Keith was born a healthy, bouncing 8-pound baby boy at S. W. M. C. in Washington. There were no apparent problems those early months. I was free of drug and alcohol use before and/or after his birth. I was a nursing mother who cared for his every need. His father shared in his care. Keith was well loved and all his needs were met.
By the time Keith was several months old progress seemed to slow considerably. He was not meeting his milestones as did his older brother and sister had. His pediatrician was cautiously watching but made no recommendations for further referrals or testing. As painful as it was to admit, our family of aunts, uncles, cousins all knew there was something wrong with baby Keith. At this point we were still in the "watchful waiting" period hoping to see some progress. Progress was slow and coming.
In 1994, Autism and Asperger's syndrome were just being recognized by all states as a behavioral classification for schoolchildren. The teachers in the area where he went to school were not equipped to understand Keith's disability as was also his pediatrician. It seemed as if because Keith didn't "look" partial to being disabled and/or wasn't performing actions of one who was mentally handicapped, i.e. "banging his head against a wall," he was considered to be of the "norm" and was given harsh ramifications for his behaviors within the school setting beginning as early as Kindergarten.
If I had to tell you the most significant bit of history about Keith and how far he's come and why I think he's grown considerably, it's due to his father and I staying committed! A parent's job is to take care of their babies, no matter what the significance may be - an absolute love without conditions! The journey has been incredibly difficult to say the least, but we have a strong and close relationship today that's built on that journey. We are our child's most important advocate, stay strong and they will too...embrace their challenges with love...and they will learn empathy~ Best Wishes
Vancouver, WA
