Stories of Hope

Little Abner

This is Abner. When he turned 2 and was not speaking we noticed that he may have a problem.I did some research and came across a article on Autism, but I was kind of in denial that my son might be Autistic. He went to his doctor appointment a couple months after he turned 2, and she suggested I take him to a Developmental Pediatrician. So me and his father did as she said, but I was still kind of in denial. They observed him and we walked out with the news that he was Autistic. We came out the office brokenhearted, we got into the car, total silence the whole ride home. Until I turned to him and saw his little smile and broke down and so did his father. So many thoughts running through our minds. Why my baby? Will he be ok? We knew that we would get through it, but we did not know what the future would bring us, especially for our baby boy. Remember telling my family,I knew they would share the same reaction as we did, but for some reason it made me feel a little at peace to know he had such a great support system. Couple weeks later he started his therapies. He went from 3 words to 20 words and continues to learn more words each day. He sings his ABCs & counts, things that I did not think I would hear so soon & I can not wait until he finally says, "I love you mommy." He has taught me so many things, taught me how to look at the world differently and how to see it from his eyes, he has showed me how to have more patience. Sometimes it gets hard but we have to understand that they are just trying to be understood. He is my little hero.

Momma Loves you.

Angelica Mejia
Philadelphia, PA

My Sweet Baby Boy..

For the longest time I knew something wasn't right with my son. He started out reaching milestones amazingly and then all of a sudden it just stopped. I talked with his doctors about it, my family, and friends, everyone told me he is just learning slower than some and that he would come around. In April of this year I found out he has Autism. Many people asked me, "Doesn't that scare you? Are you upset?" My answer was no. To be honest I was grateful to finally have answers.

The day after I found out, I started doing research and became extremely overwhelmed with everything I was reading. One of my friends told me I should probably let the diagnosis settle in before looking stuff up. I did, for a few weeks I let it settle. I slowly began researching again, staying away from a few sites, and got a few books. The past few months have been extremely busy with appointments and therapies, but I'm still going strong.

At the end of the day, I can look at my son Landon, he's 2 almost 3, and smile. He has the biggest heart, the biggest smile and the most amazing laugh. He truly is an amazing child, and Autism or not, he's still my son. To me he's normal and that will never change. He has his moments of frustration which also makes me frustrated but then I sit back and think of ways I can help him. Ways I can better his life, and make him more comfortable.

One thing I wasn't expecting with this diagnosis was the amount of people who will be there to talk to. The amount of people who care, or want to know more. It's absolutely amazing how a diagnosis can bring so many people together, how so many people can share their stories, and just talk. My words to families who find out their child has Autism is that you are never alone, there are so many people to help you, who understand, and who can talk to you.

Jean
Groton, CT

David's Story

My name is David. I love to play with electronics and my plush toys. I have autism and its not going to stop me. Hello world! I am David!

Melissa Rodriguez
Bronx, NY

MY SPECIAL BOY....PIERRE LEONIDAS TIMOTHEE

My son, Pierre Leonidas Timothee, is 9 years old... born October 15th 2003... He is the light of my life, the angel in our home, the owner of my heart and soul... I have 3 children, Stephanie, 19 and Sophia 11, and my special boy, Pierre 9... He was born, perfect. A great pregnancy, and a healthy 10 Lb. 2 Ounce SON... finally, after 2 girls, my husband and I were overwhelmed with joy. At the age of 2, I began to notice a change in our son, as a mother, we have that "INSTINCT" and can tell when there is something that is just not right. My son developed "normally" up to the age of 2.. after he started getting his vaccinations, (2 or 3 of them at a time) I believe, he started to change... he would cover his ears, mumble, and walk on the tip of his toes??? I questioned this with his pediatrician, and I was told, ' IT IS JUST A PHASE, HE WILL OUTGROW IT".... Well, needless to say, as a mother, (a warrior) I went against the doctors ideas and sought help from a specialist, a neurologist to be exact. He ran a series of tests, and he told me what no mother wants to hear, but already knows, I remember the day the doctor said to me "YOUR SON HAS AUTISM". It changed everything at that very moment for me... I was in a state I had never been before.. just total awe.. and thought to myself, "what do I do next"??? But luckily, I was early enough to catch it in time, and my son since the age of 4 has been in special classrooms and receiving speech therapy since the age of 4... He does not speak well yet, but his language speaks milestones to us....I can't explain what a blessing he is to our family, this very special little boy, with this special disability, yet able to do and say and teach us so much... God is great... thank you for my boy, Pierre Leonidas Timothee.

Shirley A. Timothee
Orlando, FL

Ethan

Ethan was born late oct 2011 such a happy baby, he was hitting all his mile stones some even early, he loved playing with his big brother. Then he had his first birthday everything changed almost like a light switch being turned off. He started wanting to be by himself, not wanting to play with anyone, avoiding interaction with others and seeming like he could not hear. The hearing was our main concern took him to the drs and then they mentioned about sending him to get checked for autism. We went and it was determined that he has pdd-nos, we will need to take him back when he is 3 to get checked again. We were told about early intervention, so we started and now it is 6 mos later and what a difference. We are starting to see our little man come back to us. It is almost like he needed to retreat into a different world,and now we are slowly building a bridge back to us. He is starting to pick things up more, able to be with others and enjoy them, starting to become more verbal although not alot of words yet, and now loving to play with his brother again. Although he does still need time to himself, likes to go in his cabin (fort) and still spins in circles and flaps from time to time but doing awsome. With the help from early interventions and family we were able to turn that light switch back on, I know there is a long road ahead of us but we are eager to take it, we were chosen with this little angel (1 of 3) and we will do all we can to help and love our kids with all our hearts. Love, patience, family and friends that is all we need.

Amy
portage, PA

Let's Get This Party Started

Monday was the first day of school for my son at the neurotypical middle school campus. In the car on the way there, he said somberly “let’s get this party started.”

I suppressed the urge to hold his hand as we walked across the campus as I knew that it might embarrass him. With his black vans and camouflage pants he blended right in. The only way you could pick up that he was different, was the battered flannel jacket that he clutched (his lovey).

When we got to the class he looked up at me anxiously and asked "Can I keep my jacket? I want to hold it." I gave him a little hug (as much as he would allow) and assured him that he could keep it. He put his hand on my arm and peered up at me, "Can I go with you Mom?" he pleaded. I felt a sharp twinge, but I replied reassuringly. "You’re going to stay here today. It will be fun, I promise" sounding far more certain than I felt.

I left and had just made it to my car, when I choked on a sudden flood of tears. The mental image of him on the swings yesterday materialized soothingly in my head.

We had been at the park the day before when he walked right over to the swing set and sat down and started using his feet to force the swing higher, a joyful grin on his face. This sounds like an everyday thing. Only it wasn't. Because of his hypersensitive vestibular system; the sensation of swinging is very scary. A couple times, he had let me push him but after a moment he would plant his feet back in the sand.

But there he was, feet in the air, the wind in his blond curls, swinging away. As I sat, stunned, I remembered something that I sometimes forget. He courageously faces challenges every day, with more strength than most people I know. He would conquer this new school as well.

So Mom, I told myself, let’s get this party started.

Laura Z.
Redwood City, CA

How camp ramah changed my life

My name is Emily and I am almost 17 and in 11th grade. I was born with aspbergers disorder but I wasn't diagnosed until age 5. From there my life started taking turns for the worst. I was harassed at school and had no friends. I thought I would never have a great life u til when I was 12, my canter at my temple told my mom about camp ramah. He thought I would have a lot of fun there. I went for the first time in 2009 and I had a blast! This past summer I was extremely happy to be in the Tzophim edah at camp. Tzophimers are entering 9th grade and are age 14. I was entering 11th grade and I'm 16. Now you might be wondering how can that be possible for a 16 year old to be with a bunch of 14 year olds? The answer is simple.

I had to work my butt off to be fully mainstreamed out. For the past 3 years I' ve only been partly mainstreamed. It was nice but I wanted more. When I arrived home last year, it was clear that I was ready to take on the challenge of full mainstreaming. I couldn't wait to return to camp to complete the challenge. Then the day finally arrived to leave for camp. As the session went by I went above and beyond the expectations that my family and therapist had set for me. I even surprised myself with how well I did. Summer 2012 was amazing for many reasons but the main reason was the rosh edah. He was like god in a way. He taught me so many great life lessons and helped me build confidence. This summer 2013, I had his cousin as my rosh. She was also super amazing and helped me to continue to grow. I also had the best tent ever. All 14 of the girls and 2 consulars were the best I could ever ask for. I also met the most amazing 6 young men in the entire world.

Emily Hilsberg
Culver city, CA

Alex Story

Our son was born in November 2001 and we thought everything was normal with him he seemed to be hitting his milestones on time but we did notice a few things that didn't seem right. He wasn't talking in full sentences when he should of been. He would grunt when he wanted something, or smack me to get my attention. He would sit for hours on end and line up old VHS tapes and he hated loud toys and places. And he already counter to 20 and recognized the numbers by the time he was 2. Just after his second birthday we were stationed to RAF Lakenehath in England and when I picked him up from daycare one day a provider asked if something was wrong with my son because he sat and stared out a window all days and never played with the other children and didn't respond to his own name. I of course was offended that she said that and she said he might have autism and she put in a request for us to take him to Developmental Pediatrics. So a month before his third birthday we took him and they screened him and in the end they said he had Autism. Me and my husbands hearts sank and we were in denial for awhile with the diagnosis and wondered what we could have done different as parents. I researched it like crazy trying to find out everything I could and ways to help him. He was also diagnosed with ADHD a few years later.

Now at almost 12 he has flourished. He speaks full sentences and is independent as he can be. He loves science and already knows his periodic table of elements and say he wants to be a chemist and would like to win the Nobel Peace Prize for Science when he grows up. I am so proud of him and all that he has accomplished and he still flourishes to this day and I will keep encouraging him and support him in whatever he does.

Anonymous
Valrico, FL

Our 2 Sons...

Our 4th child was diagnosed at age two with low functioning autism. He was a baby that talked , made eye contact crawled, did all the "normal things 12 month old baby's do. The at 1 1/2 he just stopped. He stopped talking, would obsess over things on the floor, stopped crawling, and started rocking. At two, we didnt know what was going on, we took him to a head start school, where he was obviously not learning as the other children his age, and the teachers there noticed it as well. They had him diagnosed, and he has been in special ed ever since. He is now 7 almost 8. Our other son , our 3rd child who is now ten, was also diagnosed, with high functioning autism, we were devastated! But through all of the hard work and progress, they have both thrived in so many ways, it took away our despair! And wouldnt change a thing about them! They r both careing loving and sweet SMART children! Who have amazing talents! We no longer look at this as a death sentence, but as a NEW way of looking at life. I Love you Dustin and Ozzy...

Annalee
whitecity, OR

Authority Over Autism

My God is awesome. I am Ky’am. I was diagnosed with high functioning Autism at age 7. I have oppositions such as communication impairments, socialization, and processing delays, but through God, my parents have taken authority over Autism. I am 17 years old, just graduated from Grosse Pointe North High School, class of 2013. I am now a freshman at DeVry University pursuing a Bachelors of Science in Multi-Media Design. I am a God gifted artist. My future goals are to become a graphics design illustrator/art teacher. In my photo above is some of my work. God can still get the glory from our stories because we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

Ky'am Malik
Harper Woods, MI