I knew that this past year has been filled with many accomplishments and achievements from Autumn due mostly in part to her intensive therapies and beginning preschool. The work doesn't stop there as we implement a lot of floortime at home with her as well (side note: I hate and I mean HATE traditional ABA with a passion and it will not ever be used on my daughter-floortime it is). She pretty much leads us in almost every aspect of her daily routine!
But before I share what was suggested, I want this beautiful community here to know that I love and adore Autumn just the way she is. I don't care that she's Autistic. In fact, I love that she's autistic because it's something uniquely special about her and the way she sees the world. I accept every part of her being. I just want what's best for her so that she can live the best life possible. That means helping her develop the coping and communication skills necessary that will allow her to navigate through her surroundings. As said throughout my many rants: Autism (for me at least) is not and I mean NOT a tragedy. It's not a disease that needs to be eradicated. The most beautiful minds are autistic and keep this crazy world in order with their extreme brilliance and organization. Thus, the opinion of one person, in this case her neuro, is not the opinion of all.
So after seeing/observing Autumn, the neuro recommended the following:
1. full-day school for her after she turns four so for the 2015-2016 school year.
2. He also suggested more in-school therapies and said that once she's in school full-day that the outside therapies should be decreased or completely omitted as it would be "too much" for her after a long day at school.
3. He also wants her to be included in the general ed preschool class for snack time and other specials because he firmly believes that children learn/model their behaviors from other children and yes, her special ed class has been great for this, but learning from "NT" children wouldn't hurt (I also know that's the goal in special ed-inclusion).
4. He also recommended that we sign her up for something like swimming or gymnastics that will expose her to typical peers and for her to do something other than "therapies" as our lives have been consumed with extra therapies every day except on Fridays we have our free day.
During our appointment, the doctor mentioned and noticed "splinter skills" within her memory as well as cognition. He stated that if Autumn doesn't make much progress within "socialization skills" (which I kind of shrugged here because she loves kids and people, it's just getting her pass those ice breakers), she will display symptoms along the lines of "Aspergers", which is perfectly fine by me.
I must say that I love her neuro because he didn't push extensive ABA therapies onto us. That he wants Autumn to also enjoy a "typical" childhood not entirely consumed with therapies. Luckily, Aurumn enjoys her therapists and it's "fun" for her. It's also been one crabby winter to do anything truly fun together so once the weather warms up, we'll be back at the playground and doing fun things again.
Now this is what threw my husband and me for a loop as I wasn't expecting to hear these words. Quoting her Pediatric Neurologist:
"In the 26 years that I've been practicing pediatric neurology, only a handful of my patients became undiagnosed with autism because they no longer meet the criteria for diagnosis. Reason being was because of early detection/diagnosis by age two and intensive/aggressive therapies and supports set in place. In addition, all of these children had a doctor (parent's profession) as a parent who knew how to formulate the best treatment plan/goals for their child. Which brings me to this, Autumn has made tremendous amount of progress within the past year that surpasses what we usually see/expect among the Autistic population. At the rate she's progressing, I believe there's a high probability that someday, within the next couple of years even, she too will no longer meet the criteria for being diagnosed on the autism spectrum."
So even though what was said was a message of hope and possibility, I personally don't believe Autism is something that can "just go away". Even if she does get undiagnosed someday, she will always (in my mind) be autistic. It's great knowing that we have a team of professionals who do believe that Autumn has amazing capabilities and they don't see her autism label as holding her back in life. That, my friends, is true acceptance.
A part of me is angry at myself. I had shared this news with family and friends on my regular Facebook page and received many wonderful comments, likes, etc. I know everyone was/is trying to be supportive, but I can't help but think did I cause all of these people to view Autumn's autism as "bad thing" with my writing and words? Have I too contributed to the mass hysteria surrounding "finding a cure" just like certain organizations? I just really hope that my message sat with friends and family that I love my daughter and I don't mind or care that she has autism. That when we walked into that doctors office on Tuesday, I wasn't looking for a cure, for a way to eliminate autism out of my child, but for any extra tips to help ME better learn "her language", to also navigate through her world, etc.
I say this from the bottom of my heart that I'm so proud of Autumn. She's an amazing child and has changed my life in so many positive ways. It hasn't been easy to say the least. I've had to put certain things on hold to make sure Autumn received the time and attention she needed (still needs) to flourish. When I started my blog about a year ago, it was to document progress, growth. It was to share my struggles that came with being a parent to a child with special needs, but it was also to show my growth as well as a parent.
We're changing. Each and every day. Regardless of what one person said, what others may think, what the future may hold, I'm going to enjoy this time, these small moments now with my beloved daughter, who, autistic or not, is my heart and soul. She IS my angel on earth and I thank god every single day for allowing me to be HER mother.
Onto the next year!
Xoxo,
Trish
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