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Breakthrough Connections The generous donation of a lifetime collection of LEGOs helps two boys with Asperger syndrome build relationships and bring down social and behavioral walls at Boys Town Texas. special to nfamily
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lifetime collection of LEGOs donated to Boys Town Texas by a San Antonio teen is helping bring down the social and behavioral walls that have confined two young boys with Asperger syndrome. Tyler Oates, 15, recently decided he had outgrown the massive LEGO collection he and his two older brothers had accumulated during their childhood. Wanting to share the collection with children, Oates contacted Boys Town Texas and spoke to Donor Relations Specialist ● ● ● ●
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Patricia Peres-Saenz. She suggested that the LEGOs go to the site’s outpatient behavioral health clinic, which provides services for children with emotional, behavioral and mental health issues. Rosemary Coates, the clinic’s licensed professional counselor, put the LEGOs in the waiting area outside of her office so children could play with them while waiting for appointments. At the time, Coates was working with two boys: Juan and Jacob. Both youngsters had been diagnosed with Asperger’s, and their appointments with Coates were usually
scheduled one after the other on the same days. Juan, 9, was very shy and impulsive. He had recently moved from another state, so he had no friends and his grandmother (and primary caretaker) was worried he wouldn’t fit in at his new school. It took a while for him to warm up to Coates and begin following her treatment strategies. When he did, he often would blurt out inappropriate comments, unaware that they might be hurtful to others or cause problems. When school started, Juan was always in trouble, either being sent to