Logan learns his Social ABCs

'B' is for bubble — one of Logan's new favourite words! In fact, after participating in CHEO's newly launched Social ABCs program, Logan has a lot of new favourite words.  His mom Tara says she will never get tired listening to him chatter away, since just a few months ago she could barely communicate with her son at all.

Tara, who has two other children, began to worry about Logan's development when he avoided eye contact and remained non-verbal, except for a few words.  At two, his mom's suspicions were confirmed when Logan was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. 

"When we got diagnosed our social worker recommended the Social ABCs program at CHEO because Logan was nonverbal. Since I was just starting out I wanted to do everything we could to help him. He could say a few random words, but then he'd never say them again. It was heartbreaking because I wondered if I would ever be able to talk to my son. He would struggle because he couldn't tell us what he wanted."

To support Logan's success at home, the community and eventually in the classroom, Tara enrolled him in CHEO's newly launched Social ABCs program. Through 1:1 family consultations and weekly group sessions with other parents, Tara and Logan have made strides she never thought possible. 

"Everything about the program was so laid back and non judgemental. I was never made to feel like I wasn't doing something right. Logan has had so much success with the Social ABCs program and can now say so many new words. It has been so successful for our family. " 

The Social ABCs program is a new evidence-based offering through CHEO's Autism Program which looks for natural opportunities like play, family routines and hobbies to build communication skills, work on challenging behaviours, learn emotional regulation and more.  

Now Logan's communications skills have taken off, Tara says life at their house looks a lot different. 

"When Logan first started saying bubbles, it was such a big step because he would say it again and again and take our hands to show us what he wanted. It was such a magical moment just to be able to talk with my child. Now he can ask us to go outside, and says 'shoes' and 'outside'. He can do these things, and so much more, we just needed the right strategies to get him there."

Learn more and register for Social ABCs