George Robertson couldn’t tolerate getting his hair cut.
It wasn’t just the noise of clippers that bothered the then-3-year-old. He didn’t like the clippers near his ears, or the cut hair falling in his face.
By the time the Gretna boy graduated from one of the Munroe-Meyer Institute’s Autism Care for Toddlers Clinics, he had mastered the ability to sit for a haircut, as well as other life skills.
Mom Diana Robertson said she saw a “night and day” difference in her son by the time he graduated from the clinic.
“I am eternally grateful for the ACT Clinic,” Robertson said. “They’ve helped George and our family more than they will ever know.”
ACT Clinics provide early intervention services using applied behavior analysis, a research-supported treatment for autism spectrum disorders. The clinics offer one-on-one services for toddlers with autism and a caregiver-training program.
To conquer George’s haircut woes, therapists at the clinic got him comfortable being near hair clippers. Then, they moved up to turning the clippers on and increasing the amount of time he could tolerate the noise. Eventually they passed the clippers — equipped with a guard — through his hair for a pretend trim. The last step was cutting hair off a wig so he could tolerate hair falling around his head.
George tackled other skills, too, including going to the bathroom away from home, trying new foods, improving his communication skills and accepting changes to his routine.
When he started at the clinic, George was shy and tended to cling to Mom.
“Now, he seeks out other kids to play,” Robertson said. “They brought him out of his shell.”
George’s graduation from the program was bittersweet, Robertson said. But the family carries skills learned from the ACT Clinic into their daily lives.
Now 6, George is in kindergarten. Some of his success, his mom said, comes from prep at the clinic, like sitting in a mock classroom and learning when to raise his hand in class.
“I cannot say enough good things about the entire team at the ACT Clinic,” Robertson said. “The level of services that they provide are exceptional. We need more providers like the ACT Clinic in our area.”