@kimrhodes4real had to share and I wonder. Is this sort of back door diagnosis common? Were fortunate to live close enough to the Joe DiMaggio and Dan Marino Center- they are amazing. But when Ryan was 3, I had a similar situation. Are you okay with an Autism diagnosis? Hello? Am I OKAY with it? I was new to the whole Autism thing, but asking if I would be okay with it really threw me. Would they ask me if I was OKAY with Diabetes, or Cancer? I asked them what it meant. It meant that he would be eligible for several programs in our county. Since I knew Ryan needed the programs, my immediate answer was I dont care if you call him a duck if it gets him what he needs. And I still stand by that. The Neurologist and Psychologist just grinned at me and said Then lets get your son some help. BTW. Four days after that he started with the PB School for Autism and it was obvious Id found the right place. Because of a piece of paper. Autism is a word. Its a word on a piece of paper that opens doors for my son that wouldnt be possible otherwise. He was my adorable loving son the day before the diagnosis and he was the same adorable loving son the day after. So hes different. So what? Ive never been one to strive for normal. Hes not tactile, he connect with computers on a level Ill never understand. 5000 piece puzzle on a computer? 5 minutes. 1000 piece on a table? Days. So what? Hes 12 now. 3.6 grade pt average in charter mainstream middle school. Robotics, Computers, Engineering. Hes still got that Autism word attached, but I see it as a way to navigate the system and nothing more. And Ive taught him that. Yes, the paper says your Autistic. But it has nothing to do with who you are. It gets you the speech and language therapy. It gets you a better choice of what high school youre going to go to. It gets you a way in to college if you work hard enough. But when the day is over its just a piece of paper. But what about the parents who arent OKAY with it? Dan Marino Center told me there are parents who freak out and dont want THAT in their childs file. What happens to them?
Posted on: Sat, 29 Nov 2014 13:04:55 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015