When my husband and I received the diagnosis that are two year old is severly autistic, our world fell apart. We left the doctor's office feeling numb and all alone. Two weeks later after the inital shock subsided, we knew we had our work cut out for us. The first thing we did was stopped feeling sorry for ourselves and for our son and decided to conquer "this autism". Even though we were told that the possibility of him ever speaking, be academically inclined and interact socially had a poor prognosis, we didn't give up hope.
Eleven years later and a lot of hard work, patience and perseverence my son is verbal, social and high functioning. He plays sports, piano and is doing great academically, especially in math and science! Last month he attended the school dance and asked three girls to dance with him, and they did. He certainly does not lack any confidence in that department!
Don't give up hope, the impossible is possible! With prayers and support from family and friends, not to mention INTENSE ABA therapy, the light switch came on for him and everything came together nicely. The secret is this: be consistent, do not give in no matter how hard and difficult it is to deal with the melt downs, otherwise you're not doing any favors for your child or yourself! Celebrate the achievements, don't be discouraged from any set backs as autistics are entitled to have bad days too! And integrate your child with typical children as they will emulate them and build on their social skills appropriately. If you suspect your child is autistic, seek a professional immediately to confirm the diagnosis and start ABA therapy immediately as time is of essence. The longer you wait, the longer the recovery will be. Being in denial will not help your child in the long run.
Toronto, Canada