Hannah Hickman

After growing up an athlete, Hannah Hickman’s first role outside of school was as a high school basketball coach. However, her plan to become one of the few female athletic directors in the area was cut short when she became pregnant. This prompted Hannah to pivot her life’s trajectory, but little did she know, she would have to change it yet again when she and her son received some unexpected news. Throughout this episode, Joe and Hannah discuss how her experience being a lifelong teacher, athlete, and coach helped her become her son’s primary educator as they navigated his medical diagnosis.

After growing up an athlete, Hannah Hickman’s first role outside of school was as a high school basketball coach. However, her plan to become one of the few female athletic directors in the area was cut short when she became pregnant. This prompted Hannah to pivot her life’s trajectory, but little did she know, she would have to change it yet again when she and her son received some unexpected news.

“It’s allowed me to have better relationships because I invest more in a person now than I did when I had all these people who I knew were friends or acquaintances that maybe weren’t good things to have in my life. I’m much more selective now…and I think all my relationships are even stronger because I’ve dove into getting those deeper connections with people” - Hannah Hickman, (18:33)

Chasing Career Dreams
From a young age, Hannah was playing with the boys on the street, which helped her learn how to hold her own as she didn’t want to be the little girl in pigtails getting pushed around. And after a short stint as a ballerina, her feisty attitude led her toward more contact sports like basketball. Ultimately, Hannah was the first graduating class from Rogers Heritage High School and was a member of the school’s first basketball team. 

Subsequently, Hannah attended Arkansas Tech University, where she obtained a bachelor of education. She then got her foot in the coaching door when she accepted a job as the basketball coach at a small school in Arkansas called Providence Academy. Hannah knew this could be the launching pad her coaching career needed and believed if she could make it there, she could coach at other places.

“I knew at a young age that I wanted to help people, and I had a lot of coaches and teachers that made a really big impact on my life growing up. And so I knew that if they could do that for me, I wanted to do that for other people.” - Hannah Hickman, (2:11)

After coaching and teaching for around five years, Hannah was living her dream and had every intention of becoming an athletic director. So much so that she went back to school to attain her master’s in sports administration and organization. However, Hannah became pregnant with her son Jackson, and her master’s degree and athletic director plans were put on hold. 

Becoming an Adaptive Thinker
Once Hannah realized she was about to have a child as a single parent, she decided to pivot her career trajectory in order to provide her and Jackson with increased financial stability. Fortunately, one of Hannah’s friends had connections in the insurance industry that were looking to hire someone, and she started selling insurance. Hannah soon found a rhythm selling insurance, however, her direction in life was altered again when Jackson was diagnosed with autism at a young age.  

“It was very nerve-wracking, but thankfully I had people who could coach me along to do things the right way. I got to learn as I go…and I’m a firm believer in you have to try to see if it’s a good fit and you have to learn by trial. So I learned from all my mistakes.” - Hannah Hickman, (7:15)

Persevering through Adversity
With Jackson’s new diagnosis, Hannah was understandably nervous about the future. As a single mom figuring out a new career, she now needed to learn how to navigate a new phase of life with her son. Jackson was diagnosed during the pandemic, which meant Hannah had limited resources to learn how to accommodate her son.

Thankfully, Hannah and Jackson were able to utilize virtual therapy. Hannah would follow Jackson around with an iPad, and the therapist would help her navigate different situations. Looking back, Hannah believes these interactions were the best thing that could have happened because they forced her to engage with Jackson instead of the therapist. In addition to therapy, Hannah received support from her family and was eventually able to connect with a local community of neighbors, coworkers, etc. who had stories similar to hers. 

“Those are things I can’t really plan for, or I can do the best I can, but I might have to just take them as they come. And one of the best things about autism is being an adaptive thinker. You have to be able to figure out he thinks differently than I do. What does he need? What’s the outcome? And I’ve been able to use that and apply it in every aspect of my life.” - Hannah Hickman, (12:45)

Today, Hannah understands that although most things are more challenging now, neither she nor Jackson can live their lives avoiding all the challenges. Therefore, they take the challenges as they come and learn from them as they go. Jackson’s diagnosis might require Hannah to be more structured, but she credits her background in teaching and coaching for helping her become the support and guidance Jackson needs to thrive.

Hannah’s story emphasizes how important it is to not let challenging circumstances keep you from tackling big things, and that sometimes the teachers can quickly become the students when presented with unexpected situations. 

Hannah Hickman:

I knew that I just needed something to do. If this wasn't going to work out, I needed something to have an income because I was about to have a child, and I was about to do it all alone.

Rick West:

Welcome to Push Go, a podcast powered by Plum where we highlight the defining moments that impact how we live and work. Today I'm joined by Hannah Hickman, account executive for Field Agent, a global tech company located in the United States. Today you're going to hear how Hannah, a lifelong teacher, athlete, and coach, became her son's primary coach and teacher as they navigated his diagnosis as a child with autism. Hannah, welcome to the podcast.

Hannah Hickman:

Thanks for having me.

Rick West:

I was thinking today as we were getting ready for this, I think you're my, the very first collegiate basketball player we've had on the show.

Hannah Hickman:

I wouldn't go that far.

Rick West:

Yes, we're going to use the word collegiate. Okay. Collegiate. And probably even the first basketball coach.

Hannah Hickman:

Yes. That I believe.

Rick West:

You believe that.

Hannah Hickman:

Yep.

Rick West:

So you're the legit basketball player that I've always wanted to be like when I grew up and actually could hit a free throw when you needed to and...

Hannah Hickman:

It's nice to see that every once in a while.

Rick West:

Yeah.

Hannah Hickman:

That somebody can hit a free throw.

Rick West:

Every once in a while. Yeah. So let's talk about Hannah as the athlete. Did you grow up saying athletics, teaching, coaching was going to be your role in life?

Hannah Hickman:

Yes.

Rick West:

So tell me a little bit about that.

Hannah Hickman:

I was that girl always playing with the boys on the street. And I knew I needed to be able to hold my own, so I wasn't going to be that little girl in pigtails that got pushed around by those big boys. So I had to...

Rick West:

Okay.

Hannah Hickman:

Had to get feisty and play. My dad got me in all the sports, was a ballerina for eight years, and then my basketball coach said, "You're too good to do ballet."

Rick West:

Wow.

Hannah Hickman:

"You should just play basketball." So I did, played all through high school. Went to Rogers High School to start. And then I was the first graduating class for Heritage when they opened up.

Rick West:

Okay.

Hannah Hickman:

So I got to finish school at Heritage and be the first basketball team from there.

Rick West:

Wow. And did you think that later in life coaching was going to be the route or teacher/coach that kind of was in your head?

Hannah Hickman:

Yeah.

Rick West:

And so was that always, as a kid, you thought teaching and coaching would be a thing?

Hannah Hickman:

I did. I knew at a young age that I wanted to help people, and I had a lot of coaches and teachers that made a really big impact on my life.

Rick West:

Okay.

Hannah Hickman:

Growing up. And so I knew that if they could do that for me, I wanted to help do that for other people. The best way for me to do that was by doing something that I was good at, which was basketball and teaching. And when I was younger, my dad said that if I wanted to be the best, I needed to study the best. So I got into some Duke basketball and I've grown up watching Coach K. It's very emotional.

Rick West:

We really don't have to go there. There's opportunities for us to have basketball without having, but go on. Go on.

Hannah Hickman:

I know. Sore subject.

Rick West:

Yeah.

Hannah Hickman:

But Coach K's probably the best coach out there, arguably. And so I studied him and knew that that's what I wanted to do. I wanted to help reach people and kids through things like sports.

Rick West:

Okay. Yeah. When I grew up, all I wanted to be was a football coach. I said if I could just coach football, that would be my dream in life. But I ended up going the business route. But you didn't necessarily jump into business. You did go from, I guess from an education standpoint, you started to go down the cadence of education, teaching. Even that first role outside of school took you down that path. Let's talk a little bit about that.

Hannah Hickman:

Yeah. My first job right out of college was to be a basketball coach at a little school up here called Providence Academy.

Rick West:

Okay.

Hannah Hickman:

It was kind of just my first foot in the door. It was really small school. I knew this was my launching pad. If I could make it here, I can then go to other places.

Rick West:

Yeah.

Hannah Hickman:

And did that for about five years.

Rick West:

Okay.

Hannah Hickman:

We've had a lot of fun doing that.

Rick West:

Okay. And did you coach, was this junior high, high school?

Hannah Hickman:

Junior high, high school basketball. And then I got the pleasure of helping start a softball team there.

Rick West:

Okay.

Hannah Hickman:

So I got to dabble in that. I was involved in the whole athletic department.

Rick West:

Okay. But again, sports driven. Again, and that from a teaching standpoint was this, did you have certain subjects you were teaching or is this primarily physical education? You stayed within sports?

Hannah Hickman:

Yeah.

Rick West:

Okay.

Hannah Hickman:

The typical PE coach route with those things.

Rick West:

Listen, there's a lot of good shows that has the typical PE coach. Yeah.

Hannah Hickman:

That's true. That's true. I was living the dream and didn't mind all the hours I was putting in to do it.

Rick West:

So you're living the dream, you're going down this path. Did you think eventually head coach or athletic director, did you think you would continue to go through the process in education?

Hannah Hickman:

I did. I even went to school to get my master's in sport administration and organization, which is what I needed to become an athletic director. I knew there was not a lot of female athletic directors that existed, especially around here, and that's kind of wanted to be the first.

Rick West:

Okay. And so the path is in front of you. It's perfect. It's easy. Everything's going exactly the way you want it to go. Right? But you had a little blessing that kind of popped in, so.

Hannah Hickman:

I did.

Rick West:

So let's talk about, we talk here defining moments, but you had one that happened in your early twenties. So let's talk a little bit about that. You're tracking, everything's great, right?

Hannah Hickman:

Yeah.

Rick West:

You're going to be the athletic director, get your masters'.

Hannah Hickman:

Yep. And then life happened and I had my son. He is such a blessing, but it was definitely not a part of the plan to have him.

Rick West:

And so by having your son at that point in time, you realize through the education system what was going on that the, getting your master's, becoming athletic director at that point in time was something you could no longer pursue, at least for that period of time.

Hannah Hickman:

Mm-hmm.

Rick West:

And so what went through your mind? How did you make that call to kind of shift a little bit? I know it's kind of made for you as well.

Hannah Hickman:

Yeah.

Rick West:

But let's speak to that. You've got this, you're expecting a baby, you got this little baby boy, and you knew that athletic director and masters wasn't exactly going to happen soon.

Hannah Hickman:

Right.

Rick West:

So how did you make the decision to pivot into the world of business?

Hannah Hickman:

I knew that I just needed something to do. If this wasn't going to work out, I needed something to have an income because I was about to have a child and I was about to do it all alone. So I knew that I couldn't just sit around and be sad, didn't have time for it, even though I wanted to.

Rick West:

Yeah.

Hannah Hickman:

I had to just get up off my feet and do something. So I had a friend of mine, who had a similar path that I did that said she knew some guys in the insurance business and that they needed to hire somebody. And then she thought if I could teach, I could probably sell something. So she got me connected with some guys at American National Insurance.

Rick West:

So love that. If you could teach, so you could probably sell something. Okay. So this is that art of understanding, methodically going through understanding the pluses and minuses of a product or a service and being able to educate. But was it just as easy as jumping in insurance?

Hannah Hickman:

Oh, no.

Rick West:

Okay. So...

Hannah Hickman:

No.

Rick West:

Whole new world for you.

Hannah Hickman:

It was.

Rick West:

And so let's speak to that a little bit. You've got new baby, baby boy. You got to jump into an entirely new career. Had to have been crazy.

Hannah Hickman:

It was so nerve-wracking too, because I learned really quickly nobody calls insurance unless they're upset or they have a new car or a new house. And both of those are very stressful situations because you have to do it right the first time. There's no room for error in something like that, and if there is error, you're in trouble.

So it was very nerve-wracking, but thankfully I had people who could in a way coach me along to do things the right way. I got to learn as I go. They were very helpful in that aspect. And I'm a firm believer in you got to try it to see if it's a good fit and you got to learn by trial. So I learned from all my mistakes. I took notes and I kept moving forward and figured out I could sell. She was right.

Rick West:

Okay, so you're someone that's going to get things accomplished. You've got a goal, it's in front of you. And again, you get a little, the smoothness, the rhythm of life is kicking in. But about one year into your son, is he turning one?

Hannah Hickman:

Yes.

Rick West:

Almost two. You found out that you were getting another little surprise.

Hannah Hickman:

I was. And it wasn't another child, it was that my son was diagnosed as autistic at a really young age. And that world is super scary and no parent wants to be told that their child is autistic. A lot of parents or a lot of children express signs early on and other people will pick them up and say, "Hey, you should get him looked at."

Or, "Hey, we're picking up on some stuff." And no kid or no parent ever wants to believe that is true until somebody with a PhD and all the right credentials says, "Hey, sure enough, he's showing us some signs that he's autistic. Let's get him tested." Not only had I been through this process alone, I just got thrown another curve ball on top of everything that I wasn't planning for.

Rick West:

So single mom, new career, figuring things out, and autism rears its head. Now again, you're a student educator, so did you just dive into literature and education? Did you become the expert of understanding what was in front of you? So what was that like?

Hannah Hickman:

Super scary. As anybody knows, if you Google stuff, it's the worst of the worst. When you Google it, you automatically have cancer and 10 days to live.

Rick West:

So autism, even on the scale of one to 10, you know as you're Googling, looking at things, everything's you're looking at all the 10s. And even a 0.5 or one could be over here. So as you're processing that, how long did it take before you had a truly real accurate understanding of where you were going to be?

Hannah Hickman:

Probably about six to eight months in.

Rick West:

Okay.

Hannah Hickman:

It was also pandemic time when all this was happening. So my resources were really limited in what I was doing. And got him officially diagnosed. So I knew what number he was going to be at. And then it was all about therapy. Here's all the therapies that he could truly benefit from and get him started as soon as you can.

But in the pandemic, we can't go see people. So follow your toddler around with some form of an iPad or a computer screen and let a therapist kind of talk you through how to work with him. And it was actually the best thing that could have happened because it forced me to do the interaction with him instead of a therapist.

Whereas currently when he does therapy, I'm never there. I don't know what they work on half the time other than I can see that he's improved. That gave me the chance to really get down with him and see what works best for him. How is he different from this other kid that has autism or my cousins or my nieces and nephews. And so it was really beneficial for me to learn that way.

Rick West:

So at that time in your life, you're getting a diagnosis, you understand kind of the scale. I mean, it's still early on. He's two at this time. It truly is one of those life defining moments because you now know as you think about your child at 20, at 30, how things kind of progress, the relationship you're going to have is going to be different.

Hannah Hickman:

Right.

Rick West:

And just the support that's going to be required, it's going to be different. How was the support network here? Did you find out pretty quickly there were moms like you, that there were organizations that could help out or were you still kind of on your own?

Hannah Hickman:

I was still kind of on my own from that aspect, but my entire family lives here, my parents, my siblings, their spouses and children, and they were my support system. And in a way we all learned together on how to work with each other, how to help when I needed help and I couldn't do it anymore by myself. But it took about another year until I really got plugged into the community that exists here. And now I'm so passionate about it and I care and I'm involved and see how many other people there are. I mean, next door neighbors, coworkers all have similar stories like I do.

Rick West:

And as a lifelong educator, I've heard this said before that every parent is just perfectly designed for the child that God gives them. And so you are uniquely designed for a child that has autism as a teacher, as a motivator, as an educator, I mean, coming in. So it doesn't make it any easier, but do you find that you're in a rhythm now? I mean, you're at a point now where you're like, I know it's still scary, but it has the scared part gone away, has it changed to a different term? I mean, it's still in front of you.

Hannah Hickman:

It's kind of like a different kind of scared now. I felt so much better. When I go back and look at it, I remembered my favorite classes from being a teacher were the ones that had special needs students in them. They kind of just have the biggest impact on your heart. And now my son is getting ready for kindergarten and it's a whole new scary because I have to think about things like, is he going to be able to hold a lunch tray?

What's he going to do when his environment is too much for him and he needs to find his safe space? Those are things that I can't really plan for or I can do the best that I can, but I might have to just take as they come. And one of the best thing about autism is being an adaptive thinker. You have to be able to figure out, he thinks differently than I do. What does he need? What's that outcome?

And I've been able to use that and apply it in every aspect of my life to know, "Hey, that client that I'm talking to may not understand things the way that client B does. Maybe I need to word things to them differently." Or maybe my sister can take something the way I say it this way, but my brother won't retain that information the same way. It's been truly helpful to dive into that adaptive thinking realm and world.

Rick West:

So we really are all different.

Hannah Hickman:

We really are.

Rick West:

Wow. So that's so interesting. So through that process, you've applied that, which is fantastic. So Hannah, that's amazing to think about the application piece of that. But now as a mom watching your son go into kindergarten, are the school systems set up or I mean, are things set up today? Because my son was diagnosed at 20. And so from an age standpoint, you go back 30 years ago, it wasn't a thing.

I mean, there were extreme cases, but it really wasn't a spectrum. It just a conversation, it was more of, "Wow, your son's really focused." That's going to be really, really interesting. And so I know as you start getting into the communication community and conversations then it's like, wow, there really is kind of a community aspect of this that that's in front of you. Are the school systems set up today?

Hannah Hickman:

They're getting a lot better. Kindergarten is one of those transition periods where they kind of let everybody try. Everybody gets to go to a normal classroom first, and we get to learn and see, because there may be some kids that aren't diagnosed yet and maybe some teachers can pick up on some things that parents couldn't before.

So they learn and adapt that way. But the schools are much better prepared now. The therapy clinic that we're a part of, they get to go to the schools and work with them. And his preschool now is really interactive where he gets to have his therapist see him work with other kids, work with students, they visit us at home, giving us all the preparation that we could possibly need.

So they're definitely headed in the right direction. And there's a lot of schools and parks and places out here locally that are all about inclusion. And we've done some events recently that were raising money to have an all-inclusive park. So kids with all sorts of disabilities could come participate just like every other kid.

Rick West:

So how are you looking at that today?

Hannah Hickman:

Everything's a challenge.

Rick West:

Okay.

Hannah Hickman:

But I can't live my life or his life avoiding all the challenges. We kind of just have to dive in and take it as they come or else we'll never learn from it. So that's the approach that I started with. I avoided all the challenges. We didn't go out to eat, we didn't go to basketball games because there were loud buzzers or there was so many unknowns. But I can't hide away from all these unknowns in any aspect of life. So we kind of just have to wait for the challenges to happen and face them as they come.

Rick West:

Okay. So you are as mainstream as you can be today then.

Hannah Hickman:

Mm-hmm.

Rick West:

So if someone was looking at the two of you in a park or at school, they wouldn't really think anything different to obviously the interaction, but you really are as mainstream as you can be. Do you find challenges with that as well? Are people more accepting today?

Hannah Hickman:

I think they are. I think more people are interested in getting educated about it, but there's still some things like kids, kids are brutally honest as we all know. And so there's a lot of times that kids don't understand because they've just never seen it before. But being more mainstream gives them a chance to see early on. His preschool class is fully aware that now they have not one but two autistic kids in his class and they've all learned from it and all recognize it now.

Rick West:

So in many ways that's their normal.

Hannah Hickman:

Mm-hmm.

Rick West:

Okay. Wow, that's interesting. Their normal. Whereas 15, 20 years ago, those two autistic kids would've been pulled out separate setup out of the norm. So you would really never know. But so most of the engagement happens in a normal classroom, if you will?

Hannah Hickman:

Mm-hmm.

Rick West:

Okay.

Hannah Hickman:

Yeah. I mean, 10 years ago those kids probably wouldn't have been enrolled in that school altogether because their teachers may not have had the bandwidth to take them on. But he's really blessed to go to the school that he is, that is a really inclusive setting that allows for adapted learning if he needs it. And it's really just helped prepare him for that more mainstream school setting that's coming next year.

Rick West:

So let's talk about Hannah, the mom, Hannah, the person, the everyday person. We talked a little bit about the business world, the adaptive learning, how it's impacting. How is it impacting your relationships, the everyday life that you have? Other than being a single mom with a child that's here, how is the autism aspect of that impacting how you look at life and world and engagement? Or has it really impacted you in that way?

Hannah Hickman:

It definitely has in ways. Back in my younger days, I was a little more spontaneous and now I live by, I need a plan and I need a plan because I not only have to plan for me, but I have to plan for my child. I don't get to just go off and do things whenever I want to now. It's allowed me to have better relationships because I invest more in a person now than I did when I just had all these people who I knew who were friends and acquaintances that maybe weren't good things to have in my life.

I'm much more selective now. And for good reasons, because I want somebody who's going to be the best type of relationship for myself and for my family going forward. And so now I think all of my relationships are even stronger because I've really dove into getting those deeper connections with people.

Rick West:

So I love that, the concept of being more structured and more of a planner. My wife's a planner, so the planner. And part of what she would tell me is, "Rick, it's almost, the planning is almost better than the event sometimes."

Hannah Hickman:

That's true.

Rick West:

Just the whole process. But the planner, because I know is change is not what your son needs.

Hannah Hickman:

Right.

Rick West:

He needs structure.

Hannah Hickman:

Right.

Rick West:

And of [inaudible 00:18:52] So I get this. So that's fantastic. So let's look at the looking back at this. Not that you would necessarily change anything, but five years in, four years into a diagnosis, getting ready to go into kindergarten, looking back as parents or aunts and uncles, others of folks that have autism in their family, anything you'd have done a little differently or anything in hindsight say, "I wish I'd started this sooner or a little bit different."

Hannah Hickman:

I wish I had listened to all those people who said they were picking up on signs earlier. The best thing that you could do for a child in this world or this realm is to get them started in therapy and inclusive things as early as possible. Because it helps not only them learn how to adapt and function in this world, but it helps you learn along with them. And anybody that knows us knows you guys are doing so well because you started so early.

So no parent wants to hear those things, but we really do need to pay attention to them. Then it's not that we're not paying attention to them, but we just all have an excuse of, "Oh, they're just different. Oh, they're just boys. They don't all listen that well." Or, "Oh, he just likes to spin around and flap his hands. He's just a kid being a kid." But we really need to start paying attention to what do those mean. And there's so many forms of education out there now that there's no excuse to not be informed.

Rick West:

Okay. So even at six, eight months, you had very kind concerning people hinting in a very, I'm sure it's very awkwardly polite way.

Hannah Hickman:

Yeah.

Rick West:

"Hey, have you thought?" And you don't want to think that.

Hannah Hickman:

Right.

Rick West:

So I get that you don't want to think it. So earlier on, that's really good. And so let's look at things moving forward. Albeit at five years old, he hasn't figured out his thing in life, what he's going to do. And as you begin to watch the daily interaction, what's kind of next for you guys, next two or three years?

Hannah Hickman:

It's definitely figuring out his thing. Every autistic kid has a thing that they're good at. I mean, Steve Jobs is autistic and he found his thing and he made a whole career out of it. Jackson's thing is music. He's learned really quickly by listening to songs. He's learned to read by listening to patterns in songs. And it all comes down to a pattern. That's the thing. And that's all music is. So for his birthday, he got a piano and we're going to start music lessons.

Rick West:

Wow. So have you watched August Rush?

Hannah Hickman:

I have. I love that movie.

Rick West:

See my son, and again, I don't know where he would fall on the scale. Again, he was diagnosed in his early twenties, right at around 20. But he can see music. He's a math kid and the math is tied to music. And he was constantly tapping, constantly engaged with music and became a drummer.

And then from there, anything stringed instrument. But he could literally see and write music and it just came to him naturally. And I love the way August Rush portrayed that was this child that very much blended in. But if you really focused on him, you realize he's an autistic kid.

Hannah Hickman:

He is.

Rick West:

That loves music. So how is that kind of playing out now? Will he gravitate to it? Is that a thing he's asking for now? Can you begin to see that?

Hannah Hickman:

Yeah. He has loved music for so long now that that's his, he doesn't like to watch TV shows. He likes to listen to music. And so the piano was kind of a no-brainer for him. And we got him one that lights up the keys. So not only is it giving him something to learn how to play, it's watching how it's done.

And the first couple weeks of us having it, he's already played the beginning of Für Elise because he's watched the lights go through the music and he's memorized the pattern. So it's an easy thing for him to do. It's an easy navigational pull. If you don't play on that keyboard for a few minutes, it just starts to light up inviting you to come back in.

Rick West:

Okay.

Hannah Hickman:

And he runs right back to it.

Rick West:

Wow. Wow. And so lessons, are these pretty traditional lessons or are there instructors that are saying, "We can help kids that have autism with music?"

Hannah Hickman:

I haven't found the person yet.

Rick West:

Okay.

Hannah Hickman:

This is all kind of self-taught right now. But I think knowing how big this community is that those teachers exist to learn how he learns differently, so let's teach him this way. I think all teachers kind of have that in their back pocket to know that each student learns a different way. And this is just another example of that.

Rick West:

So for teachers that are out there watching this or other parents, if you've got a good piano teacher, we need to send them your way.

Hannah Hickman:

Yes, please.

Rick West:

But my son started out with percussion. So Kim, my wife, took him to see a Broadway show called Blast!.

Hannah Hickman:

Okay.

Rick West:

And it's all about percussion. And left, and he said, "I want to play drums." She's like, again, music was there, but I want to play. And within weeks he had memorized and he would just sit for hours. Even to the point we had to, "You've got to stop." Because we have to exist at home. There's too much loud music. I mean, it was this constant, which is kind of interesting for the loud noises. But those are different than the fluorescent light buzzing, just that rhythm. And I think in many ways he felt the comfort of music and became something that he really was kind of in the norm kind of engaging.

Hannah Hickman:

I think it's all about a comfort for them and it's comfort in different ways. Buzzers in a gym really bothered my son, but the loud noise of a piano doesn't seem to affect him anymore. And I think it's because he knows where it came from. He watched it happen. He knows where that sound is being made and why.

And in a big open space where you can't predict why that baby's crying or something like that gives him control. But there's also things like my child wears headphones a lot during the day at school and public places. And it's not necessarily always because it's loud, but it's the pressure and the comfort feeling that he feels secure knowing, "I have this thing and it's keeping me safe."

Rick West:

So if you look at you and Jackson going down this path, I can't wait to hear Für Elise, even though I've heard it thousand. I mean, the amount of recitals, ugh.

Hannah Hickman:

Yes.

Rick West:

It's pretty brutal, but hey, but it's the song.

Hannah Hickman:

It is.

Rick West:

I can't wait to hear Jackson play the song. But as we think about folks really engaging in this topic, needing a place, if someone wanted to have coffee with you, just to talk about how things are progressing, what it looks like, just to have a little bit of community, what's the easiest way for someone to track down Hannah Hickman?

Hannah Hickman:

Yeah, my LinkedIn is always up-to-date and I'm always on it. There's also a great group around here in the community called Autism in Motion, and I have a lot of friends and colleagues that are involved in that. There's a Facebook group about it that just kind of is a place for parents to come say, "Hey, I have this problem, what have you guys done?" And it's just a great little community to talk and to get to know each other and to see all the resources that are out there. So I'm there. I'm on LinkedIn. I'll always answer a phone call because in this world you got to nowadays.

Rick West:

I get that. That's really good. Well, listen, Hannah, thank you very much for coming on the show today. Can't wait to hear more about Jackson. And I look forward to hearing, at least seeing a video clip of the first recital with Für Elise.

Hannah Hickman:

We'll make it happen.

Rick West:

Thanks.

Hannah Hickman:

Thank you.

Rick West:

Thanks for listening to Push Go, a podcast highlighting the defining moments that impact how we live and work. It was great to have Hannah on the show. If you like what you heard, you can find more stories just like this on listen.plumshop.com. And hey, we wouldn't be mad if you left us a review wherever you listen to podcast. Now we have new episodes drop every Wednesday. And if you're watching on YouTube, feel free to like and subscribe.