Day 99: Welcome to Autism

Welcome to the rollercoaster ride that is called autism. This is one of heck of an adventure. My name is Leira and I’m Joshwa’s mommy he was diagnosed with autism last June 5,2002 (how can I ever forget that date). The first thing you need to do is Breath’e out. Repeat. Then do it one more time. Now, look around find out as much as you can about your child’s condition. The second thing that you need to do is don’t think of it as a life sentence.
Stop the blame game because IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT. It is not going to help you and your child.  Just think of it this way God gave you an important assignment and you have to share with your child as much as you could.
Let me just tell you that you are not alone.Never ever hesitate to let someone know how you feel and what you are going through. Find someone who is or has been through what you are going through and feeling now who can just listen and be a source of strength. Attend support group meetings.Never isolate yourself from the real world, let others in to provide you help and strength.
Learn to block out the negativity for your child’s sake. If a relative refuses to have a relationship with your child because of autism. Don’t force it our kids may not speak but they are far more sensitive. This is probably one of the hardest things that I would tell you stop thinking about the what could have been and should have been. If you have older kids stop comparing your child with Autism(CWA) to your Neuro Typical Kids.Stop looking at kids his age and thinking about what he should be doing.I know that it’s not easy but for the sake of your child.
There are a lot of options and possibilities out there – but the key is to find those that work well BOTH for your child AND for your family. You don’t have to rush, and you DON’T have to go broke. Take your time, consider options, and meanwhile take time to play with and enjoy your child!
The best part of  having kids like ours is we really do learn to sweat the small stuff. You stop being angry that the walls have doodles and appreciate the fact that your child can write. You don’t get angry that your child repeats JOLLIBEE 50 times in 5 minutes and appreciate the fact that your child just can speak and wants to reach out to you. You are happy at the fact that he is upset that his sister wants his candy and ecstatic that he’s sharing his emotions.
We realize that we do have it in us to champion our kids and to become their best advocates.