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Your Child is Diagnosed with autism: So
What!
Don't let that stop you! Don't let autism own your child!
If you are raising
a child that is living with the symptoms of what is called autism then you know what a challenge it can be. However, it can
also be an opportunity for you, your family, your school, church and neighborhood. This is not pollyanna this is a choice.
What do you have to lose by not giving in and not giving up? It is because of Erin that I became a doctor. I continue
to learn and I have taken on a part time teaching position at a local college to teach others what I have learned. It is a
joy to me and I have Erin to thank for that. I have learned so much about health and other subjects dealing with   behaviors such as stress and fear. These are the two major emotions or "feelings" patients tell me they
experience. Fear because they don't know what's going on or what to do about thier situation. Stress because of how
long they've live with this fear. These particular patients do not see an end in site, or at least they don't
see a happy ending and they fear what might be coming; which leads to more stress. You've probably know what I mean.
Hard work? Yes, very difficult most of the time and it never ends for us. Guardianship is a
necessity and it was something that crept up on us and before we knew it. We were looking at our daughter (yes, daddy's
little girl) becoming a ward of the state. If that's your goal then there's nothing you need do. If that is not your
goal then you have to add one more procedure on your "to do" list. Get a lawyer!
What
you may discover, as we did, is that all the hard work can help your child cope with thier own stressful situations (life)
so you don't have to live in so much stress and fear. That doesn't mean you won't have any in your life.
The events of the world can see to that but but one less thing to worry about can be a life saver.
Before this page gets too long I just want to say that putting in the effort early meant less "babysitting"
for us. In addition to what you see in the photos below she can wash and shower herself, tend to herself during menses,
call for help (voice and phone), fix her lunch everyday for school, style her hair, prepare her clothes for the next day,
ask for money (that's my girl), send herself to bed at any stated time we tell her. She's polite, shakes hands and
introduces herself while making eye contact. She makes her bed, gathers the laundry and vaccumes the carpet. She has two part
time jobs and receives a paycheck that she can spend anyway she wants though we guide her to saving for special events. She
loves the camera as you can already see. On the less than positive side she's obsessive and can come off as
rude. She can hit herself with a fist when she becomes really upset, at times to the point of bruising and bleeding,
but it's less often than earlier in life. She sometimes displays Torrett's like symptoms with hemi ballismic
(jerky) motions and a blinkless, blank stare that she "locks into" and we can't get her out for minutes
at a time. Like I said; "It's not pollyanna." Life with autism doesn't have to be a downer. Erin can
be so much fun; she makes us laugh with her. She has little stress, no girly-make up (but lots of dolls) and no credit
cards to worry about. She has no social based fears. We keep her safe; she keeps us grounded! We are a team, no wait, we're
a family!
Click on any photo to enlarge the view:
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