January 2010: Share Your Story
Posted by Ilicia on January 13, 2010
I’ve decided that every month I want to hear from you (mom’s, dad’s, and supporters of autism). I want to hear your stories and how autism has affected your life. Tell me what you feel and your daily struggles and triumphs! Please share!
To read a story or post your own, please click on the comments and leave a story or just read.
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Mona Kimble said
My name is Mona and I have a 3 year old son, Jalen, that was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. He was diagnosed last April and the thing about Jalen was that he met all of his developmental mindstones, except for speech. He had good eye contact, smiled and giggle and was the typical kid, except he wasn’t talking,had problems transitioning from one activity to the next and I noticed that he would shy away from other kids. It has been very challenging because my family is still in denial. I always get, “There is nothing wrong with him, he is just stubborn.” However, as a parent, you know when something isn’t right with your child. So, once he turned 2, I had him evaluated by the Regional Center. The psychologist told me that it was a mild form and with intense intervention, he should be fine. I was able to attend the Floortime Therapy Workshops and is able to implement them at home. This has worked really well. I also find that swimming regulates Jalen as well. ONce he gets out of the pool, the day runs a little more smoothly. Also, Roddy Horse is another life saver. Jalen likes to jump a lot and when he gets like that, I tell him to go and get on his horse and this seems to regulate him as well. Jalen loves computer games so I have found some sites that teaches the abc’s and reading. The key is finding what interest your child and just run with it. Be your child’s playmate but at the same time, set boundaries because Jalen sometimes think like the typical 3 year old and will try to manipulate me. Don’t get me wrong, there are days when nothing works and I have to go and sit in the bathroom to regroup. It takes a tremendous amount of patience to raise a child with autism and you have to have a support group around you. If not, it makes it difficult to cope. More importantly, you have to have at least an hour a day to yourself so that you can regroup mentally and emotionally. I hope this has helped someone who wants to try something different.
Ilicia said
Thanks for sharing, Mona. I read your story and it is so much like mine. Hang in there…keep your head up.
Denise said
Hi all my name is Denise. I am a married mom of one boy(Anthony). He is coming up closely on his 6th birthday! My story starts at about his 18 month mark. Anthony was a “normal” toddler learned to walk, jibber, and do all the “normal” developments on time he even ate anything you put in front of him. At around 18 months I started noticing little things like he was getting frustrated easier, he didnt want to eat, his sleep patterns went abnormal, just little delays that came across to me like regression. His childcare provider at the time is a mom of 2 other boys both with delays had even started seeing little changes and started keeping notes. At his 2 year well child visit I went in with my concerns. By that time Anthony had for the most part stopped talking all together and started pointing, yelling, or just climbing up to get whatever he wanted. we got him in for an evaluation mid summer 2007 he was officially diagnosed at that time with Autism and GDD. My DH and I immediately got the ball rolling trying to get him into any kind of therapy and also into our school districts EIP. Unfortunately the state we lived in at the time had no laws preventing discrimination against the treatment of autism and we soon found out that my poor son wasn’t eligible for any insurance coverage in respects to ST,OT, or even parent training. We were able to get him into early preschool and he had speech and occupational therapies there. I knew that wasnt enough thought the teachers and school were great I knew he needed more. I quit my FT job and became a FT SAHM so I could do therapy from home with him. For the last 3 years I have seen nothing but improvements from my son. He has gone from one end of the spectrum to now I honestly think he is more on the HFA or asperger’s end. We moved to another state over the summer and we have just found him a great doctor as well as an autism center that is working with us to see if we can now qualify for all the things my son has missed out on over the last few years. He is due for a new review and evaluation which should be coming soon. Im so ready to go back to work I love being a SAHM but Im also a workaholic.
Ilicia said
First, Denise, I just want to thank you for visiting the site and sharing your story with us. All of ours sound similar but it’s good to know that we are not alone, we have each other. I had to do the same thing (cut hours at work and teach my son) because the regular therapy is not enough. It’s moms like us that make it happen. Thanks!