William or “Willie” as he is known to his friends and family had his routines that he loved pre-COVID that kept him fulfilled .  These stopped abruptly when the COVID-19 pandemic struck New York.  The day program which included visiting parks, volunteer opportunities, and excursions to the YMCA that allowed for socialization and stimulation which everyone needs for happiness and mental health well-being vanished.  Willie’s mother stated, “It’s very sad that no one speaks of these tragic losses.”

Fortunately, for Willie and his family, there were resources and hobbies to help sustain activities that would help Willie to alleviate mental anguish that anyone would naturally experience.  His family scheduled appointments around each other so Willie was always with a family member and involved in activities that he enjoyed.   Every parent who still has a child at home with them can relate to this.

 A person with Autism is very content and happy to be in their own thoughts, so it’s important for their well-being to bring them back to social activities where they can actively participate.  Willie’s mother stated, “he has a great movie collection and likes to order a movie in different formats.  He is very technologically savvy and has the devices to play these movies on various devices.  Willie is very skilled in manipulating the devices to replay his favorite movie scenes. The technical aptitude for things he is interested in is amazing.  His memory is fantastic and almost photographic.  Willie knows theme music for movies and if you tell him what year you are born, he’ll tell you what movies were produced. He grew up watching classic Disney movies and sometimes uses those scenes to express emotions and let out his feelings.  He also appreciated occasional shopping rewards such as the Amazon online store during the pandemic.

 While his time with family has been very satisfying, Willies misses the socialization and work experiences had once excelled at pre-pandemic.  Now that the world is opening, Willie would like to get back to experiencing and doing more.  He was once very successfully employed working in the VA hospital dialysis unit making needle packages for patients, according to his mother.  She stated, “ He easily negotiated a 15-floor building to meet his employment responsibilities.  We are looking forward to Willie finding his passion and reconnecting with his peers now that the world is opening up."

There are exciting future opportunities in store for Willie and his mother stated, “Thanks to Willie’s Care Manager, Kaymarie, he will have many exciting adventures ahead.  She was the first care manager who was able to access the type of services to give him hope for the future.  She is an angel.”

 Stay tuned for exciting future updates on Willie.