I told Mike this morning that I can't decide who aggravates me more, the people who deny an autism epidemic or the ones who characterize autism as a gift.
Mike chose option 2. Good call.
If it's a gift, then on behalf of the 1 in 68 children the CDC now estimates is affected by autism, I'd like to return it.
Some may read that and decide that I don't love or accept my daughter. They’d be absolutely wrong. Leah is loved and valued for who she is. She is a gift. Her autism is not.
Autism bestows seizures on some children. My friend whose son is attended by a nurse at school because his seizures are life-threatening has never expressed gratitude for his autism. Her love for him shines through when she talks about him, though.
Children with autism are six to eight times more likely to have GI problems than their neurotypical peers. Leah was diagnosed with celiac disease at 3. I'm fairly certain frequent warnings from her parents about food that isn't 'safe' for her gets old.
Almost half of all children with autism wander, and 42 children have died as a result of wandering since 2011. Do those grieving families think of autism as a gift? Doubtful.
My friends whose toddlers stopped talking overnight have never characterized this as a gift. Some of those children regained speech after a lot of hard work. Others didn't.
We've worked for years to treat Leah's autism. She's happy, which is great news for her parents. She's progressing, albeit on a different trajectory than her sisters. And we've been able to identify and address issues like her celiac disease precisely because we pursued treatment. Her life is better because we ignored anyone who implied there was nothing we could do.
Meanwhile, the government, via the CDC and the IACC, has watched the autism rate rise with no sense of urgency. Even the likelihood that a significant chunk of the lucky 1 in 68s will need government assistance when they reach adulthood doesn't seem to be motivating anyone. We're preparing Leah for a job -- she goes to a school with a robust work-study program and works on life skills at home, too. But she will never drive a car, and is unlikely to land a job with benefits or a high salary. I have no illusions: It will fall to us to care for Leah for the rest of her life.
That's our privilege, because we love her, but that's also an extremely expensive 'gift.'
Mike chose option 2. Good call.
If it's a gift, then on behalf of the 1 in 68 children the CDC now estimates is affected by autism, I'd like to return it.
Some may read that and decide that I don't love or accept my daughter. They’d be absolutely wrong. Leah is loved and valued for who she is. She is a gift. Her autism is not.
Autism bestows seizures on some children. My friend whose son is attended by a nurse at school because his seizures are life-threatening has never expressed gratitude for his autism. Her love for him shines through when she talks about him, though.
Children with autism are six to eight times more likely to have GI problems than their neurotypical peers. Leah was diagnosed with celiac disease at 3. I'm fairly certain frequent warnings from her parents about food that isn't 'safe' for her gets old.
Almost half of all children with autism wander, and 42 children have died as a result of wandering since 2011. Do those grieving families think of autism as a gift? Doubtful.
My friends whose toddlers stopped talking overnight have never characterized this as a gift. Some of those children regained speech after a lot of hard work. Others didn't.
We've worked for years to treat Leah's autism. She's happy, which is great news for her parents. She's progressing, albeit on a different trajectory than her sisters. And we've been able to identify and address issues like her celiac disease precisely because we pursued treatment. Her life is better because we ignored anyone who implied there was nothing we could do.
Meanwhile, the government, via the CDC and the IACC, has watched the autism rate rise with no sense of urgency. Even the likelihood that a significant chunk of the lucky 1 in 68s will need government assistance when they reach adulthood doesn't seem to be motivating anyone. We're preparing Leah for a job -- she goes to a school with a robust work-study program and works on life skills at home, too. But she will never drive a car, and is unlikely to land a job with benefits or a high salary. I have no illusions: It will fall to us to care for Leah for the rest of her life.
That's our privilege, because we love her, but that's also an extremely expensive 'gift.'
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