I cracked up laughing over the post for today on Whitterer on Autism. If you haven't found Maddy's site yet, you might want to give it a look. http://whittereronautism.com/
She brought up the fact that we forget that not all behavior stems from autism. Some of it is just due to the age of the child, or the individual personality, or moving through milestones, etc.
This made me think of something else related along these lines.
A friend of mine was talking about her young son whom she has recently begun on the DAN! protocol. Her son is a couple of years younger than my son. When she tells me things that he does, it takes me back a few years. I realized how much I have forgotten that Liberty does not do anymore! Now, I see he was going through stages. At the time, I was just in pain thinking that his behaviors "would never end."
Wow, guess what? They do! And, the great part is, I can tell her that with confidence.
Though, it is true that not all children are the same and certainly not all children on the autistic spectrum are the same, they still go through their milestones, too. We just don't notice them as such because they are usually delayed. Sometimes treatments help move them along. I know when I first put Liberty on cod liver oil, I saw huge changes in eye contact. Then I got used to that level of eye contact and forgot how bad it used to be.
Our kids change before our very eyes every day, but we parents of special needs kids, we have the zoom lens pointed at them at all times each and every day and by God, we miss it. Until, that is, some kind soul comes along and points it out to us.
Were it not for people who know me and my son saying, "God, Kathi, he could not even do that last year, don't you remember?"
Hey, people, I don't! I'm too busy focusing on my son's progress under my time-lapse-photo lenses, so I perceive us to be in slow motion.
Lately, I have focused on Liberty's speech or rather, the lack of it; however, I do see that he is really begining to exhibit behaviors that are more appropriate for the NT kid, and that would be looking at a book instead of flipping through it quickly and throwing it over his shoulder; kicking a ball; playing with cars and trains instead of lining them up - although he still does that, too; loving to be outside and with other children; showing appropriate reactions and emotions when watching a video, and not putting as much stuff in his mouth like he used to!
Thanks, Maddy, for the topic today. I just had to post about it!
She brought up the fact that we forget that not all behavior stems from autism. Some of it is just due to the age of the child, or the individual personality, or moving through milestones, etc.
This made me think of something else related along these lines.
A friend of mine was talking about her young son whom she has recently begun on the DAN! protocol. Her son is a couple of years younger than my son. When she tells me things that he does, it takes me back a few years. I realized how much I have forgotten that Liberty does not do anymore! Now, I see he was going through stages. At the time, I was just in pain thinking that his behaviors "would never end."
Wow, guess what? They do! And, the great part is, I can tell her that with confidence.
Though, it is true that not all children are the same and certainly not all children on the autistic spectrum are the same, they still go through their milestones, too. We just don't notice them as such because they are usually delayed. Sometimes treatments help move them along. I know when I first put Liberty on cod liver oil, I saw huge changes in eye contact. Then I got used to that level of eye contact and forgot how bad it used to be.
Our kids change before our very eyes every day, but we parents of special needs kids, we have the zoom lens pointed at them at all times each and every day and by God, we miss it. Until, that is, some kind soul comes along and points it out to us.
Were it not for people who know me and my son saying, "God, Kathi, he could not even do that last year, don't you remember?"
Hey, people, I don't! I'm too busy focusing on my son's progress under my time-lapse-photo lenses, so I perceive us to be in slow motion.
Lately, I have focused on Liberty's speech or rather, the lack of it; however, I do see that he is really begining to exhibit behaviors that are more appropriate for the NT kid, and that would be looking at a book instead of flipping through it quickly and throwing it over his shoulder; kicking a ball; playing with cars and trains instead of lining them up - although he still does that, too; loving to be outside and with other children; showing appropriate reactions and emotions when watching a video, and not putting as much stuff in his mouth like he used to!
Thanks, Maddy, for the topic today. I just had to post about it!
5 comments:
Ooo you're so very welcome. We're very much the same over here. Because I have 'grown up' friends, they don't tend to see the children very often and so when they do they just shower us with their amazement at their progress and reinforces to me what is obvious if I had more than half a wit about me.
Best wishes
Awesome!
It's so hard to be objective, so hard! It's so hard to see past the 'autism' sometimes and just see the child,with their own unique personality. I know I have a hard time with it! But that's because I have a black belt in obsessive worrying!
"blackbelt in obsessive worrying" - Love it!
You're so right about the zoom lens pointed on our kids. I swear, if all of us were tested, evaluated, diagnosed, scrutinized like these kids, 99% of the population would be "disabled."
BTW, isn't it interesting that insurance is happy to pay for the vaccines, but not the "cures" - hmmmm... You're right, someday parents won't have to fight the battle you're fighting - you're a pioneer.
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