spt and a little awareness

April 2nd is Autism Awareness day.

If you are a long-time reader of the Chaos you know that Autism has touched our family. The first post I did about Ham and Autism is here.

For a few years Autism ruled our lives. There were things we couldn’t do and places we couldn’t go because of how it affected Ham. We didn’t dare go to a movie as a family because it would cause such a reaction for Ham. When they built a Target close to our house I couldn’t figure out why the rocking and acting out would happen, until I figured out that Target has super-bright lights and a very shiny floor. It was just too much for him. And the library? Who knew such a quiet and calm place would have an opposite reaction on him.

But things have changed drastically for Ham. He is in a regular kindergarten classroom and is doing great academically. The last evaluation he had for school he didn’t show any autistic signs. He can be around all the noise and chaos of our family and he doesn’t even notice it, in fact I think he might be the cause of the majority of it. He doesn’t have any issues going to Target or the Library, both used to be huge triggers for him. We still have a few sensory triggers that we deal with. Heaven help us all if the toe of his sock is a little crooked in his shoe. His shoes have to be tied just right, not too loose or too tight. If there is a loose string anywhere on his clothes it is a tragedy. The difference now is that we can fix what is wrong and he is able to reset and have a good day.

There was a time when I heard the word Autism and it made my heart ache for my little boy.

I don’t know if it was the early intervention and all of the therapy or the partial gluten-free diet, but something made a difference in Ham. I don’t look at him and wonder if I will ever really know what is going on in his little brain. He doesn’t have any problem telling you what he’s thinking or feeling. He is affectionate and kind. He is a little bit of a miracle.

And he is all mine.