riding the bus!

To say that today was a big day for Luke and the Attridge family is like saying last night was a big night for Leonardo DiCaprio.  Huge.  Luke rode the bus to school today all by himself.  Literally, he was the only child on the bus.  He acted as though it was the most ordinary and common thing to do, "Of course I'll ride the bus to school."  I managed to get him on it and almost back to the front door before a few tears of happiness leaked out.  Paul was on a conference call for work, but he got to watch it all from his office window.  We're so fortunate to get to experience these moments together.

This is the bus as it drives up our street to stop in front of our house.  Luke is the only passenger.  

He got on without any prompting and took his seat.  Kelly, his driver helped him buckle his belt.

The bus leaving with our big boy.

We are continuously impressed, amazed, gobsmacked by the excellence of the team of people working with Luke.  Michelle made this video (Wheels on the Bus for Luke) for Luke to watch in the days prior to his first ride.  Video modelling is very effective with him and relatively new to autism therapy.