Today, April 2nd, has been set as World Autism Awareness Day. It's taken me awhile to come to terms with Maddy's diagnosis of autism. In fact, even after Maddy was diagnosed, I downplayed it. "The psychologist said it's not really autism" was my mantra. Every one has always told us she's not autistic. Her primary care doctors, many of the specialists, her teachers; all have told us they don't think she has autism.
But as I read more and more about autism and how every one's diagnosis looks a little bit differently, I really feel more and more comfortable saying that Maddy has autism. It wasn't really the medical or technical based sites that helped me become more comfortable with this. It's been the stories of other parents and their children on the autism journey.
In particular, it was this post that got me really examining the issue. James's Mom wrote a beautiful post about their journey to an autism diagnosis. James sounds a lot like Maddy in many respects. It also helped to hear another mom had similar thoughts to mine. "My kid doesn't have autism, she makes eye contact." "My kid doesn't have autism, she love snuggling, hugs, and kisses."
But Maddy does do other things that fall within the autism spectrum. She doesn't really know how to interact with peers. Rather than interacting through play, she tends to either either ignore other kids or she will try and touch them, their stuff, etc until she gets a reaction out of them. Maddy, at almost five, still doesn't talk. Her communication skills are very limited. Maddy has multiple sensory issues that are common in many kids with autism. Maddy also has a tendency to do things repeatedly and will often get upset if a routine is changed.
To read about other autistic kids and how their autism is different from the public perception of what autism looks like, makes it more real for me. It makes autism more understandable and approachable. That's why today on World Autism Awareness day, I'm choosing to share our family's story. I hope that it helps the public understand that not every one's autism diagnosis looks and acts the same. That each child with autism is different and should be looked at individually without the assumptions that many have.
For more information on autism, how you can raise awareness, and the Light it up Blue campaign, please visit Autism Speaks.
