Raising A Child On the Autism Spectrum
My son Isaiah is a beautiful soul who happens to be on the Autism Spectrum. He was born on December 29, 2010. He was such a cute baby. He met mild stone after mild stone. Then when he was around one year's old I started noticing how quiet he was. Then I also noticed he never made eye contact. Then he was two and still quiet. He didn't say any words. Not even baby words. At first I thought he had some issues being able to hear. My first-born had mild hearing loss. He had to get tubes in his ears to be able to hear. That is why my first thought was that Isaiah could not hear. We took him to the doctor. They conducted a special type of hearing test since Isaiah did not speak. He passed it with flying colors. His dad was thinking he was a late bloomer and he was in a bit of a denial that there was something wrong. I watched a show Holly Robinson Peete was in where she spoke about her son being autistic. Some of the things she describe started to ring a bell for me. Thank you Holly. I started watching YouTube videos about Autism and autistic children. The more I did research the more I realized Isaiah was autistic. I had him evaluated. After he was evaluated it was concluded that there was a delay. I was told to see a neurologist to determine whether Isaiah was autistic. I got the referral and made the appointment. The neurologist confirmed what I suspected. Now Isaiah receives services like speech therapy, occupational therapy and Physical therapy. He goes to a school for kids with special needs. He has made progress. He looks at me in the eye and he talks. He still needs help in being able to carry a conversation, but he does talk. The teachers and I are still trying to work on him being able to express his feelings without having an angry outburst. He also tends to run. I have been working out just to keep up with him. I sometimes get scared that a car may hit him because I wasn't fast enough to reach him. He doesn't understand the concept of danger. That is something else I'm working on helping him understand. He tends to bite himself or me when he is upset. He also hits which has been a challenge when we are outside. This only happens when he is angry. I don't want you the reader to get the idea that autistic kids are violent. He is a very lovable boy. I have heard him say, "I love you" to me. There are parents out there who have autistic kids that can't say those words. So I don't take this for granted. Isaiah is also funny. I talk to Isaiah like I talk to my daughter and oldest son. I never baby talk to him. This would only hinder his progress. I notice that when Isaiah gets angry, because he is not able to express himself, other kids look at him funny. He even gets funny looks from adults. I also notice some kids being afraid of him and don't want to get close to him. I understand that they don't really know what's going on unless they happen to have a sibling with a disability, but it still hurts. Isaiah is pretty smart and I know he notices these things as well. I think about Isaiah's future as I do my other kids. I want him to get to the point where he is independent. I know it's possible because I have a friend whose younger brother is autistic. His younger brother is in his 30's and he works. He also lives by himself. My friend checks up on his younger brother daily. He wants to make sure no one is taking advantage of him. That is also one of my worries. People that want to take advantage of a person with a disability. I'm writing all this to help you the reader understand why I wrote and illustrated Kayla and Isaiah: My Brother Isaiah. I want children to be educated on autism and I want them to understand that just because someone is different doesn't mean you treat them badly. I want them to have compassion for others. I want parents who don’t have a child with a disability to show compassion towards the parents who do have a kid with a disability. Some people see a child having a meltdown and they automatically assume that the kid is bad. They also make the assumption that the kid’s behavior is due to bad parenting. It can sometimes be isolating when you have a child with autism. People don't really understand and don't want their kids near your child. You are not able to go to places like a museum or a party, because you are afraid your child may have a meltdown. If you are a single parent it becomes very difficult to find someone who will accept your kids. Especially accepting a child with a disability. Despite the challenges I face with Isaiah, I couldn't imagine my world without him. The next time you see a child having a meltdown and the parent is trying their best to calm them down, please don't be so quick to judge the child nor the parent. Take a step back and really try to understand the situation. Thank you for taking the time to read this article. My hope is that this article has helped you the reader understand autism.
