tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7599317265897121292.post3769017705181644301..comments2024-02-04T18:46:57.204-06:00Comments on quirks and chaos: The Memory That Does Not Fademother of manyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15908483127049496177noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7599317265897121292.post-38588088518875155472016-03-25T05:14:29.920-05:002016-03-25T05:14:29.920-05:00Autism was always in the back of my mind once my s...Autism was always in the back of my mind once my son was born. I didn't have much experience with children and babies but I had experience with mental and neurological disorders, so I knew what the signs were. Still, I remember a distinct and deep anger when his pediatrician suggested we have him screened. He was 18 months old and had failed his M-Chat. I was angry because he failed by one check mark and I felt that his fear of vacuum cleaners was "normal" for a toddler so why count that against him? I was in denial that it was a part of the collective group of signs. I left that appointment feeling...I don't even know how I felt, honestly, all I knew was that I had been given a set of tasks to accomplish before he was screened and I was convinced that by meeting those goals that some miraculous change would occur and we wouldn't even have to have him screened. <br /><br />Fast forward to a year and 3 months later. We are at Akron Children's Hospital for his official screening. As we go down the list of our son's "quirks", I'm stubbornly convinced that at most we're going to get a diagnosis of Sensory Processing Disorder, even though as we sit there, Lane is spinning in circles as he hums the same note over and over, using my hand to point at items he is curious about. And then, the doctor spoke those fateful words, "moderate autism". The sounds of the world faded and all I could hear was the rapid beating of my terrified heart. I felt a strange mix of despair and relief, and I didn't hear much of what the specialist said after the diagnosis. Thank God for the mounds of paperwork they gave us to familiarize ourselves with autism. Little did they know that I had spent night after night researching it, but I was still grateful for any help they could give us. The specialist did not give us any additional directions, as we were and are doing everything in our power to give him a "typical" existence. He is thriving now, he still doesn't really speak, but he communicates in his own way and he's taking steps out of his own little world to join us in ours. That may never fully happen but I am happy to wait with him in his world until it does.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com