Autism Awareness Month--A Mother's Plea

So I haven't said much about it, but April is Autism Awareness Month. I've seen loads of news stories and puff pieces about autism this month. I've also (rather coincidentally) been reading books by people on the spectrum and finding blogs to follow. I feel a little awkward about the whole thing because we don't know if Bug is autistic or not. But the last few articles I've read having hit on a point I think I should talk about a bit.

Autism spectrum disorder is a really, really broad spectrum disorder. Some kids can hardly function on their own, are non-verbal and struggle with the most basic interactions. Other kids are highly verbal (even advanced) and might just seem quirky or "weird". Every single child has a different set of symptoms and triggers and sensory issues. Because of this range, it can be really difficult to spot an autistic child. And sadly, a lot of people don't know about or acknowledge autism as a real disorder. They say kids are just hyper or rude or shy or oblivious or naughty or a host of other negative things.

So here's my request: When you see a kid doing something "naughty" or who seems out of control or what have you, before you judge that kid, before you judge his parents, stop. Think about it. That kid could have a ton of issues that you know absolutely nothing about. He could be screaming on the floor because the lights are overstimulating and he can't tell you because he can't make the words come out. Or it could smell awful to him. Or maybe something stressful happened there. The kid bouncing up and down excitedly isn't necessarily just hyper. He could be jumping because the sensory input into his joint is stronger if he jumps. The kid who has to touch every. single. thing. might just need that extra stimulation.

We, as parents, know. We know how our kids look, how they make noises that are out of place. And quite frankly, we see the looks they get and we get. But we also know that we still have to get to Target and it's our job as parents to teach our kids to function and behave appropriately in public.

So instead of gaping, or giving a stern look or a stare or whatever, maybe give a kind smile and move on. And if you've got kids, encourage them to be kind. It's ok for them to ask questions. I can explain to people why he jumps or flaps or finds it hard to talk. I know it's hard to be friends with someone who doesn't know how to show that he likes you or even notices you, but they deserve and WANT friends too. Everyone has weird traits, and everyone has amazing talents. Let's all just try to appreciate our uniqueness a little bit more. Ok? Ok. :)

Here's a couple of links to books and articles I've read lately:
Be Different by John Elder Robison
My Clones in Action
Busting Autism myths with a camera

Will post again later this week, after our first OT session! Can't wait! <3

Finally!

I finally have something to update! We have our first OT session next Thursday. Adam and I are really hoping that Bug enjoys it and starts making some progress again. I know that it's going to be a slow process but I'm excited to begin again.

Our other news is that we have a date scheduled for a diagnostic clinic for Bug. June 4 is the big day!

I'm really glad we're starting to move forward again on therapies. It'll be nice to have some progress to talk about again. :)

Yes and No

Quick note: Still haven't heard about OT. Annoyed.

Speech has been going very well! Bug is going back with Laura without too much fuss and she says he's doing hard work while he's back. One of the biggest things they've been working on is saying yes and no appropriately. Bug has known "no" for quite a while, but "yes" didn't really come in. So they've been working on answering questions (like "Did you have fun") and more concrete things like choosing which puzzle piece goes in which puzzle. We've been seeing some progress with this at home too, although it still does seem like sometimes he isn't sure. He'll say no then yes or yes then get upset. But it's coming.

I need to do more to sit with him and get him to play/work with me. Laura has had some success getting him to take turns rolling cars or playing games, but at home Bug seems completely uninterested. I think I need to encourage him a little bit more, to get past his initial "speed bump" of resistance.

With the good weather, we've been outside a lot. I had the water table out one day last week and Bug loved it! Not really a surprise. With all the gardening I've been doing, I've been able to show him worms too and he seems more interested than I've ever seen him before. He also likes to pick up sticks from the yard and pile them on the cement.

He tried to put this huge branch in the garbage can yesterday. :)

Yesterday at the park, Bug figured out how to make his swing go in circles while he was in it. He really enjoyed that! We always try to give him a good amount of swing time at parks, but he does show a good amount of interest in the slides. He wants to climb some of the ladder-type things more, but gets nervous and comes back after a few steps. But he does keep trying!

We got the paperwork for the clinic we want to take him to for diagnosis and Adam and I filled it out this weekend. Not my favorite task. I need to get the evaluations from speech and OT before I can send the packet back in. But it looks like he'd be evaluated at the end of May or early June.

Will try to be better about taking pictures this week. Here's hoping we have lots of fun even if this weather doesn't cooperate!