The other day, my son Austin was doing his normal daily routine. He was pacing and running from room to room when he stopped and said,"Mom, you know I'm really Autistic." I said, " Yes you are and do you remember what we said that meant." He said, "That means I have an eccentric side!" How funny and true was that statement. I sat there and laughed at what a wonderful kid that I have and started to realize how blessed I am to be his mom. He has come a long way from the boy who played with grass and did not talk to anyone.
I remember those days so well. Austin was almost 3 when we first noticed things that we thought of as odd behaviors. He walked late as a toddler but once he got the hang of it, he often would enter a room and run a complete lap around it and then leave. His day care teachers thought he may have had hearing loss because he never spoke to them. We thought that was possible because he was plagued with ear infections as a baby. Referral and testing and then sadness followed when we got the Autism diagnosis.
We went through the grieving stage and constant worries of what life was going to be like for him. That was short lived because we were determined for him to live as full of life as anyone. We did everything we could to make sure that he had the same experiences as other children.
Now, he is 18 and I look at him and smile everyday. He still struggles with social cues but what a young man he has become. He talks a lot now and is a Science guru. He loves the outdoors and enjoys hiking,camping and seeing new places. and I still worry but life is a challenge for anyone, isn't it? If I could tell parents anything, it would be to stay strong and never give up. Believe in your child. Amazing things can happen along the journey.
Stanley, NC
