LIGHT IT UP BLUE!! April is Autism Awareness Month
"Light it up Blue" is the start of an entire month focused on Autism Awareness! Just a reminder that it would be great if everybody that supports Brycen could wear something blue tomorrow and on Saturday (April 1 & 2) in an attempt to spread awareness about this growing disorder. You know the statistics...you know they are rising...you know Autism affects so many areas in a person's life...you know there isn't a cure...so you also know that awareness is so important as this disorder is affecting someone you know as you read this. In addition to wearing blue, we would love for you to join us and take the extra step by putting a blue bulb in your porch light and leaving it on starting at 12:00am tonight until 12:00am on Sunday. 48 hours of shining blue in front of your home to show that you are aware and support those affected by Autism!
Here is a picture of Brycen in his blue and pointing to the blue porch light lit in his honor! Who will join us and honor his every day fight against Autism??
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.
"Light it up Blue" is the start of an entire month focused on Autism Awareness! Just a reminder that it would be great if everybody that supports Brycen could wear something blue tomorrow and on Saturday (April 1 & 2) in an attempt to spread awareness about this growing disorder. You know the statistics...you know they are rising...you know Autism affects so many areas in a person's life...you know there isn't a cure...so you also know that awareness is so important as this disorder is affecting someone you know as you read this. In addition to wearing blue, we would love for you to join us and take the extra step by putting a blue bulb in your porch light and leaving it on starting at 12:00am tonight until 12:00am on Sunday. 48 hours of shining blue in front of your home to show that you are aware and support those affected by Autism! 
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