To start off the first day of April I want to give a few facts and a short look into our autism journey. Jack was officially diagnosed with autism a few days after he turned 3, but we had many concerns before this specific moment in time. When Jack was 18 months we noticed he stopped hitting developmental milestones typical for his age. He did not respond to his name, he wouldn't make eye contact and he hadn't made any noticeable language progress (for more info on early warning signs click here). We got him evaluated by ECI (Early Childhood Intervention) program when we moved to Texas and they reported he had a significant delay and qualified for services. Over the next 1.5 years Jack worked with a developmental therapist, SLP, and an OT. When he turned 3 the ECI services ended and the school district took over. We got him evaluated by the school district and he started the fall semester at Lawson Early Childhood school in a STC-PPCD (Structured Teach Class-Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities). After his first year of school we had our first summer break and life got kind of hectic. Going from a highly structured routine of school to lots of down time, only 5 weeks of ESY (Extended School Year) services, the you know what hit the fan. It was at this time we decided to find Jack an ABA therapist, and added a few hours of ABA therapy and Social skills therapy into his mix of treatment. This past fall Jack started kindergarten at Willmeth Elementary school with a great new teacher and team. He is still in a STC environment with a few minutes each day of inclusion time during specials (PE, Music and Art).
Jack has come a long way in his short little life, he is extremely smart and works hard every day at learning the skills he needs to function in the world. He has come from being non-verbal and having practically no receptive language skills to being able to use some simple phrases to express some basic wants and needs, and to following some simple instructions. His play skills have become much more appropriate and we even catch him pretending from time to time. He loves to listen to music and recently got to experience going to see his first movie theater movie. He still has a long way to go but we have found some wonderful people and organizations along the way that have helped make this very bumpy and unpredictable road a little easier.
My opinion when it comes to spreading awareness is to do it daily. We do this by not shielding the world from our son and by taking every opportunity (within reason) to expose the world to him. This does not always come easy and might require some creative planning on our part, but its the best way we know how to spread awareness for autism and for our family to enjoy life. What I ask of those of you who might catch us on a bad day (and this one might be hard because its human nature) would be to please not judge and remember to treat others the way you would want to be treated. Thank you and I hope we can continue to spread awareness and acceptance this April!
Here are some Autism Facts:
-Autism currently affects 1 in every 68 children today.
-Autism affects each individual differently and at different levels of severity.
-Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the United States
If your looking to make a donation in honor of Autism Awareness month here are a few of the organizations that have become important of our lives and support our community:
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