To People Who Say “He Will Grow Out of It”
My son Caiden was diagnosed with High Functioning Autism in
2015. To understand where we are now you must know how we got to the diagnosis.
Caiden was a very smart child and did many things before he should have. He was
walking independently before he was 12 months, speaking sentences and fully
potty trained before he was 2. Caiden had behavior issues start between the age
of 2-3. The behaviors were yelling, throwing things, hitting people, biting,
etc. The problems only occurred at daycare. We saw a behavior specialist and
voiced our concerns and the doctor suggested changing his daycare. We made this
change and to our surprise Caiden’s behaviors stopped. He would have a temper
tantrum like normal children but nothing like his previous behaviors.
Then at
the age of 4 when Caiden started Pre-K we noticed more “odd” behaviors. Caiden
spoke about himself in the third person, did not like getting dirty, needed time
limits and numbers on everything, was anxious, and very literal in his
speaking. At this time we did not know these are all signs of High Functioning
Autism.
Fast forward 4 years, Caiden is now 8 years old and in the 2nd
grade. He is performing well above his peers and reading on a 6th
grade level. He still struggles with his behavior which is typical of children
on the Autism Spectrum. Children with High Functioning Autism need structure,
structure, did I say they need structure? Structure is a must for these
children to be successful. Caiden has trouble understanding social cues and
making friends. Therapy is the key to helping children on the spectrum become
productive citizens of society. I had someone tell me the other day “Oh he will
grow out of that”. Autism is not something you grow out of. It is a lifelong
disability that can be managed through therapies. There is no cure. The sooner
you receive a diagnosis and start therapies the sooner you will have the tools
you need to be successful. 1 in 68 children are being diagnosed each day with
Autism Spectrum Disorders. Boys are 4 times more likely to be diagnosed.
Austim
is a complex neurobehavioral disorder that includes impairments in social
interaction and developmental language and communication skills combined with
rigid, repetitive behaviors. So to the people who think “He will just grow out
of it”, he won’t because Autism is a disability and not something you chose. It’s
a part of who God made him to be and our family has made it our mission to help
Caiden become the best Caiden he can be.
