Christian is a spirited, active, feisty, beautiful little boy who stole my heart the moment I met him. At the current age of 2, he loves to look at books and study pictures and words, ride in his wagon, sing and "dance" to his favorite music, splash in the water and shoot hoops at bathtime, crinkle paper and plastic bags, and push buttons on light-up musical toys. He is curious, examining and watching the world around him with fascination.
The road has been challenging. From early on, Christian had issues that no one could seem to explain: health - premature, acid reflux, thrush, whooping cough, underweight, unique chromosomal microdeletion, GF-DF-SF diet; sensory - extreme texture sensitivities, diapering difficulties, staring at his hands, hand stimming, shaking; communication - little eye contact, nonverbal, lack of pointing to indicate needs or wants; developmental: late crawler, walker, poor fine motor control and planning. He's been through every test (MRI, EEG, full genetic study, developmental assessments) and many therapies (feeding, occupational, speech). It has been hard on him and on our family. We didn't know what was wrong and were afraid of the possibilities. Everyone had, and still has, an opinion to share or an idea to try. Let me tell you, Google was not my friend.
My husband and I finally agreed to have Christian formally assessed for autism through our district's ECSE, knowing deep down in our hearts that it was what we were truly up against. He started in the 2-year-old autism program three mornings a week. He's making great gains and we are so proud of him. Meeting the tiniest milestone is overcoming mountains in our home.
My husband and I have faced every emotion on this rollercoaster ride that is the path of autism: fear, anger, guilt, frustration, sadness, jealousy... pure joy, pride, triumph, humor, compassion. But above all, we are so thankful for this little human being for teaching us what life is all about and for showing us how deeply we can love.
"and she loved a little boy, very very much, even more than she loved herself"
Saint Paul, MN
