We have been blessed with wonderful friends and family that have been supportive as we have learned about Brycen's diagnosis and shared it with others! Many people have either commented on here, through email, or on Facebook about Brycen and shared their thoughts, opinions, and offering of support. We appreciate everybody's understanding as we move though the beginning of this and we have tried to be as objective as possible when reading the comments and opinions from people.
After reading through all the entries and comments once again today, I realized that I probably have not been sharing enough of the good things about Brycen! I don't want people to feel that I am only focusing on the negative things, but as this whole situation is so new to us, I think that is a part of the grieving process. Trust me, I know the positives and I share them frequently with people as they happen! The first thing I shared with Mike when he came home for dinner break today was about Brycen's fabulous time at the park this afternoon and how it seemed like he was actually socially interacting with another little girl there. I almost always call my Mom, my sister, or share it on Facebook when he imitates another word or has a good day. So, of course there are positives, but just like many other human beings in this world, I tend to dwell on the negatives more in times of stress.
Just like it is normal to grieve the death of a friend or family member, we are in the process of grieving the "loss" of a "typical" child. (And yes, there is a such thing as a "typical" child...this is a child that has achieved normal development for their age and reached all milestones within the average range given for each. If there was not a "typical" child, then there would be no way to determine if a child needs help in a specific area, and therefore many therapies and options would not be available to parents to assist in the child's growth in these areas.) Everybody's grieving is different...the length, the severity, the stages...but all parents (and many other people in the child's life) in these situations grieve someway, somehow. I have no idea where I am right now in the process, but I know for a fact that I have not reached "acceptance" and that is ok. What I do know is that we are being the best parents that we know how to be to Brycen! And he is behaving and trying the best way he knows how to at this time! Believe me in saying that is a difficult statement to say after a very long and exhausting week!
"When one door of happiness closes, another opens;
but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us."
Helen Keller
Saturday, July 18, 2009
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Autism and Our Family
"Autism"----It's one word that can change the life of a child and family in so many ways. Autism Spectrum Disorders are being diagnosed at a rate of 1 in 68 children currently. If you do not already know someone that has been diagnosed, the statistics say it won't be long before you do.
Our son developed typically until around the time he turned 2 years old. We heard words...we saw him play with other kids...we watched as he played with his toys appropriately...we made eye contact with him...overall we understood his wants and needs. In a matter of a few months, that was all taken away from him. He began lining up toys, lost all of his words and signs except for one word "ball", ignored other kids, could not sleep through the night, lost eye contact and the ability to follow directions, and he had no way of letting us know what he wanted or how he felt. It was heartbreaking to see something happening to our child that we couldn't stop!
Brycen began receiving home therapy 1-2 times per month for about 6 months before we realized it wasn't just developmental delays. We knew it was Autism...we just didn't want to say it outloud to anyone. He was officially diagnosed with Autism (classic form and regressive), as well as Mental Retardation in August 2009 by the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.
We continue to learn as we make our way through this journey with Brycen and we will continue to share this journey with you on this blog! The blog has been a great therapy for us to be able to vent our frustrations and struggles with accepting that we have a child with special needs, while sharing how blessed we are to have a child teach us what life truly means. It has also been a great way to inform others of his progress and changes over the last couple of years.
Thank you for your support of Brycen and our family! We hope you are able to learn something through this blog no matter if you are a parent of a child with special needs or a neurotypical child, a teacher or therapist, a family member, or just someone that is interested in the journey that a family goes on as they learn their child is battling a life-long disorder.
Our son developed typically until around the time he turned 2 years old. We heard words...we saw him play with other kids...we watched as he played with his toys appropriately...we made eye contact with him...overall we understood his wants and needs. In a matter of a few months, that was all taken away from him. He began lining up toys, lost all of his words and signs except for one word "ball", ignored other kids, could not sleep through the night, lost eye contact and the ability to follow directions, and he had no way of letting us know what he wanted or how he felt. It was heartbreaking to see something happening to our child that we couldn't stop!
Brycen began receiving home therapy 1-2 times per month for about 6 months before we realized it wasn't just developmental delays. We knew it was Autism...we just didn't want to say it outloud to anyone. He was officially diagnosed with Autism (classic form and regressive), as well as Mental Retardation in August 2009 by the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.
We continue to learn as we make our way through this journey with Brycen and we will continue to share this journey with you on this blog! The blog has been a great therapy for us to be able to vent our frustrations and struggles with accepting that we have a child with special needs, while sharing how blessed we are to have a child teach us what life truly means. It has also been a great way to inform others of his progress and changes over the last couple of years.
Thank you for your support of Brycen and our family! We hope you are able to learn something through this blog no matter if you are a parent of a child with special needs or a neurotypical child, a teacher or therapist, a family member, or just someone that is interested in the journey that a family goes on as they learn their child is battling a life-long disorder.
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