POULSBO — The day parents Jai and Annika Jeffery discovered that their son, Aidan, was autistic is one they’ll never forget.

Granted, the signs of his autism had already begun to show up in the months leading up to his diagnosis. He had stopped turning his head when his parents called his name; he’d begun calling his mother Annika “daddy” rather than “mommy,” as he once knew her. His vocabulary wasn’t growing — in fact, it was shrinking.

“Aidan’s speech wasn’t developing like his (older) sister’s did,” said Annika Jeffery. “He was stuck on (speaking only) five or six words.”

As his second birthday neared, Aidan’s parents received the news.

“I couldn’t sleep and I couldn’t eat,” recalled Jai Jeffery. “Everything that used to matter didn’t matter. The world becomes hollow.”

On one occasion, the Jefferys’ oldest daughter, Anya, remembers approaching her father as he sat crying the in family’s home.

“Why are you crying?” she asked.

“I want to talk with Aidan,” he replied, tears in his eyes.

One of the most common symptoms of autism — a lack of verbal communication skills — had led Jai Jeffery to believe he’d never be able to converse with his son.

But with time, the Jefferys discovered that through new research, autism was not only becoming more treatable but their little boy was gifted in other ways — that there were talents just waiting to be unlocked inside of him.

Aidan’s new hope

The Jefferys accepted the news of Aidan’s diagnosis and began to educate themselves on the spectrum disorder known as autism. Described as a “neurologically based developmental disability,” the Jefferys discovered autism’s primary manifestations — in the aforementioned communication skills and social interaction. They also learned that autism is on the risenation-wide and effects one in 500 people, according to a report by the University of Washington.

The family found an infancy program for autistic children ages birth to 3 at Holly Ridge Center, using both their Bremerton and Poulsbo locations. They began home-based therapy, using UW psychologist Kathy Zanoli — one of the most advanced doctors in the treatment of autism in the nation — as well.

And in the Jefferys’ native Poulsbo, they discovered a new program at Poulsbo Elementary School, developed around the University of Washington’s latest research. One that would change their son’s life.

Aidan goes to pre-school

The Head Start pre-school, located in a portable classroom behind Poulsbo Elementary School, fills each day with students who share breakfast together, paint pictures, and sing songs — the kinds of things one might expect inside a classroom of mostly 4 year olds.

But a unique partnership with North Kitsap School District’s only autism program — founded by teacher Nancy Pack and modeled after the UW’s research — has three of its students, including Aidan, in the Kitsap Community Resources’ sponsored pre-school.

The pre-school is the earliest form of interaction between students, regardless of learning abilities, in the district.

“Our children accept (the students with autism) the way they accept any other child,” said Head Start teacher Linda Kruger-Ebbert. “It’s exciting to see them be a community — so that everybody belongs. They’re all so young so (all the students’) skills are just developing, too.”

“It’s a great concept,” Jai Jeffery said. “It’s real forward thinking to use as a support for the autism program.”

Pack, as well as a group of trained paraeducators, often stay with Aidan and the other autistic students in the Head Start pre-school to help them interact with the other students. The process is known in autism education as “facilitating.”

When Aidan arrived at the pre-school at the beginning of the year, Pack said she knew he had been given some of the best treatment for autism under UW’s Zanoli.

“(Aidan) came to me in really good shape because his parents had provided him an extensive home therapy program,” Pack said.

But Pack’s main area of concern with Aidan were his social skills — something she believed he could definitely improve on.

Getting included

Making Aidan feel comfortable in the Head Start program was not easy.

“He had total fear of going into the program,” Pack recalled, noting that Aidan was overwhelmed and couldn’t handle the social interaction in the class.

Pack brought every student from the Head Start pre-school — in groups of two — to meet Aidan for the first time to help ease him into the program. In time, he not only became comfortable with the other students’ presence but was able to interact with them as well.

Aidan’s strengths also began to show up in the Head Start classroom as the children delved into computers. It became one of Aidan’s favorite activities.

One of the most visible symptoms of Aidan’s autism is his inability to handle random and unpredictable situations, which are not presented by computers. As a result, Aidan — a boy who taught himself to read at age 3 — needs no help in his computer activities.

His verbal communication skills have also advanced greatly during the school year.

One school day in May, it was Aidan’s turn to give the “weather report.”

“What’s the weather like today? Let’s ask Aidan,” the children, including Aidan, sang.

After a quick look outside, Aidan placed the velcro signs of “foggy” and “windy” onto the room’s weather board and announced the weather to his classmates — with little help from Pack.

By including Aidan at a young age within a general classroom — using both his strengths, while also learning to deal with unpredictability in social interaction — Aidan has developed, just as his peers have.

“He’s learning how to interact in his own age,” Jai Jeffery said. “It’s a structured environment that Nancy (Pack) provides that helps his education.”

What was once thought impossible becomes reality

Only two years have passed since the Jefferys found out Aidan was autistic. Yet they are now optimistic about their son’s chances of achieving a prosperous and happy life.

The Jefferys’ early intervention with his autism has inspired the new hope. And his interaction with his peers at pre-school, thanks largely to Pack’s program, has led to a greater understanding among his teachers, his fellow students’ parents and especially his peers.

“Nancy has changed the course of Aidan’s life,” Jai Jeffery said.

May 5, Aidan was playing on the playground with his classmates. Initially, he had wanted to go inside, looking as if he was overwhelmed by the chaos of boys and girls running about. But he chose to stay, much longer than Pack expected. And he did something he’d never done before.

Aidan picked up a rubber basketball and decided that he, too, wanted to play with his peers. The hoop, barely out of his reach for him to reach his fingers around for a slam dunk, was keeping him from making a basket.

But one of his peers came up from behind and gave the necessary push to help Aidan score.

That was Adian’s first basketball experience — one the Jefferys thought he’d never have.

“When you find out the diagnosis, you’re not sure if they’ll ever be able to speak to you,” Jai Jeffrey said. “Now, we’re saying that he might be able to play basketball someday.”

And his progress doesn’t end there, the Jefferys added.

“When he’s old enough, we’re going to sign him up for T-ball,” Jai Jeffery said.

The little boy the Jefferys once imagined might never participate in sports now may do much more than play basketball, thanks to his early treatment and interaction with his peers.

“We think he’s going to college,” Jai Jeffery said. “There’s no ceiling for this guy.”