April is Autism Awareness Month and I don't know about you but this is one of my favorite months of the year. Why? Because everyone in the Autism community pulls together and unites as one with one goal in mind, to help raise awareness for a disorder that is becoming more and more common. 1 in every 88 children are now diagnosed with Autism which means you probably either have an autistic child, are related someway to an autistic child or at least know an autistic child. The numbers are growing and as the numbers grow the urgency for awareness becomes more and more great. We need to find answers, we need to possibly find a cure, we need to find ways of helping our autism brothers and sisters to adapt and grow in this crazy world we live in. I've said it before and I will say it again knowing the signs of autism will greatly help every new mother and father to notice earlier if their child may or may not have autism. Early Intervention is KEY! My daughter Abrial was diagnosed when she was 2 1/2. She was talking when she was 1 but then suddenly just stopped talking and was getting very upset because we couldn't figure out what she wanted or needed. She had many melt downs and I was so lost because I didn't understand. I decided to take her to many many doctors who finally told me she had Autism. My first reaction was, "What is that?!" I had no clue what Autism was back then. This was 8 years ago and it wasn't talked about and everywhere like it is now. I went home and started researching online. I'll admit, I had a few melt downs on my own like, "What am I going to do now?" "How do I help her?" "I have no clue what I'm doing." But the more I learned the better I felt. Finally an ENT doctor told me about how local elementary schools usually have an Early Intervention Program so the second I got home I called the school she would be going to for elementary school and turned out they had that program! We set an appt and they tested her and before I know it she was accepted! However this meant that now my little 3 year old baby would be going to school 3 times a week for a whole day. That made me cry my eyes out because I thought I had another 2 years with her before she would be going to school. I was worried and scared for her but knew it was the right thing to do. To this day I am so grateful for everything the schools have done for her. She changed so much during that first year my head spun. First they showed her how to tell me what she wanted by pointing at pictures, then a few months later they would have her say the picture and then say please, soon the pictures were gone completely. She was saying sentences then telling me full paragraphs. She couldn't write her name and then she was writing pages of things. She wasn't very social and now she has friends. My baby girl has come such a long way and it's all thanks to her schools and the Early Intervention Program. She is now 10 years old and blossoming every day. She will even look you in the eye when she's talking to you! The very first picture I got of her actually looking at the camera brought me into tears. She will tell me she loves me which I never thought I'd hear. You never realize just how much those words mean until you think you'll never hear your child say them and then they tell you all the time. Those words are precious especially from our children, autism or not. I could go on and on about my little girl but I won't take up all of your time. I just want to show how important knowing the signs of autism are and how important Early Intervention is.
I'm looking forward to seeing how everyone Lights It Up Blue tomorrow since April 2nd is World Autism Awareness Day. I will be wearing blue tomorrow along with my autism awareness bracelets and I've also got it on my fb page. Seeing all these businesses Light It Up Blue blows my mind and the pictures are amazing so I can't wait!
So welcome to Autism Awareness Month and lets all spread awareness together!!
