Autism The Myth and the Legend
But odds are, if it hasn't affected your family yet, it will.
1 in 88 children are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
That is up 600% from 40yrs ago.
Boys are 4 times more likely to be affected by Autism and currently there are between 200-400 different genes thought to be the "Cause".
Those are the hard facts.
But they don't even scratch the surface in describing our ASD little man.
In a conference with all his specialists and legal people, one of his doctors said, "For a child with his complications we don't expect him to walk or talk or make eye contact." This was meant as a splash of cold water. Which I appreciated, but God took it as a challenge. He had bigger plan for our boy. We have been absolutely thrilled to watch his progress and be his cheerleaders!
A few Myths about Autism that we have encountered are below.
MYTH: Autistic people don't have EMOTIONS.
TRUTH: Of course they have feelings! Isaiah has STRONG feelings that wash over him and sometimes drown out everything around him. Happiness is very close to Sadness and he expresses them the same way. Often bursting into tears and hiding under the nearest chair if you present him with something he really wants.
MYTH: Autistic people aren't as smart as their typical peers.
TRUTH: Many Autistic children have IQ's that are much higher than their peers.
Isaiah has been tested and is in the "gifted" range when it comes to Numbers and Letters. So far he hasn't discovered that they mean anything, other than their position to one another. He can recognize them forward and backward and in every font. They are like old friends, and they soothe him.
MYTH: Autism is a strict diagnosis with a standard set of factors.
TRUTH: Autism is a Spectrum of symptoms and with such a wide variety that it makes up for a lot of the increase in diagnosis numbers. 50yrs ago everyone fell under the "mental retardation" umbrella.
Myth: Autistic children are non-verbal.
Tuth: Our little man started to make gutteral noises at 2yrs. We had AMAZING speech therapists that came to our home and worked with him 3 times a week to increase that, and today, at 8yrs old he REALLY likes noise. He makes BURSTS of noise, screams or yells, and most often in our powder room, the acoustics in there make him very happy. Another "happy place" is my parents laundry room. He turns his tablet all the way up, and then yells "Papaaaaaaa" over and over.
hahaha
It's a fun game that just he and his papa understand.
Myth: Autistic kids are in their own world.
Truth: This might be the case for some, but it isn't true for us. It's almost like he is TOO MUCH in tune with the world. He hears the water dripping in the sink, the echo of it in the empty bowl. The microwave fan. The vacuum and the clock in the hall. In response to that, he is constantly trying to drown some of it out. He will hold his tablet with his feet directly over his head, and lay upside down on the couch, in an effort to give his body lots to process.
A diagnosis of Autism is often difficult for two reasons.
1. There is no cure.
2. There is also no definitive test for it.
A few Myths about Autism that we have encountered are below.
MYTH: Autistic people don't have EMOTIONS.
TRUTH: Of course they have feelings! Isaiah has STRONG feelings that wash over him and sometimes drown out everything around him. Happiness is very close to Sadness and he expresses them the same way. Often bursting into tears and hiding under the nearest chair if you present him with something he really wants.
MYTH: Autistic people aren't as smart as their typical peers.
TRUTH: Many Autistic children have IQ's that are much higher than their peers.
Isaiah has been tested and is in the "gifted" range when it comes to Numbers and Letters. So far he hasn't discovered that they mean anything, other than their position to one another. He can recognize them forward and backward and in every font. They are like old friends, and they soothe him.
MYTH: Autism is a strict diagnosis with a standard set of factors.
TRUTH: Autism is a Spectrum of symptoms and with such a wide variety that it makes up for a lot of the increase in diagnosis numbers. 50yrs ago everyone fell under the "mental retardation" umbrella.
Myth: Autistic children are non-verbal.
Tuth: Our little man started to make gutteral noises at 2yrs. We had AMAZING speech therapists that came to our home and worked with him 3 times a week to increase that, and today, at 8yrs old he REALLY likes noise. He makes BURSTS of noise, screams or yells, and most often in our powder room, the acoustics in there make him very happy. Another "happy place" is my parents laundry room. He turns his tablet all the way up, and then yells "Papaaaaaaa" over and over.
hahaha
It's a fun game that just he and his papa understand.
Myth: Autistic kids are in their own world.
Truth: This might be the case for some, but it isn't true for us. It's almost like he is TOO MUCH in tune with the world. He hears the water dripping in the sink, the echo of it in the empty bowl. The microwave fan. The vacuum and the clock in the hall. In response to that, he is constantly trying to drown some of it out. He will hold his tablet with his feet directly over his head, and lay upside down on the couch, in an effort to give his body lots to process.
A diagnosis of Autism is often difficult for two reasons.
1. There is no cure.
2. There is also no definitive test for it.
There is only adaptation.
Adapting your family,
Adapting the world and the amount of it that filters down to your child, and
Adapting your expectations to meet the pace of your child.
*There will be tears.
*There will be unspeakable joy.
*There will be months where you see no progress.
*There will be days when the biggest change you see is in yourself.
****You will adapt, and your child will flourish.****
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