Stories of Hope

Born That Way

I meet him through a mutual friend. From the beginning I liked his style and he was so nice. I never guessed he had PDD-NOS. He was so unique and when he told me I just loved him even more. We dated like every other normal couple but he had a guardian. He was told he might be going to a group home and we both thought it was just a threat.
I stayed with him from that point on at his home when we found out it was true. This meant we could not see each other. We prayed and prayed to stay together. We contacted lawyers, disability advocates and everything we could.
We cried and cried, we fought the battle together. Yet one morning his guardian came for him. It was weird in a free country like the USA to see someone taken away just for having autism. I stayed until he left. I promised to never leave his side.
He fought a long hard battle but now he is off of county guardianship and with his grandma. We still have more struggles, we still are parted. We look forward to the day we can be together and get married even.
We just want to be a normal couple. I love him and everything about him. I don't mind his pacing or ticks, they relax me. I have some eccentricities myself. Due to his PDD-NOS he is always thinking and I love that he comes up with ideas. He always thought of ways for us to see each other while he was at the group home. I see his autism as a different way of being, not a disability. He has taught me so much and I can't wait to see his smiling face again. He has the most beautiful smile to me.

Michelle
Kansas City, MO

Xavier's journey

My name is Evette. Oct 3rd 2010 I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy named Xavier. About months of age I started attempting baby food. He could not handle it. He cried and fought me. Around 9 months he started forgetting the things he has learned like waving and saying mama. Then around 18 months he still could only tolerate small bites of baby food and was not speaking. He was also throwing fits and hitting his head on the floor. I finally stopped listening to his Dr and we went for a second opinion. His new Dr suggested he was delayed and needed speech therapy. So we began in home speech. But his therapist as she worked with him looked concerned alot. One day she ask me. Have you ever heard of autism. I had not. I my home work that night. No eye contact. Severe sensory problems. Tantrums. And regressing on things he use to know. Yes indeed, my baby is autistic. We started more therapy. It was a battle of crying the whole session. Throwing things. Never listening. But we pushed him more and more. Now he goes to an autism clinic 3 days a week for speech, occupational, and physical. We also have 2 days in home ABA. My Xavier. Is a new child. He is starting to talk. Very interested in touching new foods. After modification we have all therapist he loves. Some of the original ones did not mesh with him. I searched until we had the best. I see wonderful things for my son in the future. If autism enters your life. Don't run away. Fight and fight hard. You will cry and want to give up at times. But I promise if you push your child you will see results. My son is a very happy child now. We still have our rough days and a long way to go. But acceptance, tough love, and alot of prayer and our son a whole new little boy in only a little over a year. Hope this helped someone. Love the wrinkle famile

evette wrinkle
springfield, MO

Autistic Me

My name is kieron Robert smith, I'm 22 years old and I live with my older sister. The type of autism I got is aspergers syndrome which means I do find it difficult to meet new friends and communicate with them. I started to go clubs for adults with learning disabilities and I did starting to meet new friends and communicate with them. I been diagnosed of autism since I was 4 years. When I was 8 years old and started at my secondary school I got bullied alot because I'm autistic. The teacher's picked on me all the time and they didn't care that I'm autistic. They made me read to my homework to the whole class which was upsetting and I don't want to go back to school. When I was 11 years old I went to the special boarding school which was better. I meet new friends and the teachers and carers were so helpful.

Kieron Robert Smith
Gorleston on Sea, United Kingdom

My Answers

I sat in a conferance room waiting to get the results that I already knew. I suddenly went back to when the Doctor first brought autism into my life, just before Cammy's second birthday, I had known the diagnosis like now before I'd even walked in but hearing it out loud was something I hadn't to this day been able to adjust to. But here I was waiting to hear that my second youngest had the same hard road as my baby did. I'm a researcher I always have been, when the world gets tough and to much to handle statistics were always there, always percise. You always knew what you were in for the numbers and information didn't sugarcoat. I needed answers, being raised by a single mom of four with a low income my boys had quite the list of things against them already and then to add to it. I buried myself in research not dealing with life around me I needed to know, mostly I needed to know I wasn't to blame. I lived everyday reading, studying, hating when others called me strong, I didn't feel it every meltdown I wanted to break than I found the answers but not in the books I combed through in myself. Out of four children they were all given the same care, same physicians, same love, everything was the exact same but two had autism. I don't blame the lists of excuses as parents of children with special needs are given I don't blame anything. My boys will never recieve the miracle cure that the rich and famous had and I'm ok with that. Autism didn't ruin my life, it gave it back to me. I had stopped appreciating my life long before I'd had children. It gave me a life where I enjoyed the little things I don't hold grudges or get angry anymore. I see beauty in everything. I smile, laugh and love more. I was given the true meaning of unconditional love, faith and hope for the future. I have the answers I needed now.

Brooke Butler
Anderson, IN

autistic me

My name is Kieron Robert Smith, I'm 22 years old and I live with my older sister. The type of autism I got is aspergers syndrome which I found it difficult to meet new friends and comuncate with them. I started to go to clubs for adults with learning disabilities and I did start meeting new friends and communicate with them. I been diagnosed with of autism when I was about 4 years old. When I was 8 years old and start my secondary school I got bullied alot with other kids because I'm autistic and the teachers don't even care. They made me read my homework to the whole class which I was upsetting. When I was 11 years old I went to the special boarding school which was better for me and I meet new friends and the teachers and carers were so helpful

Kieron Robert Smith
Gorleston on Sea, United Kingdom

Christopher was a normal 1 yr old..

My son Christopher was a normal, happy 1 year old. Meeting milestones and even learned to walk at just under 1 years old! Then right before his 2nd birthday he quit talking, quit his normal behaviors. Started stimming, his is a bouncing against a wall making a humming noise, and spinning toys. He was fascinated with anything that had a motor or tires. Fans mesmerize him for hours. He would also get strange fixations on household appliances and I've lost several hair dryers to this obsession. He was diagnosed with Autism at 2 1/2. Many family members couldn't believe he was Autistic, having seen that happy, NORMAL one year old. Even his father was doubtful and I still believe he is. I enrolled him in a developmental program at 3 and he started speech and occupational therapy. He was evaluated at severely developmentally disabled and even I was thinking "How can this be?" He knows his colors, he knows some letters, numbers, objects. He just didn't speak or apply the things he knew in a classroom setting. 6 months in speech and occupational therapy and my Christopher told me he loved me for the first time. I cried. Hearing those words in his sweet voice was a precious gift and I'm thankful for the hard work the staff at the developmental program put into my precious boy. There is hope. He's coming out of his shell a little more every day. I see him as a genius trapped. His emotions and feelings are unfiltered and just a little harder to express. I can't imagine his frustration on being misunderstood so much or stared at or treated like he's mentally challenged. This has been a lesson for all of us in tolerance and Christopher sets the biggest example of all!

Jane
Salisbury, NC

Mothers always know ...

After i brought my son home i noticed odd things. He didnt cry much, if awake he would rather be infront of a tv than held .He was very slow at learning everything but his doctor assured me that boys are slower than girls. It was when he started to crawl ,stared at wheels, roll a ball back and forth, that got me worried but yet again, i was assured he was fine. He made eye contact, knew his name and it was easy to teach him no .He still wouldnt walk until almost 2 years old,started to line things up and constant flapping of his hands/rocking in his seat.. . .When he learned how to walk he started to jump everywhere, he would line boxes up on the counter, stare at them for hours to make sure they are exactly how he likes it.He started to yell and flap his hands , spinning around or hitting his head for no reason sometimes.. I went to his doctor and he gave me numbers to TEIS ..They got him into speech therapy right away and he started to make noises again with his mouth open! They recommended him to get tested for Autism . . 2 days ago he got tested . He is autistic.. Its only been a few months but he is already repeating things i say, following small commands!! I know that he has a long road ahead of him but ill be right beside him the whole way and now that we actually know why , he can get the right help that he needs.

Even my family was assuring me that nothing was wrong, telling me not to worry so much.I started to wonder if i was the crazy mother that overreacts over small things ! :) My advice is that if you are being told boys are just slow or you overreact and not to worry so much ... Mothers always know ,follow your gut feeling! remember that

Anonymous
Decherd, TN

My Little Hoot

My son changed my life. My son touched my soul. I am a life in life parent. I was a full time restaurant manager before I had my son. I spent the biggest part of my life wanting children. It was a hard conception. I almost lost my son. He was a late in life child. I always knew something was wrong when he was a baby. He was a hard baby to get to sleep. He didn't talk for quite a while. I finally took him to speech therapy. I thought the problem was genetic. I had a speech defect when I was little. I can still remember the people telling me, he would come out of it.
The speech therapist referred me to an autistic evaluation. It couldn't be my son. No, they were wrong. The evaluation team decided that he was undetermined. He was only two. I took him to PreK. The teacher took one look at Zane spending around the room. She knew that he needed an aid. Well, guess what, that unpaid aide was me. I know now that I should have got paid for it. I can still remember the sped teacher telling me she thought he was autistic. I could have smack her. I can still recall the administrator who dressed inappropriately telling me that he could never live alone. I can remember the joy I received each day by working with the kids. My son changed my life in several ways. I am now finishing getting my teaching degree.

Anonymous
Hendrix, OK

Mikyla's Smile

My daughter Mikyla was born a full term healthy baby. Mikyla has always been a happy child who is always smiling. She reached all her milestones early. At 18 months she was talking, identifying letters and some words from watching My Baby Can Read and LeapFrog as well as potty training. She loved books and the cartoon section of the newspaper. She often carried these items around with her and her baby doll. Right around her 2nd birthday she did a reverse and she stopped talking, stopped potty training and she stopped sleeping through the night. We took her to the doctor for her 2 year check-up. The doctor kind of ignored our concerns. Mikyla was referred to an ENT. We were told that Mikyla would probably began talking again if we had P.E. Tubes put in her ears, so we had the surgery. An entire year went by getting the run around when finally one doctor said that she must be autistic. Shortly after Mikyla's 3rd birthday she was diagnosed with autism. My entire world changed that day. Hearing that your child has autism is one of the hardest things to go through. Every day is a new day with joys and challenges. Some days seem harder than others. We have to celebrate even the smallest milestones. Mikyla goes to 6 hours of therapy a week with Speech, Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy. It has been recommended that she receive more hours of intensive therapy but it is more than our insurance or pocket book allows. Mikyla's smile and laugh brings such joy to our family. I believe that one day Mikyla will talk again. God gave our family Mikyla for a reason. She is His precious child, His gift to us.

Candace Caswell-Thompson
Hudson, WI

My brother is the bright side of life!

I can't think I could ever be who I am if it wasn't for my brother. He's 30 and I'm 26, but since we were children he has taught me the most important lessons: i didn't allow any child to bully him despite I was around 4 years old, that made me a strong and secure woman. He liked to keep the rutines, that helped me to be more disciplined. The times I lost my patience my brother would tell me something sweet to melt me, that made me compassionate and humble. He makes me repeat things a million of times but his favorite is telling me "I love you" and making me answer me too! He never ever complains, so when he gets anxious i think is the least he deserves to expres himself. He makes me laugh with his naive and espontaneous comments, i have the feeling every day he knows more! he has the purest heart i've ever seen, he makes me enjoy the smallest details of life and to value what really matters. Sometimes it's hard to see him anxious but now he even says in the middle of his "attacks": what's wrong with me?, i can't take this, or so. I feel so sorry i cannot help him to stop feeling that, but he showed me he's not giving us a hard tim but he is the one having a hard time, and now I'm sure he struggles very much to keep it as little as possible. My brother is so brave, I'm truly proud of him, he only has love to give and after all, that's all you need!!!
Yesterday we went to a celtic rock concert for a while, and i just thought of those times when my brother couldn't even stand a crowd! To all of you, it takes time, patience, but most of all, a lot of love! don't lose the hope and try to see the bright side of life! thanks God for my only and dearest brother!

Ana Elena
Santa Marta, Colombia