This is my son Benjamin. And he has Autism. No, he is not like "rainman", and no I haven't "cured" him with the GFCF diet or chelation or any other therapy a warrior-mom would induce. Our household is like any other household. We all like to watch tv together. We eat dinner at the usual time. We are struggling through potty training. I spend each day worrying about making sure he is getting the best education he can. We go to the park a lot. Or the mall. A lot of Pirate Booty and graham crackers and raisins are consumed here. We practice trying to make letters or numbers. We paint and sing songs and dance. We smile for the camera. We have time-outs. We spend a lot of time picking up toys, mostly. We like to look at bugs, and birds, and squirrels and sunsets. I try to keep the amount of sugar consumed in this house to a minimum--and am sometimes successful. We play with trains and cars and planes and Mr Potato Head. We don't like going to the doctor. We do like going to the zoo. Trying new foods is a lesson in patience. We love to give hugs. And tickle. We go to bed at a decent hour, and wake-up at ungodly ones. There is a favorite blanket that is in desperate need of a trip to the washer. We enjoy bath-time. And chasing the dog.Yeah, a few things are different. But I suppose it all depends on how you look at it. Every kid's got his or her "thing". Ours just happens to be Autism. And sometimes it takes over our entire day. And sometimes, it's like its not even here. Some days, it defines us, and on others we define it. For the most part, though, we just live today and try not to worry much about tomorrow. The future may hold more or less therapy, a mainstream classroom or special day class, tantrums, hugs, or breakthroughs. But like an eternal Scarlett O'Hara, we'll worry about that tomorrow. Today we've got bugs to examine, letters to practice, tricycles to conquer and graham crackers to consume. Sounds like a full day to me.
