A Backpack for David

My little young man, “David” (not his real name), is eight years old and lives with his family – a single mother and older brothers.  He has been diagnosed with Aspergers spectrum disorder which causes him to have trouble with social interaction, social relationships, learning social cues and understanding language.  David is preoccupied with details and is an intelligent boy who loves video games and drama – but sometimes his behavior gets out of control. 

My job as a case manager for Volunteers of America’s Family Treatment program is to help keep David living at home by helping his family remain stable and by helping manage David’s behaviors. 

This year, David qualified to receive a new backpack filled with fresh school supplies from Volunteers of America’s Operation Backpack.  He was incredibly excited when I delivered his backpack the Thursday before school started.  He hugged me about five times and thanked me again and again – and then went and hugged his mother.  Immediately, David took everything out of his brand new backpack and examined each item carefully.  Though he generally has a preoccupation with details, his thorough inspection showed me that he was truly interested in the backpack’s contents.  Then, he carefully returned each individual school supply to his backpack finding the perfect place for each item until finally his backpack was organized to his liking. 

Receiving the backpack really helped David.  In addition to providing David with necessary school supplies, the backpack opened up a great opportunity for us to reinforce and discuss starting out school right.  We talked about listening carefully to the teacher and having good behaviors.  The backpack ended up being a very positive experience for my little young man and helped him begin the new school year with confidence!

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