If you know me, you know that I have been friends with a remarkable young man for many years. Grant has Asberger's syndrome, and has more mathematical talent than anyone I have ever known. But the things that make him so special also isolate him from the world in general. He is not normal, and society has trouble accepting people who are very different. Thus many of us at ACU have tried to be Grant's friends and supporters. He has been a great blessing to us.
One day it occurred to me that Grant might like to learn to ride a bicycle. I had taught all our kids to ride, and had also taught Taylor how to ride, so how hard could it be? Well, first of all, it is easier to learn when you are young. Also, Grant has to work hard to control himself in stressful situations. But he said several times that he wanted to learn. So we have started. We have to take the lessons in little steps. As we go through the process, you can see the stress building in him. So we agreed that we would practice until he thought it was time to quit for a while, and then we would begin again later.
So far we have had three sessions of about 30 minutes each. The first time he learned to stop the bike with the brakes and not fall down. But he never actually rode on his on. A week later I was able to let go of the bike for about three seconds, but I had to keep him from falling when he stopped. He would only go a few yards, and then hit the brakes.
But this last Saturday, he rode half way across the church parking lot after I helped him get started. He can now stop by himself without my having to keep him from falling. I am expecting that the next time we practice, he will get to where he can ride on his on without my help. That will be a great accomplishment for him. If it doesn't happen, then we will just keep trying until it does.
I feel really good about this project, and so does his mother.
