Brycen had so much fun at the Start Smart Basketball back in January that we decided to sign him up for Baseball in March. Brycen is definitely his Daddy's little boy...he LOVES sports! Whether it is car racing on TV, watching Uncle Pat's basketball team play a couple months ago, or kicking a ball around on the floor...he has a knack for sports. He was throwing balls overhand before he could even walk! And he could hit a ball that is pitched to him before he was three!
With baseball, his favorite station is of course the hitting! They have a few T's set up and he loves to hit the ball and watch me chase them. I tried to get him to work on throwing at another station, but he just wanted to run around in circles and he was so happy doing that, giggling and giving me hugs every time I would catch him. We did play catch with the balloons a little bit and he did run around the bases and through the cones, but only if I would hold his hand and run with him. I didn't realize that I was also paying for my own workout these nights!
The best part of the night was when a woman came up to me and asked how old he was. I told her 3 1/2 and she pointed to her little girl that was just 3 and she was doing the same thing as Brycen, running around and just laughing away. I mentioned Brycen's autism to this woman, more because I felt I needed to explain the constant noises he was making and the flapping of the hands every time he would stop running...and her response made me the happiest I have been in a long time. She told me that she actually couldn't see any signs of it in him and just thought he was a very energetic, happy boy that loves to give his Mom hugs! WOW! As I stepped back and really took a look at Brycen at that time, yes I could hear the noises he was making, but there was so much noise in that gym that I don't think anyone else even noticed. I noticed the flapping more because I am used to it, but to others it almost looked like he was trying to do jumping jacks (like others were practicing at the running bases station). When Brycen is really happy, getting undivided attention, is allowed to run off the energy he has built up in him, and is doing something that he absolutely loves...it is amazing to see some of his symptoms disappear or at least be minimized to the point of only being recognized by those close to him or close to the disorder.
Nights like this give me so much hope for his future! He has already come a long way just in the last 6 months and I can only imagine how much he can accomplish in the next 6 months.
Remember the "Walk Now for Autism Speaks" on June 19! We have 17 walkers signed up and our goal is 20. Please consider a donation towards the team to help us meet our goal. Every dollar counts towards the future of these kids and towards educating the community about Autism and the effects it has on children and families facing the disorder! Thank you to those who have signed up to walk and for those who have donated...we will forever be grateful to you for supporting us in the biggest battle of our lives!
"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
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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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