Stories of Hope

Our daughter, our hero

Tess was diagnosed with autism at three, but we knew something was wrong by the age of one. She cried all the time and did not speak, we were devastated to say the least. I decided as a mother I needed to take the bull by the horns and get myself educated, I scoped out everything from schools to free classes, and support through the county and state. Our schools had a special needs preschool program and a wonderful staff of therapists. We had therapists doing home visits and I rallied for a full time aid in grade school. I signed Tess up for dance and piano lessons. Tess is fourteen and a freshman in highschool, she is in the marching band and plays the trumpet, her day starts one hour earlier than most students because she is in honors choir and attends some regular freshman classes with support in others. Tess is our hero, everyday is a challenge for her, but she never complains, acceptance is all she wants. Tess knows and understands that she is autistic. If I can express my feelings and tell our story to help others, I will tell it a million times. Never give up hope, Stay strong and reach out for help, believe me there were many times we thought why us? But truly we are so blessed, it brought our family unit closer and made us stronger individuals ready to conquer anything that comes our way.

Michelle Warner
Brookville, OH

Miranda's Rights

. I go to pick upmy daughter and parapro shakes head and says not a good day we discuss some of what happened it was clearly stated that Miranda crossed her arms and was refusing to do a number of things requested of her, would not go with class to lunch room, office personal called to deal with her Stubborn, Defiance and Noncompliant. Unbeknowing to myself, until we got home she was physically forced to the office to see another office personal. She did not reveal this to the nice Dr. Lady in the office because she was scared to say anything in front of the parapro. We took pictures of her injuries she also demonstrated how she was shoved into a wall, we went to the ER and she explained herself what happened to her, at the hands of the protector parapro.(but, nowith more physically challenged children t my child's challenges)

ALL I can ask for is "What is in the best interest of my child" or legally fight for Miranda not to be treated as if it were her miranda rights for being a criminal.
Sincerely,
Mary R. Rabunal

Mary Rabunal
Covington, GA

Not in France, enjoying Holland

I read the story about going to France and ending up in Holland. It was my first step in understanding how a parent deals with a son with Autism. My first reaction was to scream at my wife and those who dared tell me that MY SON was not like the other kids. I thought well he's probably part Def or he just isn't picking up things as fast as his Sisters. I would not accept my kid had such an issue. I wanted to blame someone for this horrible fate. Then my wife told me about a class that the School puts on for parents of Autistic Children.. Again, I didn't think I needed such a thing. It was just a big misunderstanding. After all, I know my son and I know nothings wrong. I couldn't have been more mistaken. I thank all those parents and the psychologists who showed me that I was partly right. My son wasn't the issue..It was me. I needed to learn how to adjust to his behaviors and learn how to be ready to be by his side and do what a father does for his child. I learned to be his guide and be his rock when he stumbled and sometimes crashed.. He still has his melt downs and I have mine, but I will tell you that Its not bad or horrible dealing with this issue. Its just learning how to adjust and be little more patient. SO in the end.. Hey I didn;t get to France, but having a great time here in Holland.. If you are new to Autism, Please make it your mission to learn as much as you can and be open to what the pro's are saying.. You wont regret it..

John
Costa Mesa, CA

You may call it defiance...

but I call it incredible. I work with two elementary-aged boys who are largely non-verbal and significantly impacted by Autism across all social, academic, and self-care areas. As much as colleagues, other students, and even outsiders are drawn to these children (because they are remarkable and delightful), I often hear comments about how frustrating, tiring, sad, unrewarding, etc. my work must sometimes be. Is there frustration and sadness in my work? Of course there is, just as there is in nearly all types of work. But I must say, the moments when I viscerally ripple with delight are those when one of the boys gets that very recognizable glean in his eyes that tells me he completely understood what I have asked/requested/directed and has made a conscious decision to not follow through (or even do the exact opposite). Noncompliance isn't acceptable, of course, and we have classroom ways of managing whatever transpires. But those acts that some may see as defiance? They are, to me, brilliant, beautiful, beacons of light that show me what I've always known: these boys are "in there," and by "hook or crook," they will make themselves known as the incredible individuals they truly are. When these moments transpire in the classroom, I know it is not simple noncompliance. These are moments when these boys are asserting self-hood. And it is at these times I know that, not only have I reached my students, but more importantly, they have reached and shared themselves with me.

Lora
Mansfield, AL

Who Teaches Whom?

I am a Special Education teacher. I work with children who have autism, ADHD, Auditory Processing Deficits, Visual Processing Deficits, etc. This year I have 5 students who have autism in my class. It is up to me to build a bridge of communication with each and all of my students. I call my philosophy of education: BUILDING BRIDGES. My students teach me how to be a better person each and every day I am with them. I am blessed and fortunate to have them in my life.

There is one student in particular, my very first with autism, who has touched my life in a very deep way. I will call her Ana. There are moments in my classroom when I feel angry. Ana is very sensitive. When she notices me in this state she will come over to me and say, while rubbing her tears, "Don't be angry, be happy." These words take me out of my feeling angry and bring me back into the PRESENT moment. Ana is my teacher. Thank you so veriy much...

Sheri Spiller
Huntington Beach, CA

I have Autism

I'm 19 years old and I have high-functioning Autism. Through-out school, I was constantly bullied because I was "different". I'm not sure if it was because of my weight, or because of my Autism, or maybe a bit of both. A lot of people are shocked when I tell them I have Autism, because to them I seem so "normal". But I have to give a lot of thanks to my mom because for as long as I can remember, she's been my advocate. I love her with all my heart. Animals mean the world to me, and my dream job is to help neglected and abused animals because to a lot of people they are "different", just like I'm different with my Autism. I want them to feel loved and not feel like how I did in school growing up. Thanks for letting me share my story. =]]

Melissa
Wilmington, NC

My year with my wonderful Autism students.

I used to teach a kid named Devin, he was 5grader, he diagnosed autism, he was the most love able, adorable, amazing student i ever have, Devin likes drawing so much, i called all his art of work as Magnum Opus, he also the best piano player, he played a song i have a dream, we sang Moonshadow by cat steven, he likes to imitating my voice when we sang that song. Devin was amazingly smart,when we learnt math, Pythagoras formula was his favorites. once, i gave him consequent by break our class rule agreement, n i told him i will stop talking to U for 5 minutes and he told me "Ms please talk to me to make me cool down", who say that an autism can't feel such a sad and lonely feeling, i was crying when he said that,i wont do this ever,no matter what rules that he broke,its been 4 years, Devin still be my favorite, i love him so much,the finest memory in my teaching carrier.
3 months ago i have Autism and ADHD student named Aji, Aji get tantrum everymorning, seeing this situation was slice my heart but thanks God we find the solution, Aji love doing the earthing activity, everytime his mood was so blue i asks him to feeding our sch cats, barefoot on the grass, sun bathing,hugging and climbing trees was reduce all the gloomy morning..i kind of realizing to have such a students with this diagnosed its not we help them but they help us by giving so much to this life, i feel blessing for God sending Devin and Aji or other autism kids into my life, no need to arguing or complaining anymore,God send us the warmest thought, the kindness heart, the most beautiful mind.

oci hasan
Jakarta, Indonesia

My Life With Autism

I was diagnosed with Autism when I was 2, and ever since my life has been different. From Kindergarten to today, I've been in a program for kids like me. I've always had a hard time socializing with kids, but with adults it's not a problem. As I've gotten older, I realized that if I don't tell kids I have Autism, kids are going to think I'm weird. And the problem with that is is that I'm a shy kid and I've always been. When I started High School last year, I thought I'd make friends, but like every other school I've been at, I was shy. I never tried to make friends because I was so shy. I went on this field trip where we met other Freshman. I was the only guy in my group, and I stuggled telling 3 pretty Freshman girls I had Autism, but they were very sweet and they didn't mind. I told them what I wrote here, and I said that if I met kids as sweet as them, I'd love High School. Sadly, I only met a handful of others like them. But I'm always nervous to meet other kids. As a result, when I talked to my friends, I messed what I wanted to say or did goofy stuff because I wanted them to like me.
I hope that as I get older, socializing won't be an issue.
What I look for in a friend is one that's Caring, Kind, Funny, and Smart.
One goal I have is to raise a family and be able to handle marriage.
My other goal is to make a name for myself and for Autism and write a book about my experiences with Autism.
Currently, my goals are to graduate from High School and College.

Colin McCann
Rosemount, MN

Jacob Can't Talk but He CAN Read!

My Grandson Jacob was diagnosed with Autism by the age of 18 months. He is now 4 1/2 years old, non-verbal and very much struggling with all the challenges that come with having Autism. We have not seen much hope that he will ever talk, until recently when he got a hold of the index cards that came with his My Baby Can Read Program. I was so upset with him because he dumped every card out of their boxes and onto the living room floor - what a mess!

I told him to CLEAN UP with a stern voice, because he knows how to clean and he knows better than to make a mess. Well, just as he started to clean it up...a card with the word CUP stood out to me, so I asked him, 'Jacob, where is the word CUP?' Much to my surprise, he searched the pile and low and behold...he found the card and handed it to me! It didn't stop there - I asked him to give me the card with word Chimpanzee, and he did. He went on to get every one of the words right. My Baby Grandson Can Read -Wow!

We were told by his Doctor that since he can read, it is likely that he may soon teach himself to speak. I can't wait to give you that good report in the near future, Jacob has so much locked up inside and he is just beginning to unwrap it all...

Michelle
Howell, NJ

All is NOT Lost

My son used to speak Alien. Squeaks and clicks and mumbles were what he used to communicate. He was diagnosed @ the age of 4. When he started school, we thought all was lost. He had to repeat Kindergarten because his reading levels weren't high enough. After dealing with a HORRIBLE school that asked to isolate him completely from his peers, we moved him to a much bigger school with better resources. We have fought tooth and nail to make sure our son was treated the way any child deserves to be treated. With each passing year, we worry that the expectations might be too high, but he has proved us wrong every single time. He started 2nd grade this year. My Superkid went from babbling and lining up toys to writing stories and introducing himself to new classmates and making them feel welcome WITHOUT BEING PROMPTED!!! He has learned to ask for help and is even making friends. So don't believe people that make you think your child is not capable of progression. We certainly weren't satisfied with that!

Amber Thompson
Anna, TX