Sunday, April 16, 2006
The Start Of My Journey
My son was approx 14 months old when he stopped talking.
Instead, he started screaming. Mindless yelling, seemingly unprovoked.
He stopped looking at me and instead, stared for what seemed like hours, at nothing.
The posturing began, he would hold his hands outstretched at his sides in unnatural positions.
I took him to the pediatrician and asked her to look at him. I mentioned the stopping of his speech and the posturing.
I had had his brother 2 months earlier and hoped that he was reacting to this.
She told me not to worry and that he would get over it and that her son hadn't talked until he was 7 years old.
The next month I took him back and queried his behaviours again.
At this time, he was starting to become distructive and didn't want to be held.
Again, she told me not to worry.
But, worry I did for although I did not want to admit it to myself or anyone else, I knew my son was Autistic.
I am a Registered Nurse and spent 3 years working with developmentally delayed children and adults and had seen all the signs before.
My son used to kiss and cuddle with me.
He used to tell me that he loved me.
He used to call me momma.
But, that was before.
I took him back time and time again and it wasn't until he was 2yrs and 2 months that she agreed to put in a referral to Miami Childrens Hospital.
I remember the day because I was in the hospital having my third child and my husband had to take him and his brother to their appts.
Yes, my second son had developed similar traits and he was being tested for Autism too.
The testing provided my boys with a pervasive developmental delay diagnosis.
They didn't want to use the word Autism with children so young.
But I did.
I wanted a title so that I could fight this thing that was starting to govern our lives.
We couldn't take the boys out as their behaviours were so bad.
Friends stopped coming over, making excuses for why they couldn't visit.
I had no family in Miami and now, very few friends.
It was starting to get very lonely.
I wanted so much to help my sons but, didn't know what to do.
The medical industry said there was no cure for Autism and not much you could really do until they became of an age where they would go into some kind of home.
The only home my children were going to be in was mine.
My husband stayed home with the children and I worked.
We decided after seeing the behaviour of the masses after 9/11 that we would move to small town America where we hoped that people were friendlier and would be kinder to the boys.
We found North Dakota on the internet and bought a house sight unseen in a small town.
The 6 day drive across country was horrific.
We would drive all day and at night, the boys wouldn't sleep so we were pleased to arrive.
Instead, he started screaming. Mindless yelling, seemingly unprovoked.
He stopped looking at me and instead, stared for what seemed like hours, at nothing.
The posturing began, he would hold his hands outstretched at his sides in unnatural positions.
I took him to the pediatrician and asked her to look at him. I mentioned the stopping of his speech and the posturing.
I had had his brother 2 months earlier and hoped that he was reacting to this.
She told me not to worry and that he would get over it and that her son hadn't talked until he was 7 years old.
The next month I took him back and queried his behaviours again.
At this time, he was starting to become distructive and didn't want to be held.
Again, she told me not to worry.
But, worry I did for although I did not want to admit it to myself or anyone else, I knew my son was Autistic.
I am a Registered Nurse and spent 3 years working with developmentally delayed children and adults and had seen all the signs before.
My son used to kiss and cuddle with me.
He used to tell me that he loved me.
He used to call me momma.
But, that was before.
I took him back time and time again and it wasn't until he was 2yrs and 2 months that she agreed to put in a referral to Miami Childrens Hospital.
I remember the day because I was in the hospital having my third child and my husband had to take him and his brother to their appts.
Yes, my second son had developed similar traits and he was being tested for Autism too.
The testing provided my boys with a pervasive developmental delay diagnosis.
They didn't want to use the word Autism with children so young.
But I did.
I wanted a title so that I could fight this thing that was starting to govern our lives.
We couldn't take the boys out as their behaviours were so bad.
Friends stopped coming over, making excuses for why they couldn't visit.
I had no family in Miami and now, very few friends.
It was starting to get very lonely.
I wanted so much to help my sons but, didn't know what to do.
The medical industry said there was no cure for Autism and not much you could really do until they became of an age where they would go into some kind of home.
The only home my children were going to be in was mine.
My husband stayed home with the children and I worked.
We decided after seeing the behaviour of the masses after 9/11 that we would move to small town America where we hoped that people were friendlier and would be kinder to the boys.
We found North Dakota on the internet and bought a house sight unseen in a small town.
The 6 day drive across country was horrific.
We would drive all day and at night, the boys wouldn't sleep so we were pleased to arrive.
# posted by donna mason @ 11:02 PM 
