Still suffering "the Funk"

The behavior and crying continue-- and it is really wearing on me emotionally. No parent wants to see their child experience sadness or grief. For our kids its even worse because most of them dont have any way to tell you WHY they are upset.

All of this is coupled with passing through puberty into full adulthood which I am sure is a contributor to the intensity of this situation. The flow of hormones and the natural needs of any human in the early twenties can be overwhelming but when you have very little understanding , no one to confide in and certainly no outlet, makes it almost an impossible situation. 

Moreso is the frustrastion you feel when you actually consult a professional and run into another WALL . We have been lucky to have people who know Dakotas "story" from birth as well as individuals who are for the most part informed, compassionate people who want to do the best they can for him yet sometimes even they slip into the "well its the nature of the beast" mode...........
As a parent that is a very hard and bitter pill to swallow.

Another part of the equation; is after you have seen and heard of  so many things that have come into the world of Autism that is the newest, the brightest, the most effective new treatment that eventually only works for a portion of the population or just fizzles all together, it becomes harder and harder to not be skeptical. 

There is a big part of me that believes that Autism is a part of who our children are . Not that it defines them but it is a part of their "makeup". I even read a post from a girl {extremely highfunctioning Autistic} who wrote of her frustration towards her parents, for trying to "fix" her when she was happy the way she was. It then becomes a question of how you help your child and when you help your child. It is very easy to ASSUME that your because your child does not express himself that he does not have an opinion or view. Thats is simply not true. We as caregivers have to respect them as individuals as we would any person who has the ability to express themselves. Where "the rub" comes in is decifering what your child is trying to tell you.

I have come to a place where I believe we have to accept our kids 
 "WARTS and ALL". Diets and ABA,OT, PT all aide in helping our kids but strip that all away and they are still Autsitic. They will be Autistic for the duration of their lives. So we do the best we can do, we help them with what we can, we never give up, we keep searching, we keep trying what works for them and we find what happiness we can give them.