EARLY CHILDHOODI just love these pictures of Brady & Chloe! They have always been such happy and fun-loving kids. Both of our children reached their infant/toddler milestones of sitting, standing and walking within a reasonable amount of time, but speech was an issue for both. Brady started speech therapy when he was two and was able to start expressing himself through simple words by his third birthday.
|
Chloe had more significant behavioral differences as an infant (she wouldn't take a pacifier and hated to be swaddled or cuddled), but we figured they were just differences in her personality. She was great at looking at the camera for pictures and was a really good eater!
Chloe loved to babble and seemed close to learning how to talk. Then at 18 months old, it was like someone flipped a light switch. She stopped responding when we would call her name and would no longer make eye contact with us. I used to love playing peek-a-boo with her in her crib or at the dinner table, but she no longer laughed when I would try to play with her. She was only interested in holding random objects up to her face and shaking or twisting them for hours at a time (a behavior we later learned is called "stimming"). I still thought maybe it was just an odd phase Chloe was going through, but Monica's motherly intuition led her to start doing some research. LEARN THE EARLY SIGNS OF AUTISM |
AUTISM DIAGNOSISI still remember the conversation when my wife, Monica, told me she was concerned that Chloe may have autism.
I didn't know much about it and really didn't want to accept it at first. Pretty soon though, it was just obvious that something was significantly different about her. We knew we needed to take action because the longer we waited, the more Chloe retreated into her own world and stopped interacting with us in ours. |
Chloe stimming with different objects (age 2)
|
After searching online, Monica found a local mental health center and we started having Chloe evaluated. After several visits, we received a life-changing diagnosis. Chloe had severe Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and was categorized as low-functioning and non-verbal.
In an instant, the future we had envisioned for our daughter seemingly changed. Would she be able to graduate from school, pursue a career and eventually have a family of her own? Would she be able to live independently? Or would she ever just be able to talk? All of these questions and uncertainty overwhelmed us. Monica and I broke down in our car and cried in each others arms before heading home. Neither of us had any experience helping children with special needs. What should we do next? What therapies did Chloe need and how would we find someone qualified to help her? We started by contacting the Autism Society of Colorado which connected us with local resources. A year later, we also decided to have Brady evaluated. He too was diagnosed with ASD, but at a higher-functioning level than Chloe. WHY EARLY INTERVENTION FOR ASD IS SO IMPORTANT Our family shoe line-up in 2015 :)
|
MOVING FORWARDWe've had several years now to learn about autism, but we still feel like we've barely scratched the surface. What we've learned so far is that there is no limit to what our children can achieve even though they have special needs. We're still hoping Chloe says her first word someday, but in the meantime she has learned to use an iPad with a special program that can talk for her. It's amazing!
Brady is the kindest and most caring big brother we could possibly imagine. He always watches out for his little sister and makes sure she is included in everything we do. Brady also loves Christmas (and every other holiday too) just as much as his Dad and can't wait to help out with this year's display! We don't know what the future holds for our children, but we're encouraged by the incredible progress they've made at school and at home with their teachers and therapists. Rather than focus on what they're not able to do, we're learning to focus on all of the amazing things they can do. We're also learning so much from them about seeing the world differently and knowing that differences are a good thing! |
"Autism is not a disability. It's a different ability.”
-STUART DUNCAN
-STUART DUNCAN