Once again, Brycen proves his strengths to us! I know I've shared before that it seems like we will experience a very negative event or behavior with him, to them have something very positive follow shortly after to keep our heads high.
Last week, Brycen had a very rough time. He had just had his tooth removed and I think he was experiencing some side effects from his body still trying to rid of the anesthesia as we had been warned about. It was an exhausting week, both physically and mentally...and I spent the weekend just hoping this week would be better.
This week, we found out he has a little friend at school in the kindergarten room...and tonight he rode his bike for .8 miles on the sidewalks around town. We had taken him to a parking lot across town away from busy streets to practice riding...and he was doing so well steering and continuously riding that I told Mike I wanted to try to walk part of the way home with him on the sidewalks. So Brycen and I set off...he on his little bike with training wheels and I on foot following and encouraging him. Mike & Aubree would drive around checking on us and Aubree would shout "Go Brycen Go!". An older woman and older man that was outside commented how great he was doing...and he even waved with prompts to two other people outside of their house. He would get distracted by a car driving by, or a dog barking, or the smell of someone burning wood in their fireplace, but he would get back on track and keep riding like a pro.
After .8 miles (Mike drove back to check the distance), he was beginning to wear down and was making a lot of noises and stimming, so I decided it was time to stop. How amazing for him to make it that far on his first real bike ride?! I am looking forward to future times with him on the walking path near our house...and next year he can even take his bike camping with Grandma & Grandpa like other kids his age do. Tonight was a moment I will never forget! This special time with my son will be etched in my memory and cherished. I fell in love with him all over again tonight as I watched in awe of his determination to learn and succeed!
"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
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
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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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