Stories of Hope

My wonderful Son

This is Denver he is 6.He was a healthy baby boy weighing at 8lbs 3oz. He did just fine as an infant it wasn't until he was 2 and I noticed he wasn't talking so I started asking his pediatrician questions he said let wait a bit kids start taliking at his own rate. Denver was hitting milestones but at a different rate. At the age of 3 Denver was only using 3 letter words and very little at that his pediatrician decided to give me some paper work to fill out he said there could be a chance Denver is Autistic.
As I was looking at these questions and seeing that I answered yes to a lot of them yes my son does that, yes it is difficult to do that task, so as I answered the question I became more interested in what Autism is? We waited for the results and finally the call came Denver was on the Autism Spectrum Side and wanted us to go to Southeast and see a Autism Specialist and have them meet Denver and run some more test and go from there.
At this point I as a mother am terrified for my son and feel there is nothing I can do to make my son better! We went thru all the testing and question and at the age of 3 Denver was diagnosed with autism or ASD as they called it. My son does talk some now it is still hard for my son to communicate and some word don't come out as he wants it and he battles with that everyday not being able to get out how he feels or explain what happened to him that day at school .
My family struggles with autism everyday and every day it makes us stronger.He has accomplished a lot in 3 yrs and still working hard towards his goals I am so very proud of him! Denver Mommy and Daddy loves u so very much! You are our hero....you can do anything!! Reach for the Stars Son anything is possible!

Ashley Lambert
Perryville, MO

we are brothers. we are autism.

These two little squirts may look different because their skin colors are not the same, but a couple of things they do have in common are their autism and their mommy! There is much to much to write in order to tell of each of their journeys, but I'll give some interesting facts about both. Ryan was born at a whopping 9lbs 4oz and other than his 6th finger, was healthy:) he was a smidge behind developmentally, except for speech where he was much further behind. He was very sick as baby/toddler so unfortunately his development wasn't my top concern. At 3 he began OT and speech where a therapist began hinting he may have autism. He did begin communicating and talking at 4 and a VERY long story short, he was diagnosed at 5 with PDD-NOS, ADHD, OCD and dyslexia. He is now 7 and still displays autistic characteristics such as meltdowns, speaks in the third person, anti-social with his peers, etc. However, he's growing to be such a beautiful individual and never gives up. He has a passion for music and a heart of gold (with a dash of red, blue and green and may even resemble a puzzle piece). ;) our little Hunter was born at 7lbs 2oz with a perfect delivery. He began showing signs much sooner and the signs were much more prominent tan Ryan's. Another long story short, He started rolling his wrists at 2 months, which later turned into hand flapping and still does not talk. He will be 4 this year. They have 2 different fathers of 2 different races and neither were vaccinated. Both pregnancies went well. "Why" is a question that often pops into my head, but only on bad days when things seem too much to bare. Bad days are fewer and further between the more i understand them and their autism. It has been a long journey with alot more obstacles to come, but it has been very rewarding in return. They have a very different bond that only they, themselves understand. They are brothers, they are autism.

reyna Walters
Hudson, FL

My Amazing young Man!

Well like most stories it seems, the doctor didn't want to admit that there was anything wrong with my baby boy. Louie was my second child, he has a sister who is not Autistic. The doctor gave me oh he'll grow out of it, he'll come around, and so on and so forth. Well, I don't know but something deep inside of me said NO! This is not normal, something is not right with my child. He doesn't speak, he doesn't eat solid food, he doesn't acknowledge me or his dad. Sure at first I thought, Oh maybe he's deaf. He would hit his ears and bang his head against the high chair. So I brought that up to the doctor, and much to his disagreement he gave in and referred us to a children's hearing test facility, just to satisfy me. This was age 15 months. Thank goodness that was negative, but they did refer me to the children's network for further testing for Autism. I too was looking online about info on Autism, that was suggested by a friend of mine, that maybe that's what he had. I had never heard of it until then. Well, when I tell you I was so upset and angry (toward that Doctor, who btw isn't there any longer) making me feel so paranoid, but I DID have every right to. Thank God for the Children's Network, they directed me toward many therapists, for Louie-age 2. It was a long road, and at times, I thought hopeless, I thought he would never learn to be normal, but he amazed us all. He's an amazing, wonderful child and out of the blue he would conquer a hurdle, here and there, like eating solid food, or touching a certain object, etc... My son is now 13 yrs old and is fully mainstreamed, great in school and is a loving son, yes he still has his moments, but you would never know it looking at him. My message is keep the faith and patience, lots of patience! Just LOVE them and be there for them.

Teresa Welch
Cape Coral, FL

It's never too early...

Our son Eli was born healthy. Around 6 months old we noticed some "quirky" body movements.He would be very upset when he wasn't in his infant jumper.He could hop all day if we let him.When he was 12 months we knew something was going on as he wasn't meeting milestones.No pointing,waving,clapping,or words.We spoke to his doctor and she seemed to think everything was okay but referred him to OT & speech therapies for his delays. During this time we also noticed he was more "lost" in himself,& he would sit around for hours spinning objects.I tried to do all the reading I could on autism,& its not easy to understand because the spectrum is so large.I tried putting together the pieces myself,& he met several red flag criteria.After a few months with no improvements we made our own appointment at the Autism Center.We got the results and they said he has moderate autism.
He was 18 months old at his diagnosis.
Now, at just a few days shy of 2 years old, he is thriving.He has intensive ABA therapy for several hours each day.My little boy who used to just sit in a corner now comes to me and leads me to what he wants.He plays correctly with toys.He babbles constantly,he follows simple commands & is improving each day with his PECS.I feel like I am finally seeing my little boy.We await the day when he says a word to us,but know in our hearts that it won't be far off.We tell people about his autism to let them know that at his age & even younger it is possible to see the signs if you watch with a close eye.As we all hear,the sooner the better,&in our case this proved to be especially accurate.

It's never too early.

Jenna Simone
Saint Clairsville, OH

51 and finding out that I have aspergers

I have wonder all my live why I had difficulties with everything I try to do. I struggled through school could not pass a test unless it was given to me verbally Which most teachers did not want to do. They rather put me back in the corner with a coloring book then deal with me. I did graduate after many struggles. I have my own family now both of my children are fine one is a school teacher the other one is getting his masters to work in the FBI. Well a year ago after working with children with autism I started putting some pieces together. I went to the doctors and talked to him. He sent me to a specialist and they talked to me and did plenty of test and they finally came up with Asperger's. I does not make any difference at this point in life but it does help to make sense of my of my life.
I am glad that they now know so much more about it and can help children with it now instead of them feeling like there is something wrong with them and they are not like other children.

Roben

Anonymous
Glen Allen, VA

I Have Asperger's

Growing up was confusing to me. For my whole life, it felt like no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t get things right. People gave me strange looks. They became angry over things which didn’t make sense to me. It seemed to me that people were just being nit-picky. I tried to tell them that I was lost, but no one seemed to hear me. In 10th grade, after 15 long, tiring years, I was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome. Of course, at that time I didn’t know what it was. I shrugged off this “official” diagnosis, because after all, I hadn’t changed.

What I wasn’t expecting was for people to stop being so mad at me. They began to listen. I studied more about what Asperger’s was, and my life began to make sense. Now that people had started listening, I felt maybe I could get across what I had been trying to say before. I made a website and I started to blog about what my life is like. I realized that people who are not on the Autistic Spectrum think, feel, and live differently. It is my job to teach them about what it’s like for me.

As I have learned through years of advocating, I cannot speak for anyone else but myself. Each person on the spectrum is an individual. However, I now realize that what I have to say can still give others an insight to what I experience.

My name is Erin Clemens. I’m 24 years old, and I want to help others understand what my life is like living with Asperger’s Syndrome. My hope is that people can learn from what I have been through, and apply it to what may help someone they know on the spectrum. To me, autism isn’t a death sentence. It’s just a different lifestyle.

Erin Clemens
West Chester, PA

Diagnosis

Our son Oliver who is 3 1/2 years is finally having his paediatrics appointment tomorrow to confirm diagnosis for ASD.
My husband I and know what the outcome will be and have learnt to accept that. Oliver has given me a whole knew outlook on life and made me a better person.
The last few days approaching tomorrow I have totally been on an emotional roller coaster I thought I had dealt with what we would be told tomorrow but I am so scared and do not really know what to expect from the assessment.
I know what the outcome will be but so emotional about hearing that is is now fact. We need this to move foreword but I can now understand parents who are in denial.
I am not at all bothered about me coping with ASD I just want Oliver to be happy and healthy and be able to access all that we can offer to help him progress.

Anonymous
Kent, United Kingdom

Dandelions

Dandelions are flowers too if you adjust your perspective. Through the eyes of my son 18 and my daughter 16 both with ASD I have adjusted my perspective! I now smell the rain, listen to the breeze, hear music in the crickets and rejoice at bubbles over flowing in the tub!
Yes they taught me to slow down and notice what the world seems to ignore. I have cried a river, survived on four hours of sleep, rocked my babies until I wore out the rug, wished for relief then arrived at the calm inside.
My daughter is non verbal my son is verbal and riddled with anxiety....they are opposites! He needs to move around and hops from one thing to another....she likes it calm and quiet and prefers to be left alone ..... Then we have their typical sister who is trying to find her place within our family context..... I work triple time attempting to meet their needs and individualize for them a life that makes sense.

Sharon
New Britain, CT

Aaron

Aaron is my sweet and funny boy, He is currently about to be 4 years old. When Aaron was barely 2 years of age he was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder/ POD NOS. I adore my baby boy, it was heartbreaking to learn that he would never live a normal life. I live in Mulberry Florida, where they dont have a significant amount of help for children on the spectrum. It has been a constant struggle. He cant call me 'mommy' and on rare occation does he even look me in the eyes. Aaron is audio sensitive, so with stress comes the covering of the ears, rocking,flapping,running. Its so hard to keep him still long enought to give my son a hug. Speading Autism awareness is important. There are so many people in this world that simply dont undetstand. There have been many occations where i am judged and ridiculed in public. For having him in a stroller, or parking in handicapped parking. Awareness is so important, please support the cause. And pray for Aaron and all the children like him that are living threw the struggle.

Catherine Gonzalez
Mulberry, FL

The little Angel that could!

Christopher was born from on June 1 2009. Me an my husband were really exited we had just moved to Cancun it was beautifull. My pregnancy was really normal and took all my prenatales. He was a born a healthy, beautiful 3.5 kilo baby.

He was growing perfectly untill we noticed he didn't walk or talk, he walked when he was 2. We took him to the doctor he said might just be a lil late and thought nothing of it. When Chris turned 3 he was running back and forth while flapping his hands, having meltdowns in crowded places, no speech at all, couldn't handle loud pitch noises and had very little eye contact. We got him into speech therapy while we figuered out what was wrong.

We were able to celebrate his birthday for the first time when he turned 4. He finally accepted the crowd, noise and the hugs of a birthday party. We were so proud, he received so many gifts yet decided not to play with any but gets so exited every time he sees the pictures.

Finally after searching for an answer everywhere in Cancun with out any luck he got diagnosed at 4 1/2 in Mexico City. We have always treated him like a normal lil boy and now he has a vocabulary of 30-50 words he is very sociable and very affectionate. We will be starting therapy in 2 weeks and I feel that if he learned so much on his own I can't even imagine how much he will be able to accomplish. I can't see myself with out him and I love him just the way he is. I am proud to have a son that some consider different, because to me he is my one in a million.

Nayeli Bermeo
Cancun, Mexico