Mike is an 8 year old boy that appears such as any other 8 year old boy until he gets an idea stuck in his head. He tends to obsess over things that you and I would never even think about. These things become constant thoughts in his head and are a huge deal to him. They interfere with his everyday life at home and school. They prevent him from developing friendships as children at times become afraid of Mike for they have witnessed episodes of extreme frustration and irritability. Mike has struggled with this for years and his parents have tried all they can to help their son. This can be one of the many challenges of Autism. Mike is an extremely bright and verbal child but just has such a difficult time dealing with everyday life. Why am I writing about Mike?
Mike represents so many children and this is extremely difficult for families to handle. Insurance doesn't want to pay for the help and schools are stretched so thin that it's near impossible to follow a plan consistently and with fidelity day in and day out. How about when we have better days but then that is followed with terrible days. How about if they start to demonstrate an entirely new behavior that we are not prepared for? All children and staff are affected so what is the right answer?
Many parents have struggles and although it appears as they can handle this, I must admit it's terribly difficult. Mike is like my own son in many ways and we have good and bad days. Balancing it all out is by far the most difficult challenge I have ever had. Being sleep deprived impacts so much including relationships. Our friends and families do not understand what we go through unless they live it too. Our communities do not get the challanges that we have. Also keep in mind, it's life-long! This does not go away, there is no cure!
I ask that you practice not only awareness but offer support to so many families that are raising children with a disability. Teach your children about caring and being compassionate to others. Patience and understanding is much appreciated by parents like us. We did not choose this, we did not plan for this. We are doing the best we can to give our children a fair chance in this world.
Mike represents so many children and this is extremely difficult for families to handle. Insurance doesn't want to pay for the help and schools are stretched so thin that it's near impossible to follow a plan consistently and with fidelity day in and day out. How about when we have better days but then that is followed with terrible days. How about if they start to demonstrate an entirely new behavior that we are not prepared for? All children and staff are affected so what is the right answer?
Many parents have struggles and although it appears as they can handle this, I must admit it's terribly difficult. Mike is like my own son in many ways and we have good and bad days. Balancing it all out is by far the most difficult challenge I have ever had. Being sleep deprived impacts so much including relationships. Our friends and families do not understand what we go through unless they live it too. Our communities do not get the challanges that we have. Also keep in mind, it's life-long! This does not go away, there is no cure!
I ask that you practice not only awareness but offer support to so many families that are raising children with a disability. Teach your children about caring and being compassionate to others. Patience and understanding is much appreciated by parents like us. We did not choose this, we did not plan for this. We are doing the best we can to give our children a fair chance in this world.
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