Time to think......

Hi all,

Ya know......autism is an interesting character.  With the holidays right around the corner, I always love to reflect on time gone by and even time gone forward.  This time of year is extra stress.  It is for everyone but to a kid that likes routine, well, it's hard to stay in your routine when there is shopping, menus to plan, places to go, and people to see.  There is no drop everything and just go with autism!  JB likes people, he loves to go but it's always on his terms.  We never stay long as it becomes chaos!  I always wonder if people understand....

See, there is a lot we Autism parents go through daily.  And it starts at the beginning....the diagnosis and the whirlwind of things that get thrown at you to intervene.  And it's not just intervention, JB had a test to check his hearing and it wasn't just any test.  He had to be put to sleep..... There was an MRI to check the formation of his brain and his grey matter.....something to this day, I don't completely get.  Then a 24 hour EEG to check for seizure activity--super glad this was done as JB was diagnosed with epilepsy.  All of these tests occurred within the year he was diagnosed.....hence the whirlwind or maybe better yet, the tornado!

But the whirlwind isn't just about tests or therapy....it's also about everyday.  The way we ALL handle those 24 hours.  Our family is dynamic, one minute things are great and the next minute there are no Doritos--end of the world!  Going somewhere means packing up foods that I know JB will eat, toys he likes, and making sure someone is keeping track of time (because Autism does have a time limit)....there is this part of me that is always worried no matter what.  And I know families and friends understand.....but that is a worry too!  Just something that you think about when there is...time to think!

I think Autism has changed my life, not JB's.  He is simply who he is and I will always be learning about him because he is always teaching me something and blowing my mind.  It's not always okay that life is different but most of the time it is.  And that is because family is love.  What's important is togetherness and the joy that wraps you up.  So what if we can only stay for 30 minutes......that's all we may have.  And let it be.....

Have a great week everybody!
TTFN
Martha