For Local Blog in MinneapolisFirst, A Child: A Mom’s View of Autism and Hope (Part 3 of 3)
April 15th, 2009
This post is third of a series of three posts written by Sarah Simons, Doula and mother of 7 about her experience having a special needs child with autism
Many parents plan for their children’s extracurricular activities: our situation differs only in that many of Garret’s activities are prescribed because of his autism. It is as if extra layers are added to an already thick life. Sometimes it is very cumbersome, but important, so we adjust.
Though Garret faces challenges trying to function in our world, he brings more to me than I could ever hope to return. As a child, he enlarges experiences to include the tiniest details, the whitewalls on a MatchBox car or the weave of a couch cushion. He sees things in different ways, insisting that the crosses in the graveyard are actually swords in the ground, buried half-way to the hilt.
Garret climbs to ridiculous heights to seek the deep pressure of impact, sometimes to his peril. Thankfully, he does not avoid physical contact, though sometimes his craving for touch makes me feel like a marsupial, or a human jungle gym. He smiles and enjoys a joke with his brothers and sisters. He has favorite toys and videos, memorized lines and scenes that erupt rather conspicuously at times. Garret rides the bus with his classmates and is learning his letter sounds.
They say, Life is full of surprises. I could not have anticipated what parenting a child with autism would be like. There are moments when I think I will implode from the pressures, decisions, and explanations required of me. But there are hours of deepening insight as well as I watch him grow and develop in unique ways. I cannot anticipate how Garret will make connections as he grows through childhood and beyond. He changes as all children change. He is first, a child, endowed with the gift of childhood that he gets to open in his own amazing way. I am honored to be first, his mom.
Book Covers from the award winning Bur Bur and Friend’s children’s book series: Bur Bur and Friends is a cast of multicultural characters who educate kids about sports, outdoor exploration and active play though their experiences.
Seed Newsvine
April 17th, 2009 at 9:30 pm
It has been wonderful reading various perspectives of autism stories on this site and others. I have been researching autism for many years from the perspective of an educator who is a sponge wanting to learn more and more about these wonderful children with autism. I’ve been blessed by various internet sites where moms accept me into their internet autism families and teach me so much more than I can learn from books.
I have been working as an Instructional Aide or Paraprofessional or Independence Facilitator (whatever you want to call me) for 9 years. About 7 years ago, I was transferred into a class that focused on students with severe autism. Not having much experience with students on the spectrum, I felt so lost that I physically felt like I had to run away screaming or run towards them (figuratively) and embrace them. So, I quickly learned that my lack of knowledge about autism was not something I could pick up quickly by simply observing others. I went to my local library and picked up every book I could on autism and devoured them. I also took the time to get to know each child as an individual and tried to see beyond the autism. Everyday was a huge challenge both physically and mentally, but something about these students kept on leading me back to the classroom. Every day I learned something new and I quickly found that kids with autism teach me more than I could ever teach them. I soon found that looking at them through lenses of love helped me see their unique and wonderful personalities.
Some days I would come home with bruises and bite marks and friends would ask, “how can you work with those kids?” My thoughts were the opposite, “how could I not?” I continued to read more and more and spend a lot of quality time with one student. By looking beyond his challenges, I found a child who taught me so many life lessons about unique friendships, unconditional love and forgiveness.
I spent several years working directly with students diagnosed with severe autism and continued to read and watch any materials I could get my hand on. By the fourth year, I started to consider how important peers were to these kids and yet finding a way to connect peers with these kids on the spectrum seemed to be its own challenge. As a district employee, I was unable to share much about autism with kids on the playground as sharing this information was considered a breech in confidentiality for these students with ASD. So, one day I sat down to create a sort of presentation where someone could share the information in general with typical peers in hopes that they might be more open to interacting with ASD kids on the playground. Long story short, my writings took on a life of their own and a fictional character sort of popped onto the pages and began to tell “her story” about having autism. I was blessed to be accepted by a publisher that specializes in autism material and now my character, Chelsea, is “alive” in A Is for Autism, F Is for Friend – A Kid’s Book on Making Friends with a Child Who Has Autism. I have also created a YouTube video so schools, sports teams or churches can use this character to introduce autism to typical peers.
In the meantime, I have been blessed with a second book, IN HIS SHOES – A SHORT JOURNEY THROUGH AUTISM which bumps up the lesson a little higher to upper elementary and middle school. Again, the goal being teaching typical peers about autism in hopes of creating a more welcome community for these awesome kids on the spectrum.
I am so grateful for the internet and blogs like this that showcase autism awareness. Everyone who has interacted with an individual with autism has a story to be told. I am blessed to have worked with students diagnosed with severe autism (most effectively non-verbal) with ages ranging from 8 to age 22…each a wonderful individual…each with unique challenges…and each a blessing in my life.
Thank you for this blog.
Joanna K-V
http://www.AisForAutism.net