Autism & Stress
Autism & Stress …
The parents of autistic children are among the most stressed people I know. Shortly after my son was diagnosed with autism I sat in a parent support group, just watching the fathers’ and mothers’ faces. Their expressions brought tears to my eyes and mingled with my own heartache. The love and commitment to our children was a priority for all of us. We worried about the develop and behaviors of our children…one couple agonized over a son who screamed when he saw people…another parent was grief-stricken when her son shrieked when he saw a child’s hands…one parent dealt with a child so tormented he couldn’t sleep at night, making the whole family sleep-deprived. The worry and concerns about a child who isn’t learning and losing ground daily is torture. But in spite of the obstacles, at every support group meeting, these parents had hope, worked hard, and loved their children profoundly.
I found the best cure for stress was having a structured plan. I selected a therapy, set hours, and worked the strategy every day. My son received lots of attention; behavior were addressed instead of sitting by watching helplessly. Even in the mist of what I call mega-therapy (36 hours a week), laughter returned to our home. I began to feel more normal. My stress was directed toward healthy endeavors. We strove to make therapy a fun and rewarding experience for our son. Goals were made and could be measured when the information was taught and generated.
Stress and autism seem to go hand in hand, but with love, hope, prayer, and planning, stress can be directed in a healthier direction.
Leave a COMMENT on a positive way you’ve learned to deal with stress.
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Karen Michelle Graham
E-mail: karen@aLifetoRescue.com
~ Announcing Hope Over Autism ~
Visit: www.alifetorescue.com
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Autism & Hope
Autism & Hope …
In the days after my son, Jeremy, was diagnosed with Autism I cried much of the time. One evening during that time period, I went into Jeremy’s room for his bedtime routine. He looked like an angel in his blue pajamas that intensified the blue of his eyes. My gaze lovingly traced his adorable face. “Honey, I’ve come in to pray for you before you go to sleep.”
Often in the past, he hadn’t understood what I said, so I didn’t expect a response. But as I knelt to pray, he got out of bed and knelt with me. That moment of connection he made into our world was extraordinary for him. It was a ray of hope for me. He stayed there as I prayed, and when I finished, he stood and climbed back into his bed. Tears ran down my face, as I gave my son a hug.
“Precious, I’m going to do everything in my power to rescue you from this disability. Nothing will stop me. There has to be hope somewhere. If there is, I will find it.” I whispered more to myself than to him. At two-years-old, Jeremy had lost his language, flapped his hands, and did not respond to his name. The autism material had said the disability was lifelong, incurable, and incapacitating. We had little hope for a future for our sweet, adorable son.
From that first day, we began a mission to fight for our son’s wholeness.
When my son was three and a half years old and tested two years behind his age level, we began an intense Behavioral Intervention therapy program for him. After much hard work and two years later, we received our miracle. The doctor declared our son no longer met the criteria for the diagnosis. He had changed before our eyes to a happy child who handled school and social situations independently. We have reaped wonderful benefits from our hard work, though, we did do follow-up therapy for another two years.
That was sixteen years ago. Currently, my son is a typical twenty-year-old college student, has friends, makes As and Bs in school, and has a wonderful sense of humor. There is hope for autistic children. My son is proof.
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Karen Michelle Graham
~ Announcing Hope Over Autism ~
Visit: www.alifetorescue.com
If you enjoyed my post about Autism please comment below!
Why I Wrote a Book on Autism?
Why I Wrote a Book on Autism? … My son was diagnosed with autism in 1994, and I discovered how overwhelming the information on autism was. There was too much and too little all at the same time as most parents out there can identify with.
Once my husband and I found the sources, we felt buried in the contradictions, arguments, and heartache.
I even arrived at the decision that I didn’t care what caused my son to be autistic…I just wanted to know how to fix it. Every feasible intervention that showed promise and we could financially handle, we implemented. Eventually, we picked an intense, financially challenging road. We spent thousands of hours with my son…around 1800 hours of one-on-one just the first year. But it was worth every hour and every dollar spent.
When the child development specialist announced that my son no longer met the criteria for the autism diagnoses when my son was five years old, I was ecstatic on several levels. It meant so much for my son to interact and attend school independently…and thrive. He was a happy kid with a great sense of humor. Gone were the odd behaviors and mute, nonexistent responses. At that time, I didn’t plan on writing a book.
Often, I would meet someone in the autism community who didn’t know or understand many of the concepts I had learned that were key in my son’s recovery from autism. I was shocked that they weren’t doing some of the interventions we had…even people who had the money. So I wrote our story…each reader lives the experience with us as the heartache unfolds to wholeness, joy, and hope. It’s an emotionally-charged story inside the life of therapy. And I emphasize the word, inside. I invite you to read my story.
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Karen Michelle Graham
~ Announcing Hope Over Autism ~
Visit: www.alifetorescue.com
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Visit www.aLifetoRescue.com.
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