Kyle was born November 24, 2000.   There was no indication that Kyle would one day be diagnosed with autism.   We had our concerns since our nephew is autistic, but we never were truly watching the signs.   Family had begun expressing concerns and we finally began to worry when at 18 months, Kyle had no language.   There were no Mommy's or Daddy's, hello's, goodbyes or I love yous.  One of the women at our church began to listen to my concerns and frustrations of dealing with Kyle.   She gave me the name, address and phone number to the local department that handles Early Intervention services .   After contacting the office, an evaluation was scheduled with a team of therapists.   While no diagnosis was made at this time, it was found that Kyle was functioning far below the expected norms.   Services began for Speech and Occupational Therapy, weekly in our home.

In September 2003, Kyle was seen by a Developmental Pediatrician.   After a parental questionaire, reviewing the files sent to the doctor from the Early Intervention team and upon observing Kyle in the playroom, the doctor found a clear diagnosis of "autism spectrum disorder".   As difficult as it is to accept that your child has a lifelong disability, we knew that now we had what we needed to get services for him.   Our family has been a wonderful resource and support.  Having a nephew with autism, his parents have been a major advocate in giving us the information we needed to understand the disability.   They took upon themselves to order information, send therapy toys and spend countless hours discussing our options in services.

I'm not going to dwell on the struggle to get services started with the school system.   While time lines were not adhered to, Kyle is now in an awesome program that has shown in a very short time how important a role they are playing in providing Kyle the help he needs.  Kyle is attending a morning preschool program, 4 days a week; including speech therapy and occupational therapy.   I also take Kyle back to the center once a week for a FLOORTIME play therapy session.

If I could give just one piece of advice to any parent dealing with a child with autism, or any disability for that matter, it would be.....to immerse yourself in the love and support of others.   Get connected, find support groups, go to church, allow family to help....ASK for help.

 

For more information on finding a support group near you, check out the website for the Autism Society of America.   If you are in the central Pennsylvania area, contact the Harrisburg Chapter of the ASA.   For more information on autism, contact NICHCY for free publications to help you.  If you are in Pennsylvania, contact the Parent Education Network for information specific to services in this state.

 

Also....remember...you didn't cause this disability but you CAN make a difference in your child's life!

Kyle has made huge strides in development.  He has a full functioning vocabulary now, tho still needs work on language skills, putting all of those words together to convey a need, want or feeling.   Kyle recognizes his alphabet, numbers, shapes and colors; even some words.   We know that Kyle is cognitively capable of learning at the same level as his peers.  Our struggle continues to be with language, sensory integration, safety and appropriate social interactions.   We have a great team of therapists that work with Kyle at home and in the community with these very issues.  A behavioral specialist observes and manages a staff of therapeutic support (TSS) persons who cover 15 hours per week working one on one with Kyle.  They have become an awesome part of our team!