It is AUTISM AWARNESS month (: just a little fact!
I was doing some research of stories about families that have a child with autism. Basically I wanted to see what a families outlook on autism is. Being a person that has never been around autism a whole lot, I think it would be extremely difficult to raise a child that has autism. I came upon this story about a family that has 3 children on the autism spectrum. This family is extremely strong and has battled some form of autism with each child they have had.
http://www.parentdish.com/2010/04/14/family-autism-story-three-kids-on-the-spectrum/
(This is where I found the story)
I was so shocked to see that all 3 of the children were on the spectrum. The family talks about many delays the children have had while developing. They could see the autism pretty early on when the children were nursing and things, becuase their development was a little delayed.They talked about finding out their first child had autism pretty early on and they were scared to death and very worn out from all the accomodations they would have to make for him.
This was my favorite part of the story. The parents were asked what they weren't told about autism but had to find out on their own.I think it's so neat that they figrued these things out on their own and they have a very positive outlook on autsim. Here's their responses:
1) That developmental delays do not mean developmental stops. The bright boy's progress was often incredibly slow, but he's still making progress today, at age 20.
2) That the idea of a lack of empathy is incorrect; they are extremely empathetic, but they have to notice it.
3) That you will come to appreciate the refreshing honesty that your children offer you. That you will survive and thrive and so will they, if you give yourself time to adapt, if you will surround yourself with people who care, and if you accept that there will always be challenges.
This story was very touching and this couple is extremely courageous and have done a great job with managing three children on the autism spectrum.
Dont forget its AUTISM AWARNESS MONTH :)
Okay thats it for today! Next I want to look at what the autism spectrum is. Whenever you hear about autism, most of the time you will hear "they are on the spectrum". But what does that mean? How is the spectrum defined or broken up into categories?
Amanda,
ReplyDeleteGreat job so far. You've hit on something that is of personal interest to me--the "spectrum." So many people hear "autism" and they think that it applies to one specific condition or set of conditions. Of course, this is not the case. As you begin to discover more about different manifestations of autism, start to draw in some thoughts about accommodations that would need to be made for these individuals. Obviously, there isn't a one-size-fits-all solution here.
Looking forward to reading more here!
Gabe
Amanda,
ReplyDeleteI find your topic quite interesting. I have little to no knowledge about children with autism, so I'm excited to learn about your findings. The only vision I have of someone with autism is the show Parenthood. I'm sure this isn't exactly what it's like, because it is only television. I can only imagine what it would be like and the challenges you face everyday. I don't know if this is a myth or not, but do you know if children who are autistic are generally pretty smart in one area or another? I'm anxious to see your next post about if "they are on the spectrum".
~Kayla