My Family's Experience with Autism: Happy Mother's Day!

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to any mother who comes by this blog post. That is my wish to all tonight. Regardless of whether you are "Mom" to one or to many; Whether you are expecting your first child; Whether you have experienced Mother's Day many times before or this is your first; Whether you have a child of your own or you care for someone else's child; Whether you are close enough to someone you consider them "like" your child.

We all have something in common. Mother's Day (to me) is not about celebrating the birthing process. It's about celebrating those who care for another in that very special way. It's to celebrate those who nurture someone; those who help shape another human being and share their love in ways that only a parent can truly understand. We all may agree with our own mothers, or disagree. But we are the people who we are because of our mothers.

So, again, I say "Happy Mother's Day" to everyone who calls themselves a mother. May you enjoy the blessings of your family and, for some of you, the relief of the stressors that they may cause. May you all have exactly what you wish for on this special day where we honor our Mothers and recognize how special all Mothers really are.

(sending an extra special "Happy Mother's Day" to my own Mom who may or may not see this note as she is currently traveling)

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A Little Bit About Me and My Family

Every once in a while, something happens to a family that seems to change everything, whether that change is positive, negative, or in an uncertain direction. One such thing happened to us in March 2009, when we were informed our 26 month old twins (girl/boy) were BOTH on the autism spectrum. Their older brother (nearly 4 at the time) had always been ahead of the curve for most developmental milestones, so we had never really considered that some of the delays the twins were having had anything to do with autism. Well, we were wrong. Since then we have been learning about learning techniques and doing everything we can to make sure they get any and all help they need so that they can live normal lives. This blog chronicles that journey.

The Autism Pizza

I don't know where this came from originally, but I found it on a post on Circle of Moms. It's a good explanation of how things line up on the spectrum.

1. The Crust: Lack of Social Interaction (poor eye contact, not sharing interests with you, no pointing/gesturing)

2. The Sauce: Impaired Communication (possibly no speech, poor conversation skills, repetitive language, echolalia, no make-believe play)

3. The Cheese: Stereotypical Activities & Interests (extreme routine, strong interest in certain things, stimming [flapping, atypical play, etc.] -- like spinning wheels, lining toys up, stacking, etc.)

If you have all of those things: crust, sauce, cheese, you made an Autism pizza. It might have different toppings, but you can look at it and know it's still a pizza. If your pizza doesn't have sauce, that's Aspergers's. If your pizza is missing more than that but still kind of looks like a pizza, that's PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified)