Autism

Hey, everybody just want to share our story with all of you. Our son, Drew, who is now 10 has autism.  Please mark the month of April as Autism Awareness month.  Here's our story:  Drew was diagnosed with autism at the age of 3 1/2 years old.  He was a happy easy going baby, and since we already had a daughther before him, we thought everything was going just fine with him.  We began to notice subtle changes in him at about 18 months of age.  He was losing some basic language.  He began to have tremendous temper tantrums.  Sometimes the temper tantrums would last for 15-30 min. and even up to an hour.  He began pointing to things when he wanted them and would kind of grunt.  At first we just thought he needed some time, because everyone told us that boys tend to develop a little slower than girls.  At the time of all of this I was working part-time, and my mother-in-law was caring for our 2 children while I was at work.  When I would drop Drew off at her house he would throw himself on the floor, take off all of his clothes, and cry for about an hour.  After this and some other people from our church at that time asking why Drew did not respond when his name was called, we decided to get his hearing checked out.  Of course his hearing was fine.  The audiologist recommended we see an Occupational Therapist.  Drew was seen by an Occupational Therapist provided by First Steps (Federally funded program for each state for kids 0-3 yrs of age with developmental issues).  She suggested seeing a psychologist to have Drew further tested.  To make a very long story shorter, Drew was first diagnosed with Sensory Itegration Dysfunction, which basically means he's wired totally different and needs different activities to help him with fulfilling his sensory needs.  At age 3 we were seen by another psychologist at Northwestern University Hospital in Chicago, and Drew was officially diagnosed with autism.  We were numb.  At the time we did not know much about autism, we definitely do now.  Drew has developed a little slower than kids his age, but he is catching up quickly.  With all of the prayers from family, friends, our church, and others he has become quite an outgoing kid.  We love him with all of our hearts, and he has taught us so much, definitely more than we ever dreamed.  So, if you know someone with autism or a family with a child with autism, don't feel sorry for them, just accept them and love them, and most importantly, PRAY for them.  Even now as I look back, I definitly see God working in our lives during those difficult times.  We still have difficult days, but nothing quite as bad as it was during the beginning.  Thanks for letting me share this with you.  I hope it has inspired you and given you a glimpse at autism.  Remember next month, April, is Autism Awareness month!!!!  God Bless you all!!!!!!!