I have a son Chase Ryder who was diagnosed with regressing autism when he was 3. He used to talk, but stopped, but now is starting to say a couple words. I love Chase with all my heart, I would give my life for him. He's my angel, I will do everything in my power to get him all the help he needs:)
When you hear the word autism, what do you think?
That’s right, the spectrum is so large that no one really knows what to think. This is how two parents reacted when trying to help their child…
When our son Marcello was 3 years old, my husband and I realized he had autism, so we decided to take him to occupational and speech therapy. After one year of sessions he improved his ability to identify objects to only 25%. Having observed the therapist, we then worked with Marcello at home and three months later he could identify objects at 100%, but still not speaking.
At age 4 he started attending a special preschool, and we were very pleased with his teacher (Mrs. Valade) and his Para-pro, (Mrs. Radcliffe) who adored our son and worked really hard with him. When Marcello first came to class he was extremely sensitive to sights and sounds, but within two weeks he was no longer covering his ears and was sitting with the rest of the class without wearing a weight blanket. One special moment was when Mrs. Valade taped a session where he was doing the motions with the rest of the class to the “Wheels on the Bus.” It was so emotional… I cried, and she did too.
Mrs. Valade also bought a little plastic microphone that echoes your voice when it’s spoken into, and worked with Marcello. One day when I picked him up from school she was so excited, and holding Marcello close, she grabbed the microphone and said “Hi” into it. Looking first at her, then at me, Marcello leaned his face into the microphone and said, in his sweet little voice, “Hi.”
That was the most unforgettable moment, because for the first time we knew our son could talk! Now today, as I write this, he’s learning to put sentences together...
My son and I both almost died at his birth. He
was saved through excellent doctors. The
medication used to save him we were told may
cause delays. Milestones were delayed. At 1 and
a 1/2 he qualified for First Steps. He had Speech,
OT, and PT until three years old. We continued
to seek therapy for next five years. His writing and
social skills were/ are concerns. In kindergarten, he was
tested at school and I was not surprised with the result
of Autism . As a special education teacher, I had
noted signs and discussed with his doctor.
He has had amazing strides with the help of teachers,
therapists, family and friends, and Patrick's efforts!
The early intervention and continued therapy was the
key to help him "catch up." He will continue to face
many challenges, but I am so proud of his accomplishments
thus far!
My name is James,
I am 27
On 22 November, 1989, I was Diagnosed with Autism by Captain J. Jeff Oatley of the US Army in Mannheim, Germany. I was 3 years old at this time. My mom knew something wasn't normal with me from birth. My early childhood isn't something I have many memories of, except the snow, the playground behind our building, and our flight back to the states when I was 5. I didn't speak until I was almost 4.
We moved to San Antonio, Texas when I had just turned 6. The schools I went to did everything they could to not provide services for me, and tried brushing it off as ADHD, Mental Retardation, or tried labeling me as Emotionally Disturbed. They kept fighting with my mom, but my mom never gave them ground. My mom was Military Police, and still takes no nonsense from anyone. They also refused to stop the bullying that I was subjected to for the most part. They also kept saying I would never amount to much, though I was an honor student from age 6 to 14 when we moved to Sonoma County, California in 2001.
My freshman year at Windsor High School changed everything. I had a knife pulled on me by a bully when I was 15 that year. I put the bully down and nearly out. My school sent me home to cool off, while the other guy went to the ER, then lockup. The bullying stopped that year, and then I took up JROTC for Civil Air Patrol, which turned into Volunteer Search & Rescue the next year. I now have 8 years on SAR teams, and 5 years in Security, including 2 in Vegas. I've seen much more than even all this.
I have since traveled the US, driving from Vegas to NC in just 2 days last year, after buying a new car. I now am near my girlfriend Sarah who also has Autism. We met over 3 years ago. To you parents, Autism's a Challenge, not a Defeat. It's time to rise.
Matthew was diagnosed at 3 yrs of age with High Functioning Autism, once we identified what help he needed we got him into occupational therapy, speech therapy and a head start program. After much testing and many different doctors, we as parents started reading books to educate ourselves in types of Autism and sensory disorders to understand our child. So we learned about IEPs, to equip our child within the school system, so he would receive the help he needed. we had to fight for the needs of our child, because no one else new better than us. In the last 2 years we have seen dramatic changes in Matthews behavior, speech and even his sense of humor. He has come along way. Now we never thought in this whole time that Matthew could never do anything, we always treated him as normal, even when it came to discipline. In my life I had known mothers who would treat their autistic children with kid gloves, never disciplining them or trying correct their behavior. This approach only hurts the child and you in the long term. Our autistic children need a good upbringing, they need to know right from wrong, what's good behavior and what's not acceptable in society. Now Matthews 16 , we have realized there are little things we have not taught him when it comes to social behavior in front of others. A autistic child has no filters. I remember when he was 7 , he used to take off all his clothes to go the bathroom, which is totally fine at home behind closed doors, but not fine when your out at Church group, McDonalds or any other public place. Matthew thinks in black and white, no gray. The only thing I would like to see is more books on teenagers and Autism, there is simply not enough out there for reference after the age of 12 years. But I know with prayer and hope my Matthew will become a great man.
After I turned one years old, I was lining up balls size by size in a NEAT, PRECISE line. For an example, golf ball, rubber handball, a football, a bouncy ball, and a basketball in that order. If one ball rolled away from the line, I would get frustrated. My mom smiled and said, "Poor little Rain Man." A light bulb just popped out of her head, "Maybe he is like Rain Man." (Rain Man is a 1988 film starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise.) About thirteen or fourteen months old, I was diagnosed with autism. My mom knew work needed to be done. She told many people and most of them didn't know what it was or they said, "Sometimes boys are delayed." My dad believed there was nothing wrong with me, while my mom knew there was something wrong. They both were in court, and my mom won custody over me.
In school, I received therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and other special instructions. I didn't like to be touched nor I gave eye contact till I was a little older. After I was diagnosed, I didn't talk till I was about four years old.
My mom knew this wasn't a one-person job, so she needed plenty of help. My Auntie Kate, Aunt Laura, Uncle Tom, cousin Lauren, nanny, and even my dad helped my mom out. Occasionally, Uncle Eddie helped too. I considered Auntie Kate, Lauren, and nanny as my second mothers.
If I didn't get my way, I would throw tantrums, especially if I lost in a game. Because of that, I didn't have any friends.
When I was almost eight years old, I was put in a hospital for better medicine. Meanwhile, my mom found a doctor who knew something about autism than most professionals. Eventually, I was taken out of the hospital. I went to see this doctor. He put me on the right medicine.
Two years later when I turned ten, I blossomed into a whole new person. I became better with my friends, better with family, and deal things a lot better.
I am a proud grandfather (Papa) of a 12 year old Aspie. For most of his life I have been the male figure and have been the person he looks up to. He is an amazing head strong young man. He needs and wants to be the best at what ever he does, he is just made that way. We have learned that he needs to be given things that can keep up with his thinking. So, for all the people who are taking care of an Aspie, keep their minds busy with things that make them think. Do not baby them, they are smart and need a good challenge. Just watch out for the frustration level, it will be there. Just have them slow down and think about it and watch the results. We have to remember to speak softly and repeat things several times when the MELT DOWNS happen and oh will they happen. DO NOT GET MAD!! They are built that way. My grandson has a hard time looking people in the eye when talking to them. What I have told him to do is look at their forehead just above the eyes. This is a respect thing and now he is good at it. If you are having problems with your Aspie and feel at the end of your rope, do not give up. Stay calm and keep trying different things. Our Aspie is a wonderful part of our lives and is a gift from God.
My son Chris is 12 and has severe autism. He was diagnosed when he was about 3 years old. Since that time he has been to countless therapies, too many doctor's to keep track of, and attends a special school for developmentally disabled children.
Chris is non-verbal. In his 12 years he has never said a word...no 'good night', no 'mommy', no 'I love you'. When I sit and think about it, it makes me cry. I'm tearing up right now just writing this. To never have your kid say 'mommy' is a heartbreaking thing.
Chris LOVES vacuums. He loves running them and using the attachments (he's very handy on cleaning day). The aisle with the vacuums is his favorite in any store we go to. He could play with them for hours.
Chris is also a pretty amazing singer. He can pick up any song, from classical to hard rock, and 'sing' it over and over again until you need earplugs. Because he's non-verbal, he 'sings' just using sounds. However, he hits each song note for note and you can easily recognize what song it is. He was stuck on Huey Lewis and The News "If This Is It" song for about a month. Now he's repeating Muse's "Madness".
It's really quite a talent of his. He loves music, whether it's playing in the background or a video on youtube.
For the most part, Chris is a very happy kid. Loves to roughhouse with grown ups and go hiking. Lately, Chris is hitting puberty...hard. He's not listening. When you tell him 'no' he throws the biggest tantrum you've ever seen.
Mentally Chris is about 3-4 years old
Physically he looks like he's 8 years old
Chronologically he'll be 13 in the fall
This is such a hard age for him (and my husband and I). He can't express to us what he's feeling, he gets frustrated, has a tantrum. Only it's a 3 year olds tantrum with a 12 year olds set of lungs and an 8 year olds body.
We will pray for the end of puberty!
Thanks
This is our gorgeous son, Hunter, a few months after he lost all his speech. He received an MMR vaccine at 12 months and we started to notice a decline in his speech that then completely disappeared one month after the flu vaccine at 15 months. He had 30 words that I had written on a scrap piece of paper waiting to go in his baby book when I got time to put them in there. Now that piece of paper lives in my drawer because the pain I feel in reading it now is almost unbearable. Our son is like an angel - now 9 years old. He brings a smile to everyone's face that he meets and warms their heart. We are getting back some of his milestones slowly and he is learning to write and read. He is extremely smart. I know once his Daddy and I buy that Ipad he is going to soar in his communication.
Hunter has figured out things that neurotypical children have not been able to. His receptive language if 100 %. Although we have had heartache and he has struggled, he continues to amaze us and brings joy that we could have never imagined. He is always happy and only cries if he is sick or tired. We pray everyday for his healing, but we also know God has a plan for him and he is ultimately in God's hands. We would not have it any other way.
For those of you just now facing this journey, the advice we can give you is love your child up, believe in them when other's don't and they will reward you beyond measure. Don't speak in front of your child as though they don't understand...they do, even children that appear very severe - they are smart.
I always thought my son was perfect (still do) but when his sister came along, I noticed that even though she was 19 months younger than him she seemed to master things faster. I remember joking about how Noah (thats my sons name) would crawl to kindergarten... He learned to walk at 16 months, but he was still amazingly smart in my eyes. As he grew and got old enough for headstart, the teachers all told me something was wrong with him..I remember being soo mad, afterall, my child was perfect, he knew his abc's and could write his name. I asked them if they thought it was ADHD, and they said "No, its something more." They said they couldn't handle his meltdowns and refered me to a psychiatrist. Which, by the way I didn't go to, because my baby was Perfectly normal, just tempermental. Then my step mother, who happened to be a nurse said " I think Noah has autism." I had never been so mad, I knew nothing about autism, but it sounded bad. After a couple more years of the meltdowns and strange fixations, lack of eye contact and specific interests I finally broke down and had him evaluated. Waiting for the results was hard...The doctor came in the room and said"Noah has what we call aspergers, and it is in the autism spectrum.." for just a minute my world fell in around me, but then I looked at that precious little boy, and realized that made him even more special. His I.Q. was 139, much higher than mine, and he knows his way around computers better than most people that have went to collage for it. He is 12 now, he has problems making friends, and the kids at school bully him...but he just lets it roll off his shoulders. He is so much stronger than i have ever been, and funny and obviously alot smarter than me, Some say AUTISTIC, I say AMAZING! He is a blessing.
