chronologically, his developmental level is much lower. I know that my primary goal with him is not academic achievement. Instead, I focus on reducing challenging behaviors, improving communication, and helping him develop skills that will make his life a little easier and more independent.

For the past two months, our sessions have usually lasted around 40 minutes before he would become disengaged. Building a connection with him has been a slow process, and there were many days when I questioned whether I was making any meaningful progress.

Then something unexpected happened today.

He sat with me calmly for more than an hour and a half. He was focused on a map we were looking at together. He followed my finger as I pointed to different places. He would spell out words, and I would help him pronounce them. For the first time, it felt like we were truly sharing an activity rather than simply existing in the same room.

Then, completely out of nowhere, he looked at me, made a heart shape with his hands, and said, "I love you."

It may not sound like much to some people. But for a child who struggles to communicate even the simplest needs, those three words carried a weight that is difficult to describe.

I have received appreciation from parents, praise from supervisors, and positive feedback throughout my career. Yet somehow, this felt different.

For a moment, I felt that all the effort, patience, and uncertainty of the last two months had reached him. Not through grades, test scores, or measurable outcomes, but through trust.

I don't know if he fully understood the meaning of what he said. I don't know if he learned it from somewhere else or if he simply repeated something he had heard before.

What I do know is that it was the first time in a long while that my work moved me emotionally.

Today reminded me why I became a Special Educator in the first place.

TL;DR: After two months of trying to connect with a non-verbal autistic child who rarely communicates, he looked at me today, made a heart with his hands, and said, "I love you." Those three words meant more to me than any praise I've received in my career.