The meaning of course is that in order for us to
enjoy the highs in life we must have felt the lows. We must have something to
compare and contrast with our joyous occasions. We have to have something to
learn from. If life was just great all the time we wouldn’t know it. Think
about that. We would lead dull lives.
Let me give you an example. As you have been reading
in the past two weeks, our family took a vacation. It was a great time. We had
fun at the beach, saw lighthouses in North Carolina, visited the National Mall
and several of the Smithsonian museums in Washington D.C., and enjoyed camping
in Virginia.
I think what made this more pleasant was the fact
that Konner was so good on the trip. In the past we’ve had some bad experiences
on vacation trips. We’ve had screaming, meltdowns, and disruptions. These
things really make a trip unbearable at times.
As we were in the van headed home on Thursday
afternoon, and we had been in there for about seven or eight hours, I looked in
the rearview mirror and saw Konner just looking out the window and enjoying the
scenery. He didn’t have his iPad at the time; no iPhones, DVD players, or
anything. He was just content with looking at the beauty around him. This
almost brought a tear to my eye. I just thought back to how far we’ve come in
just a short period of time and realize that he’s doing awesome.
On this trip we had one minor meltdown. It was in
the morning, and he was upset over losing a piece of his train track. The
situation was cleared up shortly and all was well.
Listen, if this is the only issue we had on the trip
with him I’m good.
When we first got his diagnosis my heart sank. I
know most parents feel this way. It’s natural. You learn about all the things
your child is “not supposed to be able to do.” Well, it’s these lows in life,
the can’ts and won’ts that make the cans and dids all worth it. Just keep that
in mind for all the families of newly diagnosed children.
If it hadn’t been for the bad experiences in the
past though this probably wouldn’t have been such a wonderful trip. I know this
sounds crazy, but it really is true.
On a side note: Parents of Autism will meet Thursday
night at Carl Albert State College in Poteau. Jennifer Moyano, training and
outreach coordinator from the Oklahoma Autism Network, will be there discuss
federal and state programs to assist families with special needs children. Jennifer, OTR/L, is an occupational therapist for the
Oklahoma Autism Network at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.
Jennifer has worked with families and their children with developmental delays
and disabilities, including autism since 1998 through early intervention,
school-based services, and in clinical settings. Jennifer has specialized
expertise in autism spectrum disorders including early identification,
screening and positive behavior supports. She has provided training and
technical assistance for providers who support children with autism and their
families in early intervention, educational, and community settings. Jennifer
has completed training and reliability in the use of the Screening Tool for
Autism in Two-Year Olds (STAT) at Vanderbilt University and the Checklist for
Autism in Toddlers (Denver Modification) (CHAT) at the University of Oklahoma
Health Sciences Center.
The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. If you have any
questions about this please contact me at pervasivepareting@hotmail.com.
Everyone is welcome to attend. I encourage everyone including parents,
teachers, therapist, family members, etc. to join us.
Disclaimer: I am in no way claiming to be an expert. I’m
just a father who is trying to learn as much about Autism as I can to help my
child. I hope that you all can learn from me, and I from you. I ask anyone who
has questions or comments about something I have written, or autism, please
contact me at pervasiveparenting@hotmail.com.
I will try to answer questions as I have time, and if I find it interesting
enough I may touch on it in my column.
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