How a Wareham Boy Completely Silenced a Packed Auditorium of Kids

A Wareham mom is sharing a heart warming moment from her son's fourth grade awards ceremony. If anyone is unsure about what real inclusion looks like, Wareham just put it on full display.

Ceremony Filled With Both Excitement and Worry

On Monday afternoon, Wareham Elementary School held its annual Fourth Grade Awards ceremony. Among the students being recognized was Luke Richards, a fourth grader in the special education program who has autism. Luke's mother, Alicia Coleman, knew her son had been selected for a surprise award, but she also knew that the well meaning cheering and clapping could send Luke on a downward spiral.

In the days leading up to Monday's awards ceremony, Coleman couldn't stop worrying about how overwhelming the experiencing could be for her son. As she put it, "it lingered in the back of my mind that a typical award ceremony would mean cheering, clapping, and loud noises."

A Teacher Who Saw What Luke Needed

At the ceremony, Luke's teacher, Mrs. Michelle Houghton, noticed Luke growing antsy and quietly moved him to watch from a window. When it came time to announce his big achievement, the magic happened. She asked the entire room to hold their applause and instead raise their hands for silent jazz hands in place of clapping.

A Room Full of Silent Cheers

Luke was being honored with a Speech Achievement award, recognition of years of hard work that took him from communicating through pictures and sign language to using an AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) device and now forming verbal sentences. As Luke's name was called, the entire auditorium raised their hands and waved silently. Luke's mom described the scene as "bursting with pride, joy, inclusion, and belonging."

Mom Hopes Wareham Inclusion Ispires Others

For Coleman, watching her son's fourth grade classmates choose inclusion without hesitation was the most powerful part of the day. The students could have simply clapped along, but instead they adapted in a way that let Luke feel celebrated on his own terms.

Luke spent the rest of the day telling his family how proud he was, and his mother hopes the moment inspires others to extend that same kindness in their own communities.  Making one small adjustment can mean the world to others.