When Doodle was diagnosed, to me it was a relief. I now have the steps of getting my child the specified help that she needs and from there it's a possibility she can get better. Doodle was diagnosed as mildly autistic. Meaning that she can overcome so much with lots of help and lots of therapy.
The main thing that I've come out of this diagnoses is that the first three years are the hardest. You have no idea what to do or how to do it or where to go. Doodle was in a program called helping hands. That was from the age of 2 until the age of 3. At the age of three she was able to get into Easter Seals for speech therapy and from there to Occupational Therapy. At the age of 3 she was also able to receive school services.
Doodle has been going to school for more therapy which included learning how to interact with peers her own age since 3. There were a lot of times I worried about her. I never heard Doodle speak until she was 6 years old. Even when we did what is known as outside therapy she didn't speak. That was frustrating. Seeing your child try to make the words come out. Making sounds for bubbles or to play with the cars. Special seats to sit in. Learning how to button a shirt or how not to use palmer grip.
Doodle is stubborn. Does what she wants when she wants. By the time Doodle got into the great school because the kindergarten she went to was ripped off the map by a tornado, she had been regressing. To me I never thought I would see a day that my child would speak. I didn't have any hope of her learning how to read. I had lost all hope and the happiness of being able to get her help when she was diagnosed was gone.
The new school was fantastic. They took a strong willed child and forced her to work. And that was something I had to learn myself. How to force Doodle to do what she needed in order to grow mentally. Doodle learned how to read, write and do math. Her drawing skills are fantastic now.
Let's not look at our children on the spectrum as our world being over. Let's look at them and say I'm going to find the key to help you unlock your mind. These are children that can do so much with the love that we can give them. They can flourish. I can't keep a plant alive but I can help my child grow and flourish. She can work the iPad without any help from me. She can work the dvd player better then I can. And she can change the colors on the tv. I'm still trying to fix that. Don't know how she did it and I just can't figure out how to fix it.
She's capable of so much and I'm not going to stand in her way. If I have to push her then that's my job to push her out of her comfort zone. Because living outside your comfort zone is how you grow. It's how you learn new things and experience so much in life.
Today I challenge you as a parent of a child on the spectrum to have a movie night with your kid. Pick their favorite movie, sit on the couch or in a theater and eat popcorn together. Laugh together and spend time together. They are only kids once in their lives and that's a time that is the most important for them to grow. Sit in their world for 30 minutes. It's a life changing experience. I will admit that I haven't had the chance in the past couple of months to do that until this morning. Where she explored while waiting on the bus I explored with her. It used to perk her up and take notice. The stemming would go down. Today it irritated her. I could care less the reaction, just as long as I got a reaction. Even if your child is older, try it. You might be surprised at what you learn.
Love your kids. They are a blessing. Don't hate the diagnoses of autism. I can live with autism. I would be devastated more if my child were given a diagnoses of cancer. I'm thankful I have my child the way she is. She's funny and smart and so artistic. I have my child to hug and love on everyday. I'm thankful I can pack her snack box for her for school. I'm thankful I can lay out her clothes for school and brush her hair. Most parents don't have that and many parents who are raising kids on the spectrum don't understand that.
See you guys on the flip side.
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