I feel empowered to share my child’s story of autism, how I coped with the process. Sam was diagnosed with autism at one year old. The diagnosis was overwhelming and it broke our hearts.
As parents, we often have a pre-conceived idea about our children. This may be how may look like, what things they might accomplish in their lives, among others. My pregnancy with Sam was extremely smooth. Being a first time mum, I strictly followed my doctor’s advice. Sometimes I would really crave for junk food but given I wanted to have a healthy child, I would only eat vegetables, fruits, less fatty foods and any other prescribed healthy diet. During ultrasound, we were assured of a healthy baby.
Around 6 months old, we discovered that Sam could not respond to smiles. That worried us for sometime but after numerous consultations with other parents; my husband and I concluded that children develop differently. At 8 months, I got worried again. I could compare my child with other children younger or even of the same age as Sam but my child seemed to have a problem.
I shared with his pediatrician my concerns when I took him for immunization when he was one year old. The doctor listened attentively, thought for a while then calmly told me that our son may be autistic. That was the first time I heard about the condition.
People would try to wave at Sam and she could not wave back. I was in denial for a very long time until I saw other parents’ story on Youtube sharing how they managed to raise their autistic children.
You are not alone
After I found out I was not alone, and that many parents faced the same or even more than I did; I sought my friend’s help who encouraged me to join a local support group. I learnt to accept Sam’s condition and even got the chance to learn how to make it easier for him. Now I am happy to say Sam has really improved. He is currently a five year old chap. He has started speaking albeit slowly and his anger has reduced. There is no treatment for autism but the symptoms can be reduced.
I have shared this story to let you know that you are not alone in what you are going through and that it is possible to overcome autism even if it does not have any viable treatment. Make sure you inform your doctor if you notice any delay in your child’s growth.