Autism is something that is close to my heart, my little boy was diagnosed last year. There are so many stereotypes surrounding Autism, even amongst medical professionals who are involved in assessing and diagnosing ASD. I hope that this blog post goes some way to helping spread awareness and understanding to help make his life (& ours!) a little easier.
I recently came across this fantastic visual which perfectly explains what the Autistic Spectrum actually is!
http://themighty.com/2016/05/rebecca-burgess-comic-redesigns-the-autism-spectrum/
This visual should definitely be shared - if only everyone had this understanding; I'm sure there would be a greater acceptance of Autism amongst adults and children.
When my son received his diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder we asked the Paediatrician where she would place him on the Spectrum. Naively, we assumed she would say he was "high-functioning" towards the top end of the linear spectrum - but she didn't, we were told he has "Moderate Autism" due to his significant social communication and sensory processing difficulties and that she would place him somewhere in the middle of the stereotypical linear Spectrum. Almost a year later, we now have a better understanding of the Spectrum and realise that it isn't linear at all! We can clearly see that our sons numerous strengths and significant difficulties do indeed place him at various points on THIS Spectrum ... and his strengths/difficulties can move around within this almost constantly.
I would love for people to accept and understand that my childs' needs vary depending on the environment and other contributing factors. Just because he can cope in a restaurant one day, really doesn't mean he will cope in the same restaurant a few days later. He could have had a difficult day at school learning something new or following a different routine, his anxiety levels could be very high about something totally unrelated to going in the restaurant; or the restaurant could be particularly busy or noisy - all these factors (& many more!) contribute to how my child copes with a situation.
Autism is an ever-changing thing. My son can go several days, even a couple of weeks where his Autism isn't particularly obvious. Whilst we were going through the period of assessment, prior to his diagnosis I would find myself doubting whether there was in fact anything "wrong" - perhaps it was all in my head?! Then something would happen, we would have a family day out and he would struggle to cope in the noise / crowds, our routine might change at home unexpectedly, at school he may change topic and learn something new or he may struggle in a social situation and then BANG! There it is, high anxiety levels, sensory overload, erratic and seemingly irrational behaviour and extreme reactions to things ... once again his Autism is completely obvious once more, no, I definitely wasn't imagining it!
Autism is always present, it cannot be cured, it is a life-long neurological condition. But careful planning, early intervention and on-going support really does help to "manage" the condition. We know now that with plenty of preparation, some social stories or visual aids our son can have a go at most things and do fantastically! We aren't being over protective, over anxious parents as some people seem to think we are - trust us, we aren't doing all this just for the fun of it, if he didn't need it we wouldn't do it! We know the types of situations that are usually "flash-points" and every day is a balancing act of preparation and routine ... whilst also gently teaching him that things do change, the world isn't always black and white, and that "different" can be ok.
As a family we have learnt so much in the past 5+ years as we've discovered our sons' needs, and there is still so much to learn as he grows up. It is constant, extremely challenging and an emotional rollercoaster at times but the rewards we get are massive and the pride we feel when we see him achieve something that has been tricky for him is immense.
Thanks for reading!
x
