We find ourselves struggling for answers , dreading the outcome AND making excuses why our child is "behind" all the while, secretly crying inside knowing that this is just another "marker" of Autism.
As we grow into the diagnosis we learn to work with what happens and there are many strides our kids make..the closer to age appropriate ,we get a Lil spark of happiness and hope that perhaps this thing called Autism hasn't completely swallowed our kid up . When they are small it is much easier to camouflage many of their delays because as we all know every child develops on their own schedule and our children can fit in a little easier ...In my opinion about the time elementary school starts is when those opportunities start becoming more challenging....When they are not potty trained or talking by 1st grade it is much more tricky to overlook the deficits and those around our children are acutely aware as well. By the time Middle School and High school roll around many of our kids are just LOST in many ways....Don't get me wrong the more typical experiences and typical age appropriate kids the better,they are like sponges and they will mimmick. We all need to keep in mind they are still Autistic and they still don't always interpret what they see and hear the way others do. HOWEVER when they do decipher an appropriate behavior or response I can guarantee you can shoot us to the moon....it is the most overwhelming joyous feeling .It may not be long lived and it may not remain with our children as a forever learned behavior but for that one moment in time our child was a hero!!!To know that in some special way for that one special moment we saw our kids relieved of the torment and craziness that goes thru their heads thousands of times a day , the stars aligned , the Neuro paths were clear and firing correctly and they were able to handle a situation or even more prominent a behavior in a way like never before.
I cannot express in words on this page what that feels like ....the emotions are huge .I know this sounds perhaps a bit dramatic or over played especially for parent that do not have kids on the spectrum ....I know my description is accurate .I read it every day on blogs and Facebook pages how someone child went into a restaurant for the first times and didnt have a meltdown ,or went thru the night dry no accidents, or even mumbled a sound that remotely sounded like a word ...This is how we lives our lives folks....
You can shout from the rooftops about typical kids doing typical things and I applaud your blessings. When our child accomplishes the smallest hurdle we rejoice like he climbed Mount Everest .
I am not saying that we are anymore special ,all I am saying is what most go thru on an average day with average expectations of their child is like winning the lottery for us....Small Victories yield Huge Emotions!
Footnote: source of this article was an accomplishment late last week when Dak and I went to his routine place to pick up dinner and there was a 45 minute delay due to baked potatoes not being ready.The minute I found this out I,YES I started freaking out cuz I knew this was the type of thing that could potently trigger behavior...I looked at him and told him the food was not ready and we had to come back . Without hesitation he said Ok Mommy walked right back to the car asolutely No Problem No behavior..OH MY GOD...the second part was returning to finally pick up dinner and again NOTHING..."wait am I on an alternate universe???whats happening ??? Why am. Having a normal outcome??? Is someone trying to trick me?" After all of that we get in the car and drive home with the food , dish it up and STILL HAVE A DAY without incident! THAT'S ALL I can ask for!WHOPEEEEEEE. YEHAAAAAAA. HALLELUJAH BREAK OUT THE CHAMPAGNE!
See what did I tell you ..small victories ; huge emotions! What a great day!
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