About Me

I am the proud mother of 6 children. 5 of our children have autism. We do not feel our world has ended, but just begun. We do not chelate, intervene biochemically, give shots of any kind, practice ABA, etc. We treat them as we treat any humanbeing. We treat them with kindness and respect and expect the same from them. They are exceptional children.

Monday, January 05, 2009

THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT...

Saturday, I cut my oldest son's, Patrick, hair. He loathes (no exaggeration) haircuts.
I only cut his hair every 4 months or so...so I cut it short in a buzz. He is so cute with it short.
Our electric razor petered out on me during the haircut, so I ran to Walgreen's to buy a
newer model.
Last night, Kiernan, our youngest son, brought me the new razor to open. Kiernan hates
a haircut worse than Little Patrick. In fact, it usually takes 4 adults to get his hair cut.
I opened the new razor and told Kiernan that we would cut his hair tomorrow.
Nope, he was insistent (without words, of course)....
So, at 9 pm, with my assistant Meaghan (his older sister), we cut Kiernan's hair.
I am so proud of how this young man sat and let us shave his head. What a difference
a few months make.

Kiernan is severely autistic. He is obsessive and compulsive. He is non-verbal. He is
happy for the most part...really, I have never met anyone who is happy all of the time....
and if they are, I generally don't trust them. Kiernan has a hard time with change, but
is doing an amazing job conforming to changes in his environment.
Kiernan is following instructions well at school and at home.
He is growing up to be a very smart and much calmer little boy.

So, any new Autism parent's out there, please keep in mind....
Children with Autism do get better with age and can learn to adjust to
society.
Now, with our help, we need to get Society to jump on board and except
our children.
Baby steps Jeanette, baby steps......

1 comment:

ElectricMomma said...

I'm so glad kids with autism get better as they get older. My son is now 6 and also , like Kiernan, non-verbal. He is in a SCERTS program at school and is making progress. I'm still hoping he'll speak but we are having him assessed for an augmentive communication device in the meantime. It always amazes me that everyone seems to assume autism is responsible for any and all problems our kids have. I wonder where his autism leaves off and the typical frustration of being 6 starts. Not to mention his picky eating- autism or mom's genes coming through? If he likes most of the same things I do does that make me autistic or him picky without autism having anything to do with it?? Can't a tantrum just be a tantrum instead of always being autism? I will admit, at the market when some 'parenting expert' is critiquing his behaviors and suggesting more discipline- it's the autism, as I tell them with a lethal glare. I'm glad I found your blog- it's a pleasant change to find someone accepting without much judgement. Our lives as mothers of kids who are outside the norm are hard enough without being constantly harangued for choosing a different path. Best to you and your family.
Jeanne