I am a mother of a son who loves to play outside whether it's riding on his big wheel, playing with cars, digging up dinasours in the dirt or trying to set the record for swinging the longest at age six. He also loves to draw any kind of animal (dinasours best of all), is a picky eater, argues with his brother, is very guilty of stealing the hearts of all who know him and has Autism.
Autism is a developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life. The result of a neurological disorder that affects functioning of the brain, autism and its associated behaviors occur in approximately 15 of every 10,000 individuals.
Autism is four times more prevalent in boys than in girls and knows no racial, ethnic or social boundaries. Family income, life-style or educational levels do not affect the chance of occurrence.
Autism interferes with the normal development of the brain in areas which control verbal and nonverbal communication, social interaction and sensory development. Children or adults with Autism may exhibit repeated body movements such as hand flapping and rocking, show unusual responses to people or attachments to objects, and resist changes in routine.
Autism is often referred to as spectrum disorder, meaning the symptons and characteristics of autism can present themselves in a wide variety of combinations, from mild to severe. Although autism is defined by a certain set of behaviors, children and adults can exhibit ANY combination of behaviors in ANY degree of severity. Two children, both with a diagnosis of Autism, can act very differently from one another.
Sean has limited verbal skills. We just started working on augmentative communication (picture symbols) to help broaden his vocabulary and we are working on his behavior management. We use a carpet mat for time out (which only consists of one minute) and it can go anywhere you go! An egg timer for learning turn taking, time's up, or just because "Mom's too busy right now but when the timer goes off then I can help you".
These skills will help with behavior when we go out to places, something we really don't get to do. So this means we have to start going to Wal-Mart, Cubs, and inside McDonald's instead of going through the drive-up, with picture board in hand and working on making it back to the car without a tantrum of all tantrums. It's going to be hard sometimes and I will ask God for more patience everyday. So you might hear Sean at the store tomorrow or see him today. I thank you in advance for your patience. You might be understanding or you might be the one who gives us a dirty look or makes a rude comment, but you'll get over it and so will I.
If you can't explain another childs difference, ask or encourage your child to ask. We are not afraid of your questions, we are afraid of your ignorance.
Sincerely,
Jeanette Keith
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