April 23, 2004
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I watched Primetime on ABC last night and they had an in depth story on 3 little boys and their parents who live in Ohio. All three boys were severely autistic, which is rare…and quite frightening to see, to be honest. For a set of parents to have one autistic child is challenging enough, but to have twins following the first one…and for them to be diagnosed as well, that is just terrifying.
As I watched the advertisements for this program prior to it airing (I wasn’t aware it was coming on until right before it aired), I looked at Jason and said, “those boys are autistic”. I was watching their behaviors and listening to the person’s voice playing over the video footage…stating the telltale signs. The tears started to well up as I heard all too familiar statements.
I listened as the parents told their story of how they had their first son and then about a year later had twins. How the boys all seemed to be normal for awhile, then suddenly began regressing in their speech and even worse…in their behavior and motor skill ability. They explained how difficult it was to watch their sons slip away from them and into the darkness that is Autism…and how the boys became shells of what they once were. I cried even harder…
I’m so blessed that Caleb is who he is and that he is so strong…but I do remember the fear of never hearing him speak, or even being able to function at all. I remember watching him just stare at lights and ignoring anything and everything that was occurring around him. I remember thinking, “what did I do to make this happen to him?”.
I also remember (and I’ll never forget) the first time I heard him speak the words, “I love you”…it still makes my heart melt. I cried for hours…and still do at times.
My heart sank last night as I watched these children struggle to stay in reality…and as the parents coped with what they were facing. I’m glad to know that Autism is finally getting some exposure to the American people, they need to be aware of how serious the spread of this disability is. The fact that the true cause of Autism is unknown…and yet it is growing at an alarming rate. They stated on the show last night that as of right now 1 out of every 166 people (including children) has some form of Autism. And did you know that Autism has incresed 900% in America alone since 1990? Doesn’t that frighten you? It should.
I read a statment that rang true to me, it said, “if Autism was any other disease it would be exposed to anyone and everyone as a major epidemic, but due to the fact that the cause of Autism is still unknown it is treated as if it doesn’t exist and yet it’s spreading at an alarming rate”.
So…answer me this, how do you cure something that you have no knowledge as to what the cause is?
Please…take a moment and go to this site and read it…I’m not asking for the world here…but I want you all to be aware of what is happening to our children, our neighbors, our friends. Don’t think for one second with the rates as high as they are that it might not effect you…because it will…especially if you aren’t aware of it at all.
Thank you.
Here’s some common characteristics associated with Autism.
Speech Issues
no speech; non-speech sounds; delayed speech; echolalia (mimicing words without any understanding of meaning); pronoun confusion; frustration with lack of speech common
Interaction Issues
lack of peer interaction; lack of eye contact; seemingly unaware of other people; treating people as objects; parallel play rather than interactive; lack of imaginative play
Behavioral Issues
not interested in being picked up/cuddled; preoccupied by hand movement; flapping hands (especially when excited or over stimulated); spinning; balancing; tiptoe walking; aggressiveness towards others; lack of interest in “normal” toys (often preferring kitchen tools); obsessive toward patterns; repetition in behavior (performing the same act over and over again, such as rewinding one section of a movie on the VCR to watch many times); lining things up; self injury; needing to live with a routine that does not change
Sensory Issues
dislike of certain sounds, textures and/or tastes; dislike of being touched; very passive or very active behavior; nervousness; unaware of various physical stimuli such as pain; covering ears at loud noises; “blanking out” in active environments; often seem to be uncomfortable in extreme temperatures
Splinter Skills
drawing; musical; math; calendars; memory; computers; mechanical ability such as complex video/audio equipment
Biological Markers
MRI scans sometimes abnormal; serotonin levels may be raised; bowel problems; some children afflicted with seizures; sleep disturbances (not requiring as much as other children of the same age); often unusually attractive children with large eyes
Comments (14)
Gosh, three children with autism??? Those poor people must have been devastated
What a scary, overwhelming situation 
Very thoughtful posting. My sister is both mentally and physically handicapped so good parents can make all the difference in raising kids.
RE: You in PAWS
There was a show here about a single Mum who had 4 boys who had Autism
Wow….I guess I never imagined what that would be like. Somethings people just dont think about until a story like that comes out ya know…..
thats interesting!
It is so good to know about all the things going on with parents. You are such a good mother and you do so well with your children
I’ve cried those same tears, and noted similar joys as I watch my Michael progress. I still worry about him, and always will, but he is a gift. They are our angels.
You’re doing wonderfully promoting awareness, with a personal side as well. I’ve received many compliments about my display here in the library, and lots of surprised faces when I tell them I have a son with autism.
WOw thats amazing that is gone up by 900% very sad. I wonder what the reason is. But yeahits good its getting exposure, it would be very hard to deal with but you seem to be doing a great job.
i think it is safe to say. my brother has 95% of these characteristics. he was diagnosed with OCD and society anxiety. the drugs and treatments never worked. only made everything worse. the longer he was on the medication. and the more he was treated for it. the more he would play with the kitchen spoons and just everything here.
It was certainly a powerful and emotional segment… I do believe I’m a better person for getting to be a part of Caleb’s life… he defines the term “exceptional child.”
I love you! 
I go to a relatively small church(125 members including kids and babies.) We have four autistic kids(from a high functioning to an autistic who is also retarded) Two of the kids are from one family. So I have seen first hand what it means to walk with people that I love who have daily challenges that may never be much better. I only pray that our church is living up to “share ye one another’s burdens”. We do have very good “body life” in our church though and we have tried to come along side of the couple whith the two kids…..one is high functioning and the other is low functioning and retarded in other areas…..the bright note there is that she has now gotten potty trained. Do you have a good support system other than your wonderful hubby? I am glad that you saw fit to share your life to help others.
The statistics concerning the rise of autism are frightening!
I am glad to hear that Caleb is doing so well though. He is lucky to have such a wonderful mom!
-Lorie-
Hmm… very interesting. I think both you and your son are fantastic and strong people for how you’ve dealt with it over the years. I do agree with you that I think we get so much more scared about diseases that we don’t the cause of, so instead of giving them the exposure that would raise money for research to answer that question, we just pretend they don’t exist or aren’t serious. I dunno, it’s terrible but also understandable when you consider human nature. Still, you’re completely right that everyone needs to pay attention to this issue. As a sidenote, do you know what the typical age for developing autism is and can it only develop in children?
It is so good of you to raise our awareness of this. I have learned so much about autism from you and velvetglove. I also have watched programs on it and just cried my eyes out. It is very hard to be parent to a special child. I have a friend who has a special child and I feel for her and with her. For the good times and the bad times. You are a very dear person. You have a very special child, an angel if you will. Have a great day and a wonderful tomorrow ! ! ! Much love and many hugs ! ! ! Sleep with the angels and wake up fully refreshed and ready for a new day ! ! ! Oh and when I post tonight I have a sig tag for you! If you don’t like it feel free to tell me and what you would like instead.