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
North Canton, OH