Providing a meaningful life for a child with a disability
A child is born (with autism?), and so Our Story begins....
If you have a child with autism, our road to diagnosis may seem unique. Some of the symptoms that we observed may mimic some of the things that caused you pause with your own child. If you do not have a diagnosis, but some of the characteristics below sound familiar, I recommend you begin the testing process for your child. Whether your child has a speech delay, is simply missing milestones, or does have autism, early diagnosis is the surest way to get your child the help he/she needs in order to overcome these delays.
As the eldest child (if you buy into anything about
birth order, you understand where I'm coming from), I
was never satisfied with what I did in life. I strove for perfection and aimed to please my parents. So, when I gave birth to
my first child, I vowed to be the perfect parent. Of course, nothing less than perfection would do from MY child. My husband
and I have very high IQs and before my maternity leave
was over, I already had his 529 Plan set up and a short list of the
only universities he should consider for college!
Now, some things may seem odd. But remember, this is my first child, so I have nothing to compare to. No point of reference. Only those charming baby books-of which I had tons-"How to teach your baby math", "How to teach your baby to read", etc. MY son would be speaking four languages before he started kindergarten!
How it all began
I must say that my son's birth was not horrific or unusual in any way. He was born via c-section, as he was breech. His APGAR scores were perfect. I did have RhoGAM shots during my pregnancy and after delivery.
The first indication that something was not quite right was when my son was 9 months old and still wasn't talking. After all, I had been told that I began talking at 10 months! Certainly, "Karen 2.0" would be an improved version! What gives? Of course, our pediatrician chuckled and said not to worry. Other than having a little body (in the 25th percentile) and a Charlie Brown head (in the 90th percentile), everything was perfect! Our pediatrician told us that normally, children will begin talking around 12 months. Normally!? Hmmmph. I resented that my child should be called "normal". Certainly, he would be extraordinary! (Boy, was I ever right about that one.)
When my son was an infant, he would sit in his swing or carrier or crib and just
stare off into space.
He rarely looked into our eyes or faces-even when we were speaking to him. He rarely acknowledged us. But he was a very good baby.
He slept through the night (6 hours) at the age of two-2.5 months old. He rarely fussed or cried. He was content to just sit and stare
at the wall. I guess that pretty much sums him up-he always seemed content.
We were told how lucky we were to have such a "good" baby.
When my son was 9 months old, I became pregnant again. Pure bliss! I can do this standing on my head. I had no idea that parenthood was so easy! If this next baby was as good and easy as the first, this would be a cakewalk.
At 12 months, and still no words from Dominic, I again voiced my concern to our pediatrician. He again reassured us that there was no cause for concern. Frustrated, I left and hit the books again. Still waters run deep. Maybe my little prodigy was quietly working on some profound theorem and was awaiting just the right moment to spring it on us?
continue...