Answers Revealed

     I haven't posted in awhile, because I just haven't been able to face this topic. Autism....a very scary word. I have known for a very long time that Zander was special in many ways. We all want the best for our children and half of the battle is finding out what they need and the other half is providing it. It is very frustrating reading everything you can get your hands on and self diagnosing your child and not being able to get a medical diagnosis. Becuase we are not finacially well off, we had to go the route of the pediatrician and the school system. It has taken almost 3 years to work this system and finally get the diagnosis that Zander needs to receive services in our school system. I have resigned myself to the fact that I will not be able to provide private services for him, so I will continue to advocate for him and fight the system if necessary to get everything he needs.
     I jumped ahead a little bit. I thought that he would receive 1 diagnosis, but he actually ended up with four. Sensory Processing Disorder, Motor Coordination Disorder, ADHD combined type and the dreaded Autism Spectrum Disorder. I expect the ASD will eventually be Asperger's Syndrome when we receive an IQ score. The school system will be doing that test next week. I still can't really say it out loud without getting emotional. I didn't expect that since I thought I had prepared myself for that. According to everything that I have read, you actually go through a greiving process when you receive the diagnosis and have to accept that your child is not a typically developing child. High functioning autism is really difficult because, it is not obvious to an outsider that a child has autism. I get the stares and the rolling of eyes from other parents that think I am not disciplining my child. I don't pretend to have all of the answers and everyday is a challenge and I learn something new.
     Zander is the sweetest, most loving child I have ever met. I enjoy every minute with him and treasure my time with him. We will continue to fight this battle together and I know that he will succeed. He sees the world in a different way and I am enjoying the view from his eyes.