The Hall family have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season.
This year has been one of overcoming obstacles for Heather Hall, 20, who rose above an autism diagnosis to accomplish feats doctors were uncertain she ever would.
At a young age, Heather was given an PDD-NOS diagnosis, which stands for Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified, and is one of the four autism spectrum disorders. With the diagnosis came a list of milestones Heather may never achieve.
“They didn’t know if she’d read, if she’d graduate, if she’d drive a car,” said Stacy Hall, Heather’s mother. “They warned me she might not do a lot of things.”
On June 3, Heather received a diploma from Minnesota Virtual Academy – an online, public education based program, in August she got her driver’s license and a few weeks after that, she enrolled in classes at Rainy River Community College and Mesabi Range College.
Needless to say, it was an emotional summer for Stacy.
“I had a staff meeting in Grand Rapids and I think I bawled the whole way down Highway 6,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes just thinking about how far Heather has come.
Heather looked at her mom and shook her head.
“She’s been crying a lot,” she said with a smile.
But Heather, too, knows she has beat several odds and will continue to cross goals off her list as she works toward her ultimate challenge of becoming a teacher.
“I want to help people like the people who have helped me,” she said. “I can’t wait to work with little kids.”
Missing milestones
Early on, it was clear there was some kind of learning impairment with Heather. As a baby, she was behind on monthly benchmarks, and as a toddler, she wasn’t interacting with other children her age.
“Her disability came socially,” Stacy said.
Early-childhood screening tests indicated Heather wasn’t ready for kindergarten, so her family decided to wait a year to enroll her in school. The Hall’s oldest child, Jayde, was already home schooled through Minnesota Virtual Academy, so they registered Heather in the program, too.
“She definitely had reading issues,” Stacy recalls. “She was also four years delayed... As a 10 year old, what was coming out of her was a 6-year-old age level.”
Even though doctors advised against enrolling Heather in a home-based education, Stacy said she knew the Minnesota Virtual Academy was the best option for her daughter.
“We knew Heather and we knew what would be best for her,” she said.
Stacy praised MNVA’s special education departments, noting teachers are contracted out through other schools to get Heather the daily one-on-one attention she needed.
“They really worked with Heather and met her specific needs,” Stacy added. “We knew we made the right choice.”
Overcoming differences
Growing up, it was only a matter of time before Heather realized her cognitive abilities didn’t match those of other kids her age.
It happened when she was 9.
“I was talking about my special ed teacher to a friend, and she didn’t know what I meant,” Heather said. “At the time, I didn’t want to be different.”
The realization caused hesitation about attending school, and there were days Stacy had to bribe Heather with gum to go.
“I just wanted to be normal,” Heather said.
That’s where Jayde came in.
Heather said her sister is more of a tomboy and had interests different than other girls Jayde’s age. Seeing Jayde content with being who she was inspired Heather.
“Seeing that really helped me realize it doesn’t matter if I’m different,” she said. “Being different was OK.”
The learning gap finally began to narrow when Heather was in sixth grade.
Throughout elementary school, she routinely tested below her grade level. At the beginning of the sixth-grade school year, she was at a low third grade reading level.
In just a few short months, however, she finished off the year at an at-risk level for sixth grade.
“That was the first time we didn’t have that huge gap between what her ability was and her age,” Stacy said. “She caught up like three grades over sixth grade.”
That same year, Heather became involved in 4-H and really started to break out of her shell.
“I decided I was going to beat this,” she said. “I was going to prove doctors wrong.”
Remarkable mind
Even though there are cognitive delays, Heather’s mind is quite remarkable.
She spoke of her love of math and computers, adding she went to the state robotics meet in 2013.
“She could do math in her head beyond where she was academically,” Stacy said. “But if you asked her what a plus sign was, she couldn’t tell you. She knew what the symbol meant to do, but she couldn’t tell you what it was called.”
Heather agreed.
“Give me a sheet of math and I’m in heaven,” she said. “Give me a word problem and I struggle.”
With determination in mind, she pushed through high school and finally received her diploma in June. She credits 4-H and those at MNVA who stuck with her all the way to her graduation for her success.
“I think 4-H helped me a lot,” she said. “When I first started, I didn’t really talk to people, I sat in the back. Looking back, 4-H showed me confidence, it showed me leadership. I figured out how to be me. I wouldn’t be who I am without 4-H.”
While Heather still has a learning gap and admits there are days it shows more than others, she is well on her way to her ultimate goal of becoming a teacher.
“For some reason, when it comes to kids, I understand how they work,” Heather said. “I don’t know why, but I know how their brains work... I want to help them like people helped me.”
