"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

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

17 Minutes!


17 minutes...that's how long Brycen and Aubree played together this afternoon with the same toys, appropriately, and with no fighting/aggression. 
I can't remember the last time this happened for this long and this appropriately...has it ever happened?! 
I sat back in the living room chair and just watched from a distance, ready to intervene if needed, but enjoying a very special sight.


Most children with Autism have limited social skills.  Most do not understand how to play with toys appropriately.  Most want to play by themselves.  Most have limited attention span.  Most are very obssessive with how they play with toys and are very repetitive.
Brycen fits all of these descriptions and so much more of the spectrum.  Trying to play with him can be very stressful and takes a lot of energy. 
When Aubree was very little, she learned how to "adapt" to Brycen's way of playing.  She craves his attention and for the most part is very tolerable of his way of doing things.  This is all she has ever known in her brother.  She loves him!  He loves her!


17 minutes...a glimpse into what a typical sibling relationship looks like for other families with children this age (yes, I know that kids this age also fight...Brycen & Aubree do a fair share of that!).
A glimpse of what could have been if Autism had not robbed my little boy of his social and play skills at the young age of 25-26 months. 
A glimpse into what my dreams were when I found out I was pregnant with my second child, of what all parents dream about for their children.
A dream that was temporarily taken away from us, with occasional glimpses of what can and will be someday. 
Someday, we will conquer Autism.  It may not be in the form of a cure and it doesn't mean that all will be ok every minute of every day, but we will give all that we can to Brycen to help him overcome some of these things that should be joyous in his and our lives...like playing with his sister.

17 minutes of pure sweetness and joy!
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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.