Living with Autism!

Hey, am a SAHM to my wonderful 4 year old autistic son Alex. I live with my hubby Laz and my MIL Betty. Well now that we know all the players I can start with story.

Alex was a wonderful baby, he slept through the night sense he was 4 1/2 months. He would look you in the eyes and gurgle when you spoke to him. But then, by the age of 1, things changed, he stopped responding, he stopped making eye contact. He wasn't hitting the milestones, we took him to the pediatrician, it was acknowledge that he was delayed, we took him to a neurologist, he said he was fine, we did MRI's, we did all kinds of test, including hearing test (4 of them in fact). And everything came out normal. We knew something was wrong, my mother, Izzy, she was a special educations teacher in Cuba, she kept telling me something was very wrong, we got him speech and occupational therapy but it did not seem to help much. He was 2 years old and Alex wasn't talking. His meltdowns were explosive, it was a very confusing time.

As a parent, you feel helpless, you don't know whats going on, you don't know what to do, how to help him. Especially when you have a neurologist telling you that he is a normal 2 year old, that he is just going through the terrible 2's. Its depressing, you go through the guilt, was it your fault? did I do something wrong? Was it that chicken that I ate while I was pregnant that didn't set well with me? was it the coffee that I drank? is my genes? then you move on because you have to, because you wake up in the morning and think, how can I make this day better for him? and you realize that he is who is, and no matter what happens Autism does not go away, there is no cure. Is like trying to cure homosexuality, you can't, they are born that way, and so was my son. So now I try to help him.

I moved to KY from FL, I got him into the school system here, we did various evaluations, we got him into the right program, into the right school, the right therapy. Right now he is only in pre-k, and only 4, I have a long road ahead of me, but you know what, I have discovered something about myself and my family. We don't give up, we keep on going, we don't stop, and that makes us stronger.

Next, when he turns 5, I will put him in the Michelle P Waiver, for those of you who don't know, its a programs only in the state of KY for kids with autism, they offer more therapy, more activities for him, they offer in home care, out home care and whatever else he needs.

http://chfs.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/05F390D6-AE21-49CC-A1E3-C1C7197645EF/0/MichellePWaiverBrochureRevFeb2011.pdf

Everyday is a struggle, but everyday is a day of discovery, of constant joy, of knowing that we are doing the best I can.