Stories of Hope

My Son, Daniel!

I am the proud mother of five children, all of whom now are grown except for my youngest son, Daniel. As a toddler Daniel was a head banger and had many loud outbursts when he got frustrated. Daniel was in the first grade when his teacher sugggested we might want to have him evaluated for a possible learning disability or special need. Because of her taking the time to really care about our son's success in school we found out that Daniel has Asperger's Syndrome. Fourtunately we have a wonderful school system filled with loving teachers and caring administration and office staff that really care about our children's successes in school. Daniel is now doing very well in school and will be a sophomore in high school this fall. He is such an enjoyable young man and we are so very proud of him.

Michelle Martin
Wabash, IN

The Revision

The way it slowly unfolded
began to shatter a broke focus
nightmares of screaming hospital rooms
confused by the diagnosis
pain and dark suffering
not many men can understand
"Your daughters autism is severe" had me
imprisoned in hate wastelands
no comprehension or answers offered
even after years of research
I turned to god with no relief
and got fake smiles at church
even now my anger hungers
in need of feeding my wrath
my faith is lost for the last time
my life is only an aftermath
subconsciously repeating one word
the question with no reply
insanity's slowly approaching
I cant stop thinking "why?"
something so right and so pure
had the light fade from her eyes
why must this happen to her...
i cant look away, my helpless ears hear her cries.
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I was dazed but not lost
and neither is she
we get through it together
i mourned what she should be...
nowadays I put it together
to make a better world for her
and into finding some answers
so that no child should have to suffer...
i want to say my story was positive
but to keep it real, it really wasn't
the sad fact of the matter is that
my story's becoming a dime a dozen...
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look it up. Autism is an epidemic. Whether
its the right thing or the wrong thing
the worst thing is to do nothing.

For Destiny 1LOVE

Francisco Sayles
Buffalo, NY

Death than life

Where to begain is always an interesting way to try and described my life. Noah is 3 almost 4 he has been threw more medical intervention than most adults. Already having 6 surgery, one being a liver biopsy at age 1 to tubes to re agin his hearing loss. We were told on his first birthday they could not tell me if noah would make it to2 and if so we would shoot for age 9. Noah is almost 4. We could tell something was very differnt from the time he was born to even know. Not that anything was bad. Just very different. Noah is undergoing his autism testing as we speak. And to finally have an answer to something about our son will be a bitter sweet thing. For almost 3 years we have delt with knowing our son might not make it because his liver is so unpredictable. (His body does not make sugers to fule his brain and heart fast enough..ei: any 1sickness is life threating) but now we have the chance to find out...the questions..like.. why does he scream all the time. Why cant I get him to enjoy other kids. Or why sometimes he wants to hit and bite me but the next minute wants to hug me. Of corse im scared if what the future will hold and the lable. However im not scared for my childs happyness...and help that I have came to understand that I can not give to him. We also have another son Jayms. He is almost 6 and might have a sensory autism. However Jayms love for Noah is something that no words will ever be able to describe. Thank you for letting me share his story.

Amber Cook
calhan, CO

My "straggler to scholar" story

As a young child, I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome at the age of 3. Though I had excellent early intervention, I also struggled with information processing, bullying, challenges with schoolwork, and social interaction, among other issues. This continued from preschool to 10th grade. I had moved 6 times in my life, so I not only had to make transitions, but do so more frequently than most people.

However, when I began my junior year of high school, I discovered that I had academic ambition and talent. From that point on, I achieved grades that put me in the top 8 of my class. I had earned rare honors, such as being the first Delaware high school student to receive a certificate of merit and national-level recognition from Teen Voices of Democracy Magazine. In addition, I spoke publicly and voluntarily about my condition and extenuating circumstances to half of the student body in my school for an R-Word campaign. Through this, I became a highly respected member of my graduating class; enough to win prom king by a landslide! It is said that most people with autism do not go to school or do poorly if they do.

Despite the fact that I was a straggler, an individual who had no ambition, no friends, no capacity to think independently, and was first claimed to be unable to read, write, or attend school at all, I had pulled through to become an award-winning, critically acclaimed, and popular scholar in high school. Currently, I am attending the University of Delaware: one of the finest universities in the world, and I am studying biological sciences and doing fairly well thus far. Only a few years ago, I never would have imagined that I would excel academically the way I did, make many friends, or attend any college. At this point, I am proud to say that I have become who I was born to be: an idealist with ambition, dreams, and integrity. Finally, I have autism, but I also have happiness, independence, and high education.

Reese Eskridge
Newark, DE

My girl friend

let share my store of my girl friend now thing great is no both love this both girl who fall for who has autism she only 21 she found out now age 19 saw some stuff that was like her to do like push down on her face she also put hands in her mouth and she well pull ups now we to do at she not ready for bathroom as boyfriend it not all date I can't do a date other man be round other people make her go in a cry mood and kicking yell it easy to found out some u love for 7 years is born with autism . Now hope out at a yearly age because she did not know she all most gown up yes date yes she live other guy who is also Born with it his name is Paul Melanie is very sweet girl but tell she has it . If u find out son or daughter or husband or wife or girlfriend or husband or wife it be the hard to hear still love her from this day on I love u Melanie for ever .she love fsu Ronald Reagan and crabs because be Born with it I hope this help thank u

Anonymous
Fayetteville, GA

Happily Married to Mr. Spock

When I met my husband, everything appeared "normal". We shared so many interests we could speak for hours. After we married, and he was no longer courting me, something changed ... his attention. I analogize it to a lighthouse, the light just turned and left me in the dark for long periods of time. This was back in 1999, and in the US AS had just been added to the Autism Spectrum (1996). We struggled for 18 months until I stood at the edge: either this jerk get therapy, or I was leaving.

After an additional 18 months of evaluation his specialist told him it is Asperger's Syndrome. When he came home with the evaluation, he hung his head and said, "You didn't sign on for this, if you want a divorce, I'll give it to you." These are not the words of a jerk; and this was(is) the man I love. His therapist started working with him to understand how his A-typical brain worked and perceived the world differently from a typical brain (and, a woman's typical brain). I saw a separate AS specialist to learn how his brain worked, how to listen, interrupt and to get my needs understood. This spanned an additional 8 years; but they were good years because we were working for our marriage, our love.

Okay, this wasn't easy, and there was no help from family who just didn't get it: "All marriages are tough." Right. We started to build what we affectionately call the file draw so he could start to read my moods and relate them to his own sentiments. We built our own communication skills. He also applied his new understandings to the outside world and has become a well liked, respected member of the community and one cannot measure the positive difference in his professional life.

It's been thirteen years and we are very happy together: we do not have a typical marriage, we have a great marriage.

As they say, you've met an Aspie, you've met ONE Aspie.

Love you Honey.

Anonymous
Northport, NY

Jacob you have brought more to our life than autism could ever take away!

It all started around Jacob's first birthday. He still had not said mama or dada. Little did I know because Jacob was our first baby he never really babbled either. I mean he made sounds but not babbling. His doctor was not a wait and see kind of doctor, even though our family kept telling us to wait and see. I can hear my mom still, "you were a late talker". I knew in the deepest pit of my stomach this was different. We started early invention, 4 day a week classroom setting for Jacob and all the therapies. Jacob was diagnosed right after his second birthday. He is the brightest little boy ever, at 3 years old he can read and count to 1000. He thing is letters and numbers, we obsess over them :) He is the light of our life. Jacob we love to watch you grow and learn new things. You amaze us and everyone who meets you, you truly are such a special, kind, and loving little boy. We take this road day by day but I know big thing are in your future. Mommy and Daddy will always be right with you cheering you on!

Jessie
Medina, OH

Annabelle's Triumph

Her name is Annabelle, she is my beautiful daughter, and she happens to have Autism.

I recall her third birthday - a day when she broke a dining room chair because of singing "Happy Birthday" as well as the removal of all her clothing as the children were arriving for the party.

I recall the panic and fear I felt when I took her in public. We'd go to a city park, the beach, a mall parking lot - she ran and didn't know where to stop.

Autism was dismissed by our pediatrician. It didn't "look" like the Autism the doctor had seen previously so she comforted me with assurances that Annabelle was simply strong-willed.

I didn't accept that. I kept searching. I got her Speech, Occupational Therapy and an Autism Consultant. A year later Annabelle is in a typical pre-school, receives birthday invitations and is loved by not only me, but her teachers and classmates as well. She gets birthday invites. She rides horses. She holds my hand in a parking lot without running away.

She has come so far. And we still have so far to go. But we will get there, all of us - together.

Claudia Evans
Tallahassee, FL

Princess Carlee

I would like to introduce you to a very special girl named Carlee Astrid Barker. She is six years old. She is bright, funny, sweet, beautiful, and full of dreams. One of the things that makes Carlee special is that she is autistic and has photosensitive epilepsy. She experiences several myoclonic seizures everyday. She has a service dog named Sunshine. Carlee loves computers, math patterns, princesses, collecting rocks, adores animals and above all when she grows up she want.s to be a Princess at Disneyland. One day we received a letter from the National American Miss Pageant inviting her to attend an interview to qualify her as a finalist in the NAM Utah Pageant. Carlee took the letter to the computer and typed in the website. She watched every video and looked at every picture then turned to me and said, "I in princess show, mom, I a princess." I was a little nervous but decided to let her interview thinking it would be over before it started because Carlee does not talk to strangers. I wasn't sure she would even talk to anyone because of her delayed language and social anxiety but the young woman interviewing the girls told them that she was Mulan at Disneyland. Carlee was star struck. She got in line and talked to Mulan She taught me a very important lesson about underestimating her because of her disabilities. She did the interview, she rocked it and made it to the finals at the state pageant. Since the interview she has been working very hard to learn to say all of the words in her introduction. She has already picked out her dresses for the interview and formal part of the program. She is working very hard to live her dream to become a princess. I don't know what the outcome of this experience is going to be for her but I do know that she has a chance to shine and be very special for one night because a Pageant looked past her Autism and saw this amazing little girl with a dream.

carrie barker
park city, UT

Mia Bella's Story

One of my favorite sayings in the world of Autism is "If you've seen one child with autism, you've seen one child with autism". There are so many thing Autism effects , developmental, neurological,communication and social skills. When my daughter was younger we struggled with her having meltdowns over minor or major changes in daily routine. But ach person who has Autism is so unique. I can only speak for myself on this matter. My daughter Mia at the time of her diagnoses only had some symptoms. When she was 12 months old she had about 5 words. By the time she was 18 months she had no words, she had very poor eye contact and she had stop responding to her own name. I read a article in Parents Magazine about Autism. I remembering thinking to myself this sounds like Mia "What if she has Autism?" "What will I do?" I scheduled an appointment with her pediatrician to voice my concerns only to be dismissed and told I was comparing my child to other children. By age two she still was not talking ,pointing,responding to her name ,toe walking , I knew I had to seek a second option. She was officially diagnosed shortly before her third birthday. However before her diagnoses we immediately began speech therapy ,occupational therapy, listening therapy, and aba. Soon after her third birthday she was accepted into a School that specializes in teaching children with Autism. She remained there for 6 years. Mia is now in a mainstream classroom . She has become quite the artist and she loves singing, dancing,Girl Scouts and theme parks. We had a tough journey,but I wouldn't change a thing. Ultimately, every child has their own success. Some may be more dramatic than others, but every milestone is important. Autism has taught me that ,every little thing is a big deal in our lives. My fantastic little girl is everything that I ever dreamed she would be. She amazes me everyday.

Veronica Gonzalez
Houston, TX