Facts on Autism

This letter was left in my mailbox a few weeks after Billy was diagnosed with Autism. I honestly don’t know who sent this most helpful letter to me, but thank you from the bottom of my heart because it helped us with  some sense of direction…

There is no escaping Autism. Autism is your child and your child is life. You never give up on either.

Autism Introduction – Over stimulation of neutral connections. Causes developmental problems. Affects communication and interaction abilities. More prevalent in boys then girls. Autism – Behavioral traits of an autistic child; tantrums and anxiety. Impairment in language, social behavior and certain physical behavior. Little or no eye contact. Lack of interest in peer relationships.                                                                                                           Autism –  Creating a more inclusive environment for autistic children. Bring autistic children to places with smaller crowds. Be more forgiving  and accommodating. Tailor vacations to autistic children’s interests. Plan limited activities outdoors.                          Autism – Challengers faces by caregivers of autistic children. Involving members of the extended family to create a network of help and understanding. Have to have as much routine and structure as possible. Shift time and money toward interventions and treatment of their child.

 

My Autistic son Billy’s story.

A few months ago, I published a book called, “The needs of Billy and other autistic children.  When my son started school,  I couldn’t understand why after several months he wasn’t learning anything. The teacher at first would send home daily reports of what they were teaching that day.  So when Billy got home, I gave him a snack and let him relax for 15 minutes and then we would continue going over and over what the teacher was teaching that day. Soon,  the reports quit coming and Billy wasn’t learning anything from school that we could notice.  So, after Billy was put on the school bus, I would get in my car and go to his classroom and hide behind some shelves, before the students, teacher and teacher’s aide  got there. I soon realized why he wasn’t learning.  There were 6 special needs students including Billy that year.  On the first day I went, the teacher had the students  sitting at one table.  She was laying a piece of paper in front of them with some crayons. She was telling them to color the pictures and try to stay between the lines.  Then walked over to the computer and stayed there for 35 minutes. One child fell  asleep, 3 children were drawing on the table, my son and another little boy got up and played with toys.  The teacher’s aide was during her nails.  When the teacher was finished with the computer, she then told the very good, now it’s play time. They played for 72 minutes. And now, it’s time for lunch.  When they came back to the class, it was time for a nap. An hour later, the teacher and the aide was getting the children ready to go home.   On a good day, she read them a story and pointed to some pictures.  Please don’t ask me what I did. I will continue later.

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