Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Not for wimps that's for sure.

When my son Landon was first diagnosed with autism we were told what we were in store for. We sat through appointments, MRI's, EEG's and genetic tests on Landon. Neurologist appointments. All for the diagnoses for Motor Apraxia and Autism. The challenges we faced were typical ASD. He didn't know how to communicate and what happens when your special needs child doesn't know how to communicate? They get frustrated and the meltdowns ensue. When he was two years old we decided it was his best interest to get him a specially made helmet.  The helmet was for when he would have meltdowns outside and would try to bang his head on the concrete. He has a permanent bald spot on the front of his head from all the banging he did. When we cut his hair we have to be careful on how short we cut in the front. Its pretty noticeable when his hair is cut too short. 

 Of course now at age twelve he doesn't wear a helmet. He has thankfully calmed down with the meltdowns. He has since learned how to tell us that he is mad or that he wants a snack. We use verbal prompts for everything. You have to because its the only way they learn. So we tell him "you have to ask?" so he will say what he wants. Hes doing great with it. He has shown a lot of progress and sometimes gets amused when we say "you have to ask". He literally laughs at us. Its the funniest and greatest moments.


Its a work in progress trying to redirect his meltdowns but we won't give up. We will never give up on him no matter the challenge. He has been keeping us on our toes since day one. He's a good kid. Always happy. Finds amusement in a lot of things. This is the same kid who loves accents. He finds Harry Potter amusing. Every time Harry speaks in the movies Landon falls over belting in laughter. His contagious laugh will have you crying tears from laughing so hard. He also loves to scream and its the worst when he does it in the store and scares people. Who thankfully laugh after the fact. We have had our fair share of moments where we stood there like "please don't turn around... Just keep walking." All the while hes snorting in laughter.

He tends to be cautious of people. But I think he gets that trait from me. If he likes you he will want to hug and will say "muah" and gives you his cheek to kiss him. If he doesn't like you he tends to get standoffish and reads people really well. That is how I have always been. I tend to be the same way and I hug people I like.. Not so much the kissing.. I hope I clarified that. Landon just recently discovered that if he gets kisses he gets attention so hes all for it. Thankfully its only to people he knows. I'm waiting for the day he decides to try it on a stranger. It will definitely be awkward. Totally giggling here.

He has many fans. He has have a fanbase for years since our days of livejournal and some of those fans root for him on my facebook. Every photo I share and every post. Every journal entry I wrote about his progress. They stuck by him and wanted to know all the details. He is truly blessed. And.. It was all done in a positive light. When people ask me "how do you deal?" I smile and say that I don't think of it as a burden. I think of how it has changed me. It has made me a better person. It taught me to be compassionate. It taught me understanding and acceptance. I accepted the fact that he was cognitive impaired and autistic since day one. I knew it was going to be a journey. But the journey has been worth it. For all the bad along the way. We surpass it with good. So much good that I love sharing him on facebook. I love showing everyone what Landon has accomplished. The silly moments because raising a special needs child there is never a dull moment. I have had mornings where he would take showers in his school clothes and posted it on facebook because its one of those moments he does that sound frustrating but in reality I'm standing there laughing along with him. Its moments like that to me outweigh the ugly side of autism. Sure its frustrating. Sure its a everyday struggle where you feel frustrated for your child. I don't look at Landon and say "he won't do this or that." I look at Landon and say "he will and he will do it at his own pace." Sure he may never go to dances, have a girlfriend and do typical teenage angst. Things like that seem so trivial when you're raising a special needs child. When I look at Landon I see a kid who will grow up and do things at his own pace. We call it "on Landons terms". He will do a lot in the future because hes already changed many lives. Every person who has met him will tell you that they absolutely love him. He is living his life in his world. We're just privileged to be a part of it.

My mom used to say "it takes a special person to raise a special needs child and that person will know what to do, what to say and stand by their side no matter what. 

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