Expecting parents hold up such hope for their children. They think of what they hope the child will become and the things he/she may accomplish in life. They watch as the child grows and learns. They marvel at his first steps, the milestones she reaches, and the frist words.
Everything seems normal at first. The child progresses well. At some point, the parent notices some puzzling changes. He stops talking or babbles nonsense. He no longer catches your eye or seems to notice you are there. Sometimes she acts like family members are the same as furniture or other things in the environment.
The parent mentions this at the pediatrician's office at a scheduled appointment. Sometimes the doctor says she will outgrow the problem. Every child progresses to his own schedule. Not to worry!
Very soon the problem is undeniable. Perhaps the doctor sends him for an evaluation with pediatric specialists. Sometimes the doctor is very aware of the problem and diagnoses Autism.
Whichever way the diagnoses comes, it is shocking and sobering. You wonder what this means for your child. One in 150 children get this diagnosis and most find out when the child is preschool age.
The good news is that many of these children are high functioning and can benefit from education and training. Therapy helps these children learn to speak and act as normal children do. Training programs exist to help with behavior and communication problems.
Others have more serious problems and need the advocacy of doctor, parents, educators, and others who can give them a voice and help parents decide what is best for their child, your child perhaps.
Autism may mean a different path in life than what a parent hopes but it doesn't have to mean a bad life or a hopeless existence.
Autistic individuals have accomplished many different things. Some have graduated from college with honors. Some have written books and given speeches. Most are normal or above normal in intelligence. Some excel at sports. Many get meaningful jobs in the community when grown. With teaching and therapy, your child has no limits on what he can do.
